I've been enjoying reading the various instructions/advice/insights on maintaining Mini finish on this board; my thanks to the various people who have shared this! I must admit that I've never taken good care of the finish on any of my other cars--I've never owned any that seemed worth worrying about. But the Mini that I have on-order is very different--it's nice and I want to keep it that way. I ordered the Highgate package in large part because of its beautiful paint: Deep brown metallic with blue flecks. So I am curious whether anyone would modify the various insights that have already appeared on this board for the specifics of the Highgate paint job. Does the complexity of the paint (I'm thinkin' those blue flecks must affect _something_) mean any difference in maintenance, or is it basically just paint like any other car? The car should be here soon and I want to be ready to start things off right when it does. My thanks for any advice (and for that which has already appeared here--very interesting reading it has been!)!
Treat it as you would any other MINI paint. The paint process is still the same, it just is a different color and has a different metal flake in it. Otherwise it is all the same. Not like it is a flat or matte color that needs different regimen.
Just as Nathan said it is the same base coat/ Clear coat that is used on most all autos today. The care should be in protecting the CC from swirls/ scratches. The best advice I can give is never ever take it to a carwash that has anything that touches your car. The rotating brushes will leave you with thousands of fine scratches and the fact that yours will be a dark brown will show even more, darker the color the more you see. Also I would advise against having the dealer give you a "free wash" after service. Do it your self.
"Just" paint, usual rules apply, I'd think. Would be a tricky match in a repair setting...I'm always nervous about metallics, maybe someone can chime in. *Great* color, very classy. It even tempts my wife, who's generally "brown" paint phobic.