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Hatchbacks Mazda3 Mazda3 Exterior Care and Maintenance
33 messages, Last post on Jul 15, 2008 at 7:09 AM
You are in the Mazda3 Forum. Your Host is pf_flyer
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Replying to: networkguy (Mar 14, 2008 8:56 pm) BMW tuner Steve Dinan once told me "Horsepower is like Cocaine; once you get a real taste you can never get enough." I don't think I've ever been able to leave one of my cars stock. Now I think I'm ready for a bit more. I'm definitely looking forward to hearing your impressions of the MS CAI. It may have to wait a bit. On 3/14 Mazda issued a stop sale order-with no explanation-on the CAI to all US dealers. Mine shipped prior to the order but I want to hear the reason before I install it. Hopefully it's just some bureaucratic nonsense like CARB certification...  We'll probably have to move this discussion to a different thread, I just saw the name of the one we're in. How about: "Article Comments - 2007 Mazdaspeed 3 by Mazdaspeed Accessories"?
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Replying to: roadburner (Mar 16, 2008 7:03 pm) Sounds like a plan. |
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After hearing about this stuff for years, I'm taking the plunge with my first order in anticipation of owning a black Speed3 in the very near future. After an hour or so reading through all their products on their website, I emailed Sal for his recommendation. His reply was that the minimum starter would be: Z7 wash, Z-AIO (All-In-One) cleaner/polish; Z5 polish and Z6 detailer. However, I decided to go whole hog with the ZKIT-1. I understand the first treatment process is: Wash w/Dawn/rinse Wash w/Z7/rinse Clay bar/rinse Z5+ZXF/Z6 two coats min Z2/Z6 Sounds like a full day's work but worth it based on all the testimonials I've seen.
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Replying to: indydriver (Mar 30, 2008 7:42 am)
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Replying to: ahightower (Mar 31, 2008 7:47 am)
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Replying to: indydriver (Apr 03, 2008 3:33 pm)
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Replying to: ahightower (Apr 04, 2008 10:20 am) |
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I just purchased an '08 Mazda3 sedan in phantom purple mica and I'm loving it. I'd like to keep it as clean and shiny as possible. It is my first new car ever and while I tend to keep my cars clean enough by driving through the car wash, I'd like to especially do the right things from the start on this one. Here are my specific questions: 1. What are the best products for washing this car? What kind of brushes/cloth and soap? Are drive-through car washes safe or will they cause scratches? 2. Should I wax it? If so, with what product and how often? 3. How can I protect or remedy the paint from rock chips? Unfortunately, as I was driving the car home from the dealership (!), it suffered a couple of rock chips so there are two little chips in the paint on the hood. What are my options for fixing/filling these? Thank you so much for any responses, and please feel free to offer any advice on other aspects of exterior care as well.  patti
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Replying to: pattiverde (Nov 01, 2007 7:33 pm) I'm glad you asked! Congratulations on your new mazda3. I have an '06 hatch with a nice shiny coat. 1. I would not recommend going through automatic car washes that touch your car as I've seen them leave scratches behind. If you have a 'touch-free' one that just sprays it down with high pressure water, then those are great. But, if you do have to do it yourself, you can use the self service bays at the car wash and the soap/water they provide. They use soaps made for car finishes which won't harm them. If you do it yourself at home, just be sure to purchase a type of soap that is made for cars - Turtle Wax, Meguiars and Mothers are all trusted brands and available at Walmart of one of those chain auto parts places. While you're at the store, also buy any 'wands' 'mits' or 'sponges' that you'd like to use - but be sure they are made for cars. You'll at least want a good soft 'mit' and some microfiber towels to dry it. I usually grab the 10 packs of microfiber towels (they'll say 'mircrofiber' right on the packaging) at Target and just throw them away after a 3-5 uses. 2. Yes, you should wax it about twice a year. If you're into the 'wax on, wax off' deal, just purchase the meguiars or turtle 'paste' wax. It should come with an applicator sponge and you'll use a couple of very soft clothes to wipe it off. The most common mistake in using paste waxes is wiping on too much, which, when dry, is quite a pain to wipe off. Just spread it out lightly, wait for it to dry, then wipe off, turning your cloth frequently. If you would rather use a liquid wax, those are fine too, just follow the instructions on the bottle. I personally like Meguiar's products for everything. One thing to know - Use a 'Paint Cleaner' right before you wax (it'll say right on the bottle that it's a paint cleaner. Paint cleaner removes your old wax as well as any other gross stuff on your finish. It's a wipe on, wipe off product that's easy to use. Whenever you're using different products, just be sure to use different clothes and applicators for each. Otherwise, you'll just smear on some paint cleaner, when you're trying to wax it, for example. 3. Paint chips are difficult. If the chip actually goes through the clear coat AND the paint surface, then you'll want to use a bit of touch up paint on it (available from mazda) to prevent any rusting. In my experience, (not sure if I'm doing it wrong or what) touched up spots never look perfect, but they do fill in the paint. I've heard the best way to apply it is to just drop the tiniest paint drop into the center of the chip, let it spread and dry, then reapply until the surface of the chip comes up to meet the surface of the paint. This is not my area of expertise, but its worked for me. So, if you're wandering over to Walmart or a Consumer Auto Parts (or similar auto parts chain) and just want a brief list of 'what to buy' here is a list of what I keep in my house/garage to maintain a shiny car (keep in mind I use an automatic touch free car wash, so I have no washing supplies.) - Meguiars Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner (The bottle says 'step 1') -Meguiars Gold Class Clear Coat Paste Wax -Meguiars Quik Detailer (for bird poo and rain stains) -Armor All Extreme Tire Shine (Aerosol Can) -Microfiber cloths (5 of one color, 5 of another) And here is my maintenance schedule: - Wash and dry car and wheels/hubcaps every two weeks (one week in salt/snow.) Use one cloth to dry the car from the roof to halfway down the doors. Use a separate cloth to dry the car from the lower door to the bottom. (The bottom is still a bit dirty after you wash. I like to use different color clothes, to keep it straight.) Definately use a different cloth to wipe they wheels or hubcaps - they will dirty for sure! - In the spring and fall, wash & dry car, then use Paint Cleaner (instructions on bottle.) Next apply and remove wax. One coat is enough - you want to protect it, but not 'hide' the shiny finish. - In between washes, use Quik Detailer (spray on, wipe off) to remove bird poo or rain 'streaks' or anything else that you want to wipe off. The product is only for use on waxed cars. If you spray it on a car that hasn't been waxed in a year, it won't work well at all. Is there more you could do? Yes, but then you'd be like me and overdoing it  . There are also 'polishes' and 'clay bars' to make it into a show room car. Truthfully, it doesn't make a big difference unless you REALLY stare at your car a lot. If you become obsessive, you would add in the polish and wax steps like this: Wash, Dry, Clay Bar, Paint Cleaner, Polish, Wax. (You see what I mean about all this work!) It will still look great without all this though. Random things you may already know: Don’t wash a car when it’s below 35 degrees – it will freeze right on your paint job. Also, brake dust seriously harms wheels and hubcaps. I wipe mine off with a cloth once or twice a week to keep them looking good. And, that’s that. Feel free to ask any questions you’d like. I love detailing my car. Meguiars also has a very helpful phone number where they actually pick up the phone and answer questions - better than credit card companies. Their number is 1-800-347-5700 in the US. Most importantly, have fun and enjoy your car. If the work involved in keeping it clean will make it less enjoyable for you, either pay someone to do it for you or skip it - It will still look good for a while. I happen to enjoy it. -Nicole Auburn, Mass |
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