New to forum/question about polishes/wax etc
 

Hello everyone!

I'm new to the forum. I just purchased my first Mazda ever (black 2010 Mazda 3 i Touring) and I love it so far!

I had a question about 'polishes' though. I've actually looked at previous posts on this forum (and elsewhere) but what IS best for newer Mazda cars especially black? I've read the no no's about using regular 'wax' on new paint jobs due to the acrylic paint etc...and that traditional polishes will ruin the paint as well. I'm just not sure what to use! This is my first new car since 2010! I know I don't need to 'polish' etc the new car for a while, but I want to be properly prepared.

I've read that acrylic paint conditioner is better, such as Vapor Wax, but then I read other reviews on that product and it was not recommended. Another person recommended "Liquid Lustre" ( http://www.liquidlustre.com/testimonials.html ) but that product has carnuba wax in it which i thought was not good for new paint finishes.

So I'm at a loss!!! Any suggestions?

I do apologize for the length of this post! I will keep it shorter in the future.

THANKS so much!

Stephanie:)

i recommend just using a clay bar system rather than wax. if you live somewhere prone to pollution, i would clay bar it once a month. if you don't live in a polluted area, once every couple of months is fine.

Personally, I clay barred mine then put a nice coat of Meguiars Gold Class on it. But that was me.

Hard to go wrong with any of the Meguiar's products. I used to use Gold Class but had better luck with their newer Tech Wax, especially on dark colors- my '07 was black and it always looked awesome with a coat of Tech Wax. It did not seem to last quite as long as some of the others, so a new coat every 2 months or so would be a good idea.

I could very well be wrong, but we were discussing clay barring at work and every said it is not good for the car, that it actually will grab all the impurities and drag them along the clear coat and scratch them up. Is this true?

That's a terrible idea Wes. :P The clay is a semi-abrasive compound that removes particulates caught in the clear coat and any wax on top of it. The wax helps protect the paint, and depending on what kind you get can help condition it as well. If you just claybar then there's no protection on the paint afterwards. Anytime you clay you should always apply a coat of wax afterwards.

Not true. Like I said the clay is a semi-abrasive compound that pulls crap out of the clear coat. Some clays are more abrasive than others and can cause damage to the clear coat if used improperly. Generally speaking regular commercial clay barely abrasive and you could scrub back and forth for minutes at a time (sometimes necessary to remove really set in stuff) and not mar the paint at all.

If you think that you get great results by washing your car and waxing it then you'll be blown away with how it feels after a good claying.

As to polishes it's certainly not something you need to do every wash.... maybe even once a year depending on how quickly your car develops swirl marks. For that the process would be: wash, clay, polish, wax. I can't really recommend any particular ones. I've only used some regular turtle wax polish. I will suggest looking around over at autotopia.com as you will learn tons about detailing and they can suggest some great products for you to use.

Clay Barring requires clear coat job shortly after. I am not saying that it will not work, but polishing will be required later on to achieve that wet look we all aim for when detailing a beautiful paint finish; especially when it comes to fresh black paint. Since your car pis practically brand new, use a product that has NO SILICONE and NO WAX in it. A good 3M hand glaze will make your paint look like it came out of a paint shop. That way you will only fortify the clear coat, not scratch it or make it thinner as you do with wax/silicone products. I hearv all MEGUIAR's fans and it is fine. it is a good (but not awesome wax)detailing system. a hand glaze will also remove pollutants that may smear or stain your Mazda's paint job. Plus, it makes rain water bead away from the paint as if using a detailer spray. Go ahead and try it. I'm pretty sure you will like the product. Besides it is one of very few Paint Shop Grade car paint products you can buy anywhere

Why would you need new clear coat after clay barring? It doesn't remove the clear coat.

It IS a semi-abrasive element which actually weakens the clear coat film. It does look shiny after you have used it but within time the clear will wear out before it should.Any other outstanding doubts?
besides clay bar was designed for older paint jobrs, factory or custom

^^ While the clay is abrasive, and with improper use may cause damage to the clear coat, as long as you keep it well lubricated it won't cause any issues with the clear coat. While the particles it removes can pull very small amounts of clear loose this is akin to brushing your teeth. Brushing them removes the crap, but doesn't destroy your enamel. One you apply a coat of wax any gaps/divits, etc. will be filled in by the wax.

The worst you could do with clay (either with unlubricated or a very abrasive clay) is scratch the clear coat slightly, or cause a slight haze (from really small scratches). Either of those would be easily corrected by polishing, and neither would require replacing the clear coat.

I suggest you spend some time on detailing forums like autotopia.