First semi-detail on my new Mazdaspeed Protege...

Q

Quik89si

New member
I thought it was going to rain today, so I wasn't planning on detailing it even THIS much...



Anyway, washed it with Meg's GC car wash and Griot's sheepskin mitt. Clayed hood/roof/trunk with Mother's clay/QD. Started off on the hood with 3M IHG, but as usual, it started looking hazy/smeary/crappy, so I switched to the only other glaze/polish that I had handy, which was Meguiar's "Step 2" - yes, the one in the red bottle. I need to get some better products!! Finally, waxed it all (most of it 2x) with One Grand Blitz Wax (any opinions on this stuff? I've been using it for a while, and it seems good, but I never hear anyone talking about it on here.)



Thanks to my crappy digital camera, pics didn't come out that good, but here they are.



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Thanks for looking!





Alex
 
Few more pics...



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It wasn't the best day for pics...or the best time...but enough excuses!



Close up of the paint color...



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Alex
 
And while I'm at it - a question for you guys. The panels were a little bit rough - tiny amounts of grit, but nothing compared to what my old '99 Civic felt like after 6 months or so - but anyway, does it hurt anything to polish/wax over it without claying the surface to remove it? Or is it just that claying the surface enhances the adhesion of certain products?



Thanks again!



Alex
 
My opinion:



Imagine laying a tarp on asphalt that has a few rocks underneath it. The rocks tent off an area around themselves, where the tarp cannot be effectively spread. I would guess that grit would do something similar, where product becomes ineffectively applied in an area around the grit. One or two specs won't make a difference, but when you start feeling roughness in the paint, where you have a series of bumps, you can easily see how quickly the total of missed surface area compounds. Your application of polish becomes spotty, and the surface doesn't shine as much as it could, since there are dull areas spotted throughout your paint.



That's just my guess at what happens.
 
Makes sense...



I am going to clay the whole thing next time I get the kind of time and products that I need.



Alex
 
Quik89si, it's not difficult to find good clay. Both Mother's and ClayMagic kits are readily available at places like AutoZone, PepBoys, and even {gag!} WalMart. But I do hear ya about the problem of finding the time. Where are you located? Do you have a warm place to detail the car?
 
Lynn said:
Quik89si, it's not difficult to find good clay. Both Mother's and ClayMagic kits are readily available at places like AutoZone, PepBoys, and even {gag!} WalMart. But I do hear ya about the problem of finding the time. Where are you located? Do you have a warm place to detail the car?
Click to expand...



Yeah, I usually get the Mother's clay kit at Pepboys...the clay works fine, but I'm looking to get some better other products, such as polish and possibly some sealant (Klasse twins are a consideration) and some Microfiber towels...



Alex
 
One Grand Blitz was a real popular choice here a couple years ago. Since then Autopians have found and used other waxes they like better but Blitz is still a very good choice.
 
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