New black RX-8 - new to detailing, advice sought

S

Samoth

New member
My new black RX-8 is due to be delivered in the very near future, and this being my new pride and joy I'd like to look after it and get it looking its best.



I'm new to the whole idea of detailing cars properly, so I've done my traditional geeky thing of inhaling whole websites in an attempt to get up to speed with the right way to go about things. I've formulated something of a plan of action, but I'd love some advice from some more experienced types.



First things first, I've asked my dealer not to touch the outside of the car, as at least any mistakes made on the finish will be my own, not theirs :)



I'm based in the UK, and some of the products mentioned here don't seem that easy to find (I have read the thread about UK retailers), so my initial ideas are mostly based on Meguiars range, which I can find easily enough. All of this will be done by hand, as I'm not quite keen enough to aquire a PC or similar quite yet :)



Firstly I plan to wash the car (sheepskin mitt, rinsing off etc), using something like the NXT wash. Not sure if the transport grime etc would be better off removed with doing it with a dish detergent - this seems to be a source of much controversy, so I thought I'd avoid it at first and see how I got on.



Then I plan to clay bar the car to remove anything that's left. I'm not sure whether to go with the Meguiars Quick Clay system, or the ClearKote Clay Bar, which I can also get here.



Then wash the car again, and dry (I'm planning to get MF towels etc for this).



My understanding is that applying a polish at this point would be a good idea. I'm hoping that my new car should be fairly unblemished, so I'm thinking I should want something very mild. The suggestions seem to be the Megs #7, or the (even milder?) #81. Not really sure what the right thing to go for here is.



After that, I was planning on going for the NXT wax.



Any advice on things I seem to have missed, stuff I've not understood properly, or catastrophic flaws in my approach would be greatly appreciated.



Thanks,



Sam.
 
I wouldn't plan on polishing yet, but it won't hurt. If you've read up and know how to wash the car, you should be able to keep the scratching down to a minimum. Get a paint cleaner and a good wax. It sounds liie you know what's going on.



Enjoy that car.
 
Postwood said:
I wouldn't plan on polishing yet, but it won't hurt. If you've read up and know how to wash the car, you should be able to keep the scratching down to a minimum. Get a paint cleaner and a good wax. It sounds liie you know what's going on.
Click to expand...



Ahh, yes polish and paint cleaner is something I'm rather confused about. If I understand rightly, then there are both chemical and abrasive paint cleaners - with the abrasive ones kinda crossing over with the polishes a bit? There also seems to be more than one usage of the word 'polish', where some seem to be very abrasive things and some don't.



My reasoning on the #7 or #81 was that they appeared to be polishes without any signifcant abrasive action if I understood correctly.



So when you suggest a 'paint cleaner' what kind of thing do you mean? And what does it actually do? Are we talking about some kind of chemical cleaner or a mild abrasive or what?



Yours, slightly confused,



Sam.
 
Samoth- Welcome to Autopia! You're correct about the different uses of the term "polish"; it's hard to know what you're dealing with, so ask us about any particular product. Chances are somebody here has tried it, whatever it is.



If Mazda's black is the same as their silver (i.e., same clearcoat on top), and if you DO NOT let the dealer wash it, you should be OK with just a chemical cleaner or one with *very* fine abrasives. Not sure what you have available, but Autoglym's Super Resin Polish comes to mind. I used Klasse's All-in-One on our Mazda, and topped with their Sealant Glaze. I've also used Pinnacle's Paintwork Cleansing Lotion and P21S' GEPC, they work well too, as does Metallic Polish from Einszett. And there are plenty of other products that would fit the bill, ask about anything you're interested in.



You're correct about Meg's #7 and #81- and the latter is generally considered *MUCH* more user-friendly. These are sorta "finishing touch" products, ones you use *after* the paint is prepped/cleaned. I'm not sure how well they would clean the paint.
 
Welcome to the Forum, Sam!



Just wanted to chime in since I, too, own a Mazda RX-8...mine is a 6-speed, Titanium Grey with black cloth interior. It's only 3 months old, but I've got 5 layers of Klasse Sealent Glaze on her already, with a sixth to go on this weekend, as long as the weather holds off!



You shouldn't need much to get your car's paint off to a good start. You should really go for a wash/soap that is mild and has a lot of lubricity, especially since your car is black. Since you can get Meguire's easily, go with Gold Class...it's really rich and slick and works well with dark cars. I wouldn't go with dishwashing soap...especially on a new car!



As far as the rest of your "treatment" is concerned, the best way to decide what to use/do is to ask and read around Autopia. I did a lot of research here before deciding what to use on my RX-8. I went with the Klasse treatment primarily because it provides a incredible looking shine as well as a very durable level of protection. Also, it is very easy to work with. (I use Bill North's Wipe-On-Wipe-Off method :xyxthumbs)



Whatever you decide, welcome and good luck! The RX-8 is an incredible car...I wake up at nights just wanting go for a drive! Enjoy it and enjoy keeping it beautiful!



Arvin



BTW: I LOVE the TopGear review of our car by Jeremy Clarkson...that guy's a riot!!
 
Accumulator said:




If Mazda's black is the same as their silver (i.e., same clearcoat on top), and if you DO NOT let the dealer wash it, you should be OK with just a chemical cleaner or one with *very* fine abrasives. Not sure what you have available, but Autoglym's Super Resin Polish comes to mind.



You're correct about Meg's #7 and #81- and the latter is generally considered *MUCH* more user-friendly. These are sorta "finishing touch" products, ones you use *after* the paint is prepped/cleaned. I'm not sure how well they would clean the paint.
Click to expand...



Ahh right, this is starting to answer my confusion a little.



I didn't think I had a paint cleaner at the moment, because I'd not really registered that the Autoglym Super Resin Polish I happen to have a bottle of already counted as that! :)



Sooo, it seems the concensus is that I need a paint cleaner of some sort, as light as possible. In terms of what I can get hold of, they there's the Megs Deep Crystal Step 1 Paint Cleaner, the aforementioned Autoglym SRP, and I can also get ClearKote Vanilla Moose Wax.



Not really sure which of those I should go with. As you say, I've made sure that the dealer doesn't wash it (providing they do as they're told), so the paint surface should be in good condition still I hope. By the sound of it once I've selected a paint cleaner to use I can go with wash it/clay it/paint cleaner it then straight to wax it.



Thanks,



Sam.
 
ArvinC said:
Welcome to the Forum, Sam!



Just wanted to chime in since I, too, own a Mazda RX-8...mine is a 6-speed, Titanium Grey with black cloth interior. It's only 3 months old, but I've got 5 layers of Klasse Sealent Glaze on her already, with a sixth to go on this weekend, as long as the weather holds off!
Click to expand...



Yeah, I've read a lot about the Klasse stuff here on Autopia, but it doesn't seem to be easy to get hold of in the UK, and I'm not quite certain enough of what I want of stuff to start placing orders from the USA quite yet.





You shouldn't need much to get your car's paint off to a good start. You should really go for a wash/soap that is mild and has a lot of lubricity, especially since your car is black. Since you can get Meguire's easily, go with Gold Class...it's really rich and slick and works well with dark cars. I wouldn't go with dishwashing soap...especially on a new car!
Click to expand...



Yeah, that makes sense to me. I was planning on the NXT wash as I was going to finish with the NXT wax. Is there any reason to prefer the Gold Class to that?





As far as the rest of your "treatment" is concerned, the best way to decide what to use/do is to ask and read around Autopia. I did a lot of research here before deciding what to use on my RX-8. I went with the Klasse treatment primarily because it provides a incredible looking shine as well as a very durable level of protection. Also, it is very easy to work with. (I use Bill North's Wipe-On-Wipe-Off method :xyxthumbs)
Click to expand...



Yup, I have done a lot of reading round - I'm kind of at the level of having read so much, that I'm at the 'a little knowledge is a dangerous thing' phase I suspect, hence the questions here. On the Klasse front, I might give that a go once I'm more certain what I'm doing and want to order stuff from the US.





BTW: I LOVE the TopGear review of our car by Jeremy Clarkson...that guy's a riot!!
Click to expand...



Oh he's a national treasure. Very very amusing - although his throwaway comment on the end of the review about the car being unstable in the wet has caused lots of argument since!



Thanks,



Sam.
 
Samoth- Can't help you with the Deep Crystal, not familiar with it. The VM is sorta a "cleaner wax", it's similar in overall effect to the Autoglym SRP. Given that you already have the SRP, I'd probably just use that and top it with either their Extra Gloss (or whatever they're calling it these days) or the wax of your choice.
 
I'll just bet that the adhesive residue from the protective wrap will need to be removed with clay.



The balance of your plan sounds just great... the Klasse twins (in my opinion) would be worth importing!



G'luck!



Jim
 
Hi Sam



I had the same dilemma as yourself so know exactly how you feel. Meguiar's products had me confused so much that I was ready to blow my brains out.



Clay from Meg is fine and I am using NXT wash and it is awesome. Also the Zymol car shampoo from Hellfords is also very good if you want to buy that instead. I would use P21GEPC first and can be bought in the UK for £9. It is very mild and brings the paint up a treat. Then I would apply #81 hand polish and top it with NXT Tech wax. Let it cure for 12 hours and maybe a coat of P21S Wax on top for the best look all around or Meg #26 instead.



I have used and still have AG SRP in the past and I had a black S2000 and would not use it again. The thing leaves too much white residue everywhere which is a pain to clean up. Hope this helps.



Rahul
 
if you were to ask me ...............

wash NXT

clay MEG

rewash NXT

NXT wax

wait about 2 weeks

NXT wax

POLISH

stand back and admire shine

WORKS EVERY TIME
 
ALAN81 said:
if you were to ask me ...............

wash NXT

clay MEG

rewash NXT

NXT wax

wait about 2 weeks

NXT wax

POLISH

stand back and admire shine

WORKS EVERY TIME
Click to expand...



I would have to say go with this plan and if this doesn't do the job for you then try my method. Why go through more steps than needed? Once the car is looking good and you want to enhance it then try some more steps.
 
Polish? I assume you don't mean polish in the conventional sense, since that should've been done around the claying stage :confused:
 
You bought a new car all that needs to be done is wash clay and a coat of wax.....................Why do people feel that when they get a new car they have to go to town with every product they can get there hands on.I can understand claying a new car and then throw on a coat of wax your car was painted and clear coated less then 30 days ago,unless you bought a damaged car with those two steps your car should look AMAZING
 
ALAN81 said:
You bought a new car all that needs to be done is wash clay and a coat of wax.....................Why do people feel that when they get a new car they have to go to town with every product they can get there hands on.I can understand claying a new car and then throw on a coat of wax your car was painted and clear coated less then 30 days ago,unless you bought a damaged car with those two steps your car should look AMAZING
Click to expand...



Well I haven't actually planned to throw a load of products on it, the only bit you've taken out of my original plan was that I thought that I'd need to 'polish' it too (where it turns out I meant something non-abrasive, a 'pure' polish - I just hadn't really grasped the terminology right :o )



Given peoples advice so far, my current plan is :



First time through :



NXT wash,

Clay,

NXT wash,

NXT wax.



And only after that consider whether the paintwork actually needs anything else (either a paint cleaner, or a pure polish). About the only question is whether there's liable to be anything stuck on the car from the transport that I can't get off with the wash and clay - but I guess I'll find that out when the time comes :)



Thanks to everyone for your help and advice so far, it's been a great introduction to such a helpful community.



Sam.
 
Polaris said:
Polish? I assume you don't mean polish in the conventional sense, since that should've been done around the claying stage :confused:
Click to expand...



Apparently no, didn't mean that kind of polish. The word 'polish' seems to have confused me rather ;) The kind of 'polish' I was thinking of using was Megs #81, which they term a 'pure' polish - rather than something abrasive - hopefully I shouldn't have anything that needs polishing out of the paint on the new car.



I'm not sure what the correct term for this kind of product should be - are they what are otherwise called glazes? Something that 'feeds' paint, like a moisturiser?



Anyhow, at present, I'm not planning to use polish in *either* sense, seeing as the consensus seems to be that I shouldn't need to do that on a first detail of a brand new car, so I'll hold off on that for now :)



Thanks,



Sam.
 
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