Tips for Miata "Classic Red" (I think SS?)

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new2mud

New member
I've been introduced to the OCD world of Autopia, and am loving it!



I *thought* I knew how to detail cars before, until I stepped in here. Now I have a PC on order! (My wife does NOT thank you guys, but she will once I get her black SUV polished to a mirror-like shine!)



Anyway, the question at hand is a 1990 Miata with Classic Red paint. I believe it is single stage, as paint transfers quite readily even with the softest of polishes. As such, is a sealant still recommended, then followed by Carnuba for extra depth?



And while we're at it, I'm open to suggestions for a plan of attack--I have the basic Meguire's (Fine Cut, Glaze, Hi-tech Yellow Wax), but am open to going on a frenzy for PC-specific products!



The car has outstanding paint quality (esp for factory original paint that's now 17 years old)--mostly swirl marks. The only exception is that the front and rear urethane bumpers have mild-moderate oxidation I will need to address--suggestions for this?



Thanks for a great community rife with advice and tips!
 
Meg's polishes are great for single stage paints - try #80 via polishing pad, follow with #7 by finishing pad and your choice of wax. I don't usually seal SS paints - I just go straight to a carnuba over an oily glaze. Collinite 845iw provides sealant level durability, so it's a good choice for an outdoor car. One Grand's Blitz and Meguiar's #26 are also good choices.
 
new2mud- Welcome to Autopia!



Meguiar's products often seem to work especially well on single stage. That #2 Fine Cut is pretty aggressive stuff, so I'd only use that on areas that really need it and I'd expect to need a follow-up with something milder. #80 is a great product for jobs like this and is easy to recommend. #9 is easier to find, but it's so mild that I dunno if it's what you want.



That #26 (I'm guessing that's the product number of the High Tech Wax) is also very popular for applications like this. A number of people here have used those products on red Miatas with good results.



The Meguiar's polishes should take care of the oxidation, they'll just polish off the "dead" paint. I haven't used #2 since it was reformulated, but it used to have some pretty potent chemical paint cleaners in it, the kind that worked great on oxidized single stage.



FWIW I stick with carnaubas for single stage (I currently have two single stage cars with 20-some year old factory paint) and only use sealants on clearcoats.
 
For oxidation, you can use products like Meguiars ColorX, Klasse AIO, or Jeff Werkstatts ... I forgot the exact name.



I wouldn't really try putting a carnauba over a sealant, as there may be bonding issues. Stick with either/or. Paint transfer is absolutely normal if you are doing polishing on a single stage so you don't have to worry about that.



I'm not sure which number the Fine Cut (Is it #80?) corresponds to, but you might need a slightly stronger polish, depending on your swirl situation.
 
Hey guys--thanks for the warm welcome and tips!



I'm probably going to go with the Edge 2k system pads for the PC. What pad would be recommended to use the #2 Fine Cut on the oxidized areas?



So for general swirl removal, would just the AIO followed by Carnuba be adequate? (I don't have the AIO yet, but am making a list of new products to buy, and the AIO and the Optimum line seem to be on the short list!)



And for the oxidized bumpers: #2 followed by AIO and finished with Carnuba, or is there an intermediate step I should add? (Isn't AIO a sealant, and therefore not recommended underneathe th Carnuba? I'm getting confused now...)



Seems like I should just ditch the #9 Swirl Remover.
 
I had a '97 Classic Red and it had ss paint. I still have a lot of red pads from it. The paint will take alot of polishing. The bumpers and mirriors tend to fade more than the rest of the car and are hard to bring back.
 
teker said:
I had a '97 Classic Red and it had ss paint. I still have a lot of red pads from it. The paint will take alot of polishing. The bumpers and mirriors tend to fade more than the rest of the car and are hard to bring back.
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Just more working with the PC, or need specialized products?



Also, once your pads turn red, do they become dedicated to that 1 color/car, or are they still safe to use on other colors if washed?
 
You can still use the discolored pads. I was using one today on my truck. Check with the guys on Miata.net about the faded bumpers.
 
mikebai1990- The Fine Cut is their #2 and it's more potent than #80, more like #83. Used to be rotary only but I'm assuming he has the new version (sure hope so). Heh heh, you're misremembering the carnauba/sealant thing ;) See below...



new2mud said:
Hey guys--thanks for the warm welcome and tips!



I'm probably going to go with the Edge 2k system pads for the PC. What pad would be recommended to use the #2 Fine Cut on the oxidized areas?
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Sorry, but the only Edge pads I'm familiar with are the 4" ones for the Cyclo, which I'd probably use for major correction by PC as the 4" pads behave more aggressively. Use a light cut pad- with the Cyclo that'd be orange but I'm not sure about the PC. Then follow up with a somewhat milder pad if necessary (if the cut pad leaves micromarring).

So for general swirl removal, would just the AIO followed by Carnuba be adequate? (I don't have the AIO yet, but am making a list of new products to buy, and the AIO and the Optimum line seem to be on the short list!)
Click to expand...



No, sorry, don't expect the AIO to remove *any* marring. You'll need another abrasive product. Yeah, the OP should be OK but to be honest I'm not a huge fan of it (I know, I'm in the minority here on this) and I don't know if it'll leave a perfect, ready-to-wax finish on your paint.

And for the oxidized bumpers: #2 followed by AIO and finished with Carnuba, or is there an intermediate step I should add? (Isn't AIO a sealant, and therefore not recommended underneathe th Carnuba? I'm getting confused now...)



Seems like I should just ditch the #9 Swirl Remover.
Click to expand...



Yeah, expect to need a milder product in between the Fine Cut and the AIO...the #9 might be too mild for this and #80 is the usual suggestion. But the Meguair's approach isn't exactly complimentary to the AIO approach as the AIO cleans off the stuff that the Meguiar's leaves behind. Again, I wouldn't be using the Klasse on your single stage as I reserve that for clearcoats.



I dunno if you ought ditch the #9 because it's the sort of product I like on ss, but if you're gonna use Klasse you won't have any real use for it.



The #2 Fine Cut, then Optimum, then AIO, then something durable (either KSG or a wax) should work fine if you're bound and determined to use Klasse (sorry, I know I'm really busting your chops regarding the Klasse choice ;) ).



The AIO is primarily a paint cleaner. The sealant that it leaves behind is very short-lived. Sealants work fine *under* carnaubas, it's the opposite combo (sealants *over* carnaubas) that doesn't work. A great many people apply carnauba over every sealant in the book (and over AIO especially).



The bumpers and mirriors tend to fade more than the rest of the car and are hard to bring back...
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Note that these are painted plastics and the paint contains a flex agent. Just a bit different from the paint on the metal parts...treat it the same but try not to let it get too bad between re-dos.



I think it was Mosca who did such great work on his red ss Miata. IMO it'd be well worth your time to search on his username and see what he did with his..
 
Accumulator said:
The Fine Cut is their #2 and it's more potent than #80, more like #83. Used to be rotary only but I'm assuming he has the new version (sure hope so).
Click to expand...



My bottle of #2 is old--probably at least 7 years...is this not suitable for PC?





Accumulator said:
Again, I wouldn't be using the Klasse on your single stage as I reserve that for clearcoats.



I dunno if you ought ditch the #9 because it's the sort of product I like on ss, but if you're gonna use Klasse you won't have any real use for it.
Click to expand...



OK--great clarification. I'm not sold on the AIO (I don't own any yet)--and glad to know that it's mainly for clearcoats. I'll not use it on the SS Miata.





Accumulator said:
The #2 Fine Cut, then Optimum, then AIO, then something durable (either KSG or a wax) should work fine if you're bound and determined to use Klasse (sorry, I know I'm really busting your chops regarding the Klasse choice ;) ).
Click to expand...



So without AIO, how about #2 with a fine cutting pad, then Optimum with Polishing pad, and then is it ready for Carnuba?



I'm learning a ton here--thanks guys!
 
new2mud- Unless the bottle of #2 specifically says something like "for use by rotary, hand, or orbital polisher" then it's the old, rotary-only stuff and I wouldn't use it by PC (others have, but *no way* would I do it on your car and I'm fairly familiar with the product and how it acts on ss). I'd figure this out before you buy anything.



Otherwise, the #2/Optimum/wax oughta work. The only problem I see is that OP doesn't always finish out perfectly for some people (maybe user-error, but anyhow..). In that case you might do OK using the #9 as the final, pre-wax polish.



If you have to buy new stuff from scratch (#2 is the old one), then I'd keep my fingers crossed that #80 will be sufficient but I'd be prepared to buy something stronger (new version of #2 or #83) if needed.



Or there are a zillion different ways you could go with all the products on the market these days. To be honest, if you were in my shop doing the work (where I have all this stuff on the shelf), I'd probably point you toward 1Z brand products just because of the great user-friendliness/effectiveness (not that I'm backing off the "meguiar's works great on single stage"). There are countless ways to get good results and when people are just starting to get serious about this stuff I try to stick with near-foolproof suggestions so the initial big-deal detail goes smoothly, even if that approach might not be what an "expert" (note intentional use of scare-quotes ;) ) might reach for first.
 
Accumulator--I greatly appreciate the tips oriented to the new-to-machine polisher like me.



With that said, what would be your *specific* product recommendations for relatively fool-proof but great results? (PC application) I'm open to specific products for each step.



Since I'd really like to get the bumpers looking good, I'd be willing to buy specific product for them that perhaps I wouldn't use on my wife's black clearcoat. Of course, if there's product overlap, then even better!
 
new2mud- Glad to be of help. I always hate to say "buy this" as everybody has an opinion and there are a lot of good ways to go. But OK...



I'd check out 1z brand polishes at Aloha & Welcome to Our Oasis for All Your Auto Detailing Supplies & Accessories . Not saying they're *better* than the Meguiar's approach, but I still like them. Their Paint Polish, followed by either their Metallic Polish or their Metallic Polish with Wax, then topped with the wax of your choice, oughta work great.



If you want to stick with Meguiar's, the #2 or #83, then #80, then *maybe* #9 (doubt it'll be necessary), then wax would be my suggestion.



Any other approaches wouldn't be on my short list for you and this application but others will have differing opinions ;)



I wouldn't be approaching the bumpers any differently from the rest of the car, other than noting that the paint there is a) prone to worse weathering, b) probably somewhat fragile, and thus c) a bit of a quandary because those two characteristics are trouble when combined. Sorry, wish I had a better answer but some areas are just more problematic than others. Best you can do IMO is keep those in great shape..well waxed and not exposed to sunlight more than necessary. I've never found any wax/etc. to be especially great with regard to UV protection so I keep my fragile ss cars out of the sun as best I can.
 
Accumulator--thanks again for the specific product advice.



On that site I see the Paintwork Cleaner "Ultra" but it appears that it is for hand application only. I also see their Paint Polish, but it too looks to recommend hand application.



So their Paint Polish is all I should need to address oxidizing, combined with a light cutting pad on the PC (obviously followed up with a finishing coat of LSP)?



Also, is this Paint Polish your recommendation for, say, a black CC? (I'd love to kill 2 birds with 1 stone if possible)
 
new2mud- The Ultra is pretty aggressive and I only use it on bad scratches. All the 1z stuff works fine by hand or machine.



The PP might leave some light hazing on black, but using the MP afterwards will clean that up. You might need to follow up with the MP on the Miata too, just never know until you try it. FWIW I did not follow up on my Blazer but I did on my other vehicles that I used 1Z on...generally I'd say to use both PP and MP (the MP is very, very user-friendly..you can't imagine).
 
Excellent--I think I know what is on my upcoming order list: 1Z PP and MP!



Now, for the final step to give the extra pop, would a pure Carbuba like Meg #26 Hi-Tech Yellow Wax be just the ticket to followup the MP? What are other recommendations?
 
Yep, just apply the wax of your choice over the MP. Sorry, no idea what'd look best (let alone to you) as I haven't had a red car since forever...maybe the early '80s.
 
Accumulator--I just checked my bottle of #2--it is indeed "for rotary only". So this means I should absolutely not attempt it with the PC, correct?



So in this case, what should I use in place of the #2 (again, for mild-moderate oxidation), or do I jump in right to the 1Z MP?
 
new2mud said:
Accumulator--I just checked my bottle of #2--it is indeed "for rotary only". So this means I should absolutely not attempt it with the PC, correct?



So in this case, what should I use in place of the #2 (again, for mild-moderate oxidation), or do I jump in right to the 1Z MP?
Click to expand...



*I* wouldn't use the rotary-only #2 on your ss Miata. I used it *by rotary* on ss and it's pretty potent stuff; I wouldn't count on it working well in your case.



The 1Z PP might take care of the oxidation just fine. Or their more aggressive Ultra/Extra (forget which name they're using now) Polish. Or Hi-Temp Heavy Cut leveler (available at Top of the Line Auto Detailing Supplies ). But I dunno if you really need to buy a whole boadload of products. I like having all three 1Z polishes on hand, and it's not like people who use 1Z stuff can't deal with certain issues that users of *other* product lines can ;)



That 1Z MP is pretty mild stuff and I'd use their more aggressive product(s) first.
 
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