Best care for brand new car?

[jcrystal]

New Mazda3 arriving in a few weeks, just in time to get it ready for the snow!

Do I need to wait for paint to cure before detailing?

What is the recommended series of steps under these circumstances? I assume no clay/polish, but probably start with NXT and then top off with carnauba?

Thanks for any advice!

[Murr1525]

Re: Best care for brand new car?

Well, here is a nice collection of links for you to read:

Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle

Step 1 Wash

Step 2 Clean

Step 3 Polish

Step 4 Protect

Step 5 Maintain

Suggested Products for Taking Care of a New Car

You can work on a new car right away. Are you looking to do full details, or is it a daily driver, short on time? Also, claying right away is often needed, and nothing wrong with a polish. I used ColorX + #21 on my car, which is a daily driver, so it is a nice quick way to keep it looking good.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Best care for brand new car?

Hi jcrystal,

Welcome to Meguiar's Online!

The paint on a new car was cured a long time ago at the factory as it traveled down the assembly line, that is unless of course it was damaged at the time it arrived at the dealership and they had to repaint a portion of it or the entire car.

As for what product to use, you'll want to wash the car and then inspect it in the sun with your eyes and feel the paint with the palm of your clean hand as even a brand new car can have swirls and/or what we call above surface bonded contaminants.

The swirls generally come from the dealership having their in-house detailer wash and detail the car before you pick it up as a part of the get ready program. Often times they use tatty wash mitts and are too aggressive in the product and pad choice for detailing the paint, (considering it's a brand new car), and this is where the swirls come from.

Many people knowing the above beforehand tell the dealership that when the car arrives, "Don't touch it!"

We even have member tell of how they pick their car up from the dealer with the protective plastic wrapping still on the car and take it off themselves.

Anything to keep the dealership from touching the paint and instilling swirls.

If it's not too late, go to the person you have been dealing with at the dealership and be very polite but stern and tell them you do not want your car washed or detailed after it arrives and before you pick it up. You can even print this out and take and show them the advice you received about your new car.

Besides that, here's an article that will share with you some of the products you'll want to take care of you new car.

Suggested products for taking care of a new car!

And here's our List 'O Links for new members,

List 'O Links

Many of the things we cover in our Saturday Classes are discussed and talked about in the threads found in the sub-forums of the Information Station


First read this,

Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle


Then read these...

How To Remove Swirls By Hand
How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX
Using the G-100 to remove swirls with the Professional Line
Circles or Straight Lines?
Which LSP is Best for Light Colors
How to locate Meguiar’s Professional & Detailer products in your hometown
How to tell when a Meguiar's wax is ready to remove - The Swipe Test
The Dual Action Counterweight "Controversy"
What are the Differences Between Meguiar's Waxes
Measuring Clear Coat Thickness
Rotary vs. PC vs. Regular Orbital Buffer
Glass Polishing...Deep Cleaning
NXT Tech Wax Cure Time
Suggested Products for Taking Care of a New Car
Colored Waxes - Do they really work?
PC + #83 not "Cutting" it! - The Limits of the Dual Action Polisher
What it Means to Remove a Scratch
Why Meguiar’s Recommends Polishing Paint
A Lesson From White Paint
Each one, teach one... Ferrari Fiorano 355 F1 Spider