Best way to start with a new car?

[FullyFamous]

I just bought a new Mazda 3, in Velocity Red. I want to start it out with the best paint protection/shine I can. I done a lot of "detailing" on my own on my previous cars ('98 Chev Cavalier that still looks new-ish, and my wife's '05 Malibu, and my friend's '03 Mustang GT).

What's the best procedure to start out my "Zoom-Zoom" ride to protect and shine it? I live in Minnesota, so I'd like to make sure it will survive our winters.

I've got 2 big tubs full of car wash soaps, various polishes (Nu-finish, Turtle Wax Ice, etc), waxes (Eagle One Gel, Gold Class, and others). A 10" orbital buffer, microfiber towels up the ying-yang, etc, etc.

I bought some NXT specifically to use on my new Mazda, so I'm eager to try that.

What a better way to spend a Saturday than shining up your car?

[Murr1525]

Re: Best way to start with a new car?

If it were me, here is what I would do: (and it is what I do )

1. Wash - Good soap, 2 buckets, quality towels, etc.
2. Clay - Smooth Surface Clay kit, maybe an extra QD bottle.
3. ColorX
4. Nxt 2.0

[Shawn T.]

Re: Best way to start with a new car?

If it were me, here is what I would do: (and it is what I do )

1. Wash - Good soap, 2 buckets, quality towels, etc.
2. Clay - Smooth Surface Clay kit, maybe an extra QD bottle.
3. ColorX
4. Nxt 2.0

Yup.

I would substitute Gold Class Carnauba Plus for NXT 2.o but thats just my personal preference.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Best way to start with a new car?

x3. A good sound plan.Tried and true.

[FullyFamous]

Re: Best way to start with a new car?

No glaze or sealer or poilsh after the clay?

[Ravi_1992]

Re: Best way to start with a new car?

If it were me, here is what I would do: (and it is what I do )

1. Wash - Good soap, 2 buckets, quality towels, etc.
2. Clay - Smooth Surface Clay kit, maybe an extra QD bottle.
3. ColorX
4. Nxt 2.0

Do you think ColorX would be necessary for a new car?

[Murr1525]

Re: Best way to start with a new car?

No glaze or sealer or poilsh after the clay?

Well, we can add more steps if you like....

Although a new car with a clearcoat wont react as much to something like a pure polish.

You can always look into a 'full detail' like:

1. Wash
2. Clay
3. Clean - SwirlX would be mildest by hand
4. Polish - Deep Crystal Polish
5. Wax - Nxt 2.0
6. Wax - Nxt 2.0

The ColorX will act like a mild cleaner/polish/was all in one, so still getting some of polishig oils.

[Murr1525]

Re: Best way to start with a new car?

Do you think ColorX would be necessary for a new car?

Well, assuming no DISO etc to fix, all the car should have is any gunk from transport, and then any dirt from being a daily driver. And then further daily driver buildup in the future.

So, some kind of mild cleaner would be a good choice, and on a new car, as I just mentioned above also, you wont see as much benefit from doing all the separate steps. So, sounds like a good time for Cleaner/Wax and ColorX is nice because it is strong enough to easily remove dirt by hand without lots of effort. It is also a product that can be used regularly with no worries, so if it were a little stronger than needed for one detail or another, there wont be any ill-effects.

It is also worth mentioning that although the bottle description sounds dramatic, it is actually a milder cleaner than SwirlX.

[FullyFamous]

Re: Best way to start with a new car?

Sounds like I've got a good plan to go by. Something to on a Saturday.