My wife got a new car. What do I need to do?

[StevoX]

We recently bought my wife a new Mitsubishi outlander. It is a light silver color. My question is, what should I do to protect the new paint. I'm sure Mitsu probably doesn't put any type of protection on from the factory. Thanks for the help!

[Scott's 62]

Re: My wife got a new car. What do I need to do?

I would apply NXT 2.0 x2 then keep it maintained with ultimate quick wax about every wash or every other wash.
Congrats on the new car.

[Tuck91]

Re: My wife got a new car. What do I need to do?

I would do a really good wash and clay first.

[Scott's 62]

Re: My wife got a new car. What do I need to do?

Yes wash and clay first

[Murr1525]

Re: My wife got a new car. What do I need to do?

Wash
Clay
ColorX
Wax - Nxt 2.0

Is my quick detail of choice.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: My wife got a new car. What do I need to do?

Wash, clay, determine the condition of the finish. Then either make the corrections, or go to the wax of your choice.

[StevoX]

Re: My wife got a new car. What do I need to do?

I will definitely wash and clay first. I was considering either #7 or #21 and then waxing. Is this more work than I need to do?

[k3ith]

Re: My wife got a new car. What do I need to do?

Unlikey that you need 7, as it a polish. 21 is a sealant that can be followed with a carnauba wax like Gold Class or 26. Wash, clay, 21 (wait 24 hours), and 21 again or carnauba is a solid plan. I'd go 21 again since it's silver and the 21 will give great shine.

That said, Murrs recommendation is solid and I used it the weekend I bought my wife's suv. Really the only difference in it and the above is the colorx, which lessens the need to apply NXT 2.0 / 21 twice, and provides additional cleaning, protections and richness.

[Murr1525]

Re: My wife got a new car. What do I need to do?

Yes, some cleaning will likely be a good thing, new cars are usually fairly dirty.

[akimel]

Re: My wife got a new car. What do I need to do?

Check out this article: Your Daily Driver: A Simple Wash & Wax Regimen

[wifpd4]

Re: My wife got a new car. What do I need to do?

Stevo, as a noob of the group I cautiously offer advice, but Murr often recommends to me and others to use ColorX. You have described a car that would benefit from ColorX, but more importantly ColorX is a dream to work with. I don't know if I would rush to use M07. Give ColorX a whirl, you won't regret it. Thorough prep before ColorX will also reap many benefits.

Good luck and may your wife enjoy her new car.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: My wife got a new car. What do I need to do?

Depending on how long the car sat on the lot, what transportation was like, etc there could well be bonded contaminants (hence the recommendations for claying) and maybe a bit of light embedded dirt or other things that could benefit from a light cleaning (ColorX being a great choice for this light duty work).

There is a general assumption that a "new" car doesn't need anything done to it because it is, after all, "new". But there can be a huge difference between "new" and "pristine" so it is important to properly evaluate the car first. Just as you would with an older vehicle, wash and dry it thoroughly and then feel the paint with your bare hand. If you feel any sort of roughness then claying is order. If it feels literally as smooth as glass then claying won't really gain you anything. But odds are at least a quick claying will be called for.

The other part of the evaluation is to look at the finish under very good lighting from a variety of angles. You're looking for any fine swirls or other defects like bird dropping etchings, etc. If you find a lot of these, which is common if the vehicle sat on a dealer lot for any length of time and was pressure washed and then dried with old towels once a week, then ColorX may not be strong enough and you may need SwirlX or even Ultimate Compound. But that assessment can only be made by you right now since we can't see the car in person. And, of course, silver is great at concealing very light swirls.

As for the M07, we really doubt you'll see a big difference when using this product on a new silver car. Silver just doesn't lend itself to what a pure polish offers a paint system, which makes this optional step even more of an option. Now, if you're in possession of a D/A and you really want to bring out the very best in this finish, we'd highly recommend going over it with M205. That process can greatly increase the clarity of the finish, but doing it by hand doesn't yield quite as dramatic a result.

Once you're done with the claying and paint cleaning (ColorX, SwirlX, etc) then NXT Tech Wax 2.0 or M21 2.0 will do wonders for imparting a bright, crisp shine to that silver paint. You don't need to apply a carnauba on top of that, but you certainly can if you wish.

[StevoX]

Re: My wife got a new car. What do I need to do?

Thanks for the advice. I do have the g110v2 and a bunch of megs. products, 105,205,#7,#21, high tech yellow wax,nxt and a bunch of others. I have been using some chemical guys products on my car, mainly jet seal and petes 53 wax. How does #21 compare to jet seal?

[Michael Stoops]

Re: My wife got a new car. What do I need to do?

Personally never used Jet Seal, sorry. If you've got the G110v2 and M205, slap on a finishing pad and give that new paint a nice massage and really make it pop.

[StevoX]

Re: My wife got a new car. What do I need to do?

So wash, clay, 205, then nxt or #21?