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New Member with a 1997 Miata

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  • New Member with a 1997 Miata

    Hi,

    I have a really clean one owner 1997 Miata STO Edition with 43k miles. It has a dark blue mica paint with clearcoat. I have a history of restoring British sport cars from the 60s, so I appreciate the beauty of that "show car" finish. I want my "new" Miata to have that beautiful deep mirror finish that a dark color car deserves. The major problem is 13 years of washing and a recent abusive detailing job done by a dealer. It has left the car with a very noticable case of cobweb swirls and some minor scratches.

    I never realized how complicated and technical the job of restoring paint as become. There are so many products and tools to choose from. I hope this forum will help educate me on the best process for my car.

    Brian Sanborn
    Groton, MA

  • #2
    Re: New Member with a 1997 Miata

    Hello and welcome to mol.
    quality creates its own demand

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: New Member with a 1997 Miata

      Welcome to MOL!
      There's no reason to become alarmed, and we hope you'll enjoy the rest of your flight. By the way, is there anyone on board who knows how to fly a plane?

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: New Member with a 1997 Miata

        Welcome to MOL - you have come to an excellent place to maintain your car addiction.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: New Member with a 1997 Miata

          Welcome to MOL!

          This is exactly what your after.


          Has 2 1/2 hours of the best tips-tricks and most important the correct techniques for everything you want and need to get that showcar finish!!

          Also the best place for all your meguiars products with specials every week and one of the best things is you can get samples of all the detailer line of meguiars to try out before you buy the products by the full size or gals.
          ''USE THE LEAST AGGRESSIVE PRODUCT TO GET THE JOB DONE RIGHT''
          You Don't Know What You Can Do Until You Try '' TECHNIQUE IS EVERYTHING''
          Test Hoods Are Cheap And Most Of The Time Free

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: New Member with a 1997 Miata

            Sounds like an orbital buffer and some Meguiar's #105 & #205 is in your future Brian. From one Mazda fan to another, welcome.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: New Member with a 1997 Miata

              Hi Brian, and welcome to MOL!

              A little word of advice regarding maintaining the paint on this '97 Miata - from first hand experience, every single factory painted Miata we've ever touched, from the NA through the NC generations, has had very soft and workable paint. A gentle approach has always worked best on these cars, meaning M105 is likely to be complete overkill on this car. The softness of this paint probably has a lot to do with why the recent detailer left it less than perfect - we've seen several cases where a too aggressive approach left the paint looking hazed and dull. Pick up some SwirlX or M80 and a few yellow foam W8207 polishing pads for use on a D/A polisher, and maybe follow with a slow, gentle pass using a W9207 finishing pad and SwirlX prior to waxing.

              Yeah, yeah....we know..... just watch, this will be the first Miata we've come across with hard paint!!!!
              Michael Stoops
              Senior Global Product & Training Specialist | Meguiar's Inc.

              Remember, this hobby is supposed to be your therapy, not the reason you need therapy.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: New Member with a 1997 Miata

                Per the original post, this car seems to have clearcoat. Was this repainted at some point? I thought all Miatas from that era were single stage paint.
                NOTE: Post count does not reflect actual detailing knowledge.

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                • #9
                  Re: New Member with a 1997 Miata

                  Originally posted by ColonelCash View Post
                  Per the original post, this car seems to have clearcoat. Was this repainted at some point? I thought all Miatas from that era were single stage paint.
                  The "Mica" colors (ie, metallic) were clear coated, but many of the NA gen reds, whites, blacks and some other non metallic colors were single stage.
                  Michael Stoops
                  Senior Global Product & Training Specialist | Meguiar's Inc.

                  Remember, this hobby is supposed to be your therapy, not the reason you need therapy.

                  Comment

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