Best way to protect the paintwork on a new car

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dclegg

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#181009 29-Sep-2015 11:37

I've just bought a new car (well as good as; ex-demos FTW!), and am looking into the best way to ensure I can keep it looking in tip top condition.

I've always been a little lax with washing my cars in the past. But as this is the newest, nicest car I've ever owned, I've decided that I'll be far more onto it with this one.

As such I'm looking for tips, tricks, and just all round general advice about good car washing routines or habits. Advice on good products to use also gratefully received.

FWIW, the car is a 2015 Mazda 3 sedan with white paint. Well technically the listed colour is snowflake. But that's not a colour, it's a thing (neither is apricot (or pumpkin)).

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#1396486 29-Sep-2015 11:40

Did they not throw in a free carwash or free WoF on your next service? I take mine to pro car wash place in the first 5 years of my Dodge's life lol.. these days it's been kept outside and rained on etc. lol I should get the Dodge a nice bath by those pro car washer :-p

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Jase2985

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#1396488 29-Sep-2015 11:43

http://www.ocdetailing.co.nz/protective-coatings.html

C Quartz is one of the best. not cheap though.

Handsomedan

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#1396494 29-Sep-2015 11:44

I'd recommend Maguires car cleaning products.

Always wash in the shade or on a cloudy day - never in direct sunlight.

Chamois the car dry - don't leave waterspots on the car - this can affect the paint significantly.

Better yet - go get it groomed every month or so, then it'll look like new most of the time - assuming it's garaged.

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dclegg

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#1396502 29-Sep-2015 11:45

chiefie: Did they not throw in a free carwash or free WoF on your next service? I take mine to pro car wash place in the first 5 years of my Dodge's life lol.. these days it's been kept outside and rained on etc. lol I should get the Dodge a nice bath by those pro car washer :-p

No idea, but I suspect they probably do. I've got a minor niggle to get sorted in the interior, and questioned about the best way to remove a scuff I'd noticed on the exterior paint work. The guy said "Oh don't worry, it's not scratched. They'll buff that out when they fix the other thing".

I get 3 years of free servicing (6 monthly intervals). I would've thought I'd need to wash it monthly at least. It already has the corpse of a thousand* slain bugs on the front, and we only picked it up on Saturday.

Ideally I'm looking for something I can do at home. So I guess I'm looking for recommendations of good products, whether I should be waxing (and any gotchas with doing so) etc.

*May not be a thousand; I've not taken the time to actually count them. Names of the deceased not yet released, as family members have not been informed

MikeB4

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#1396526 29-Sep-2015 12:07

I have found the best way is to wash them on a regular cycle at least fortnightly. Unless you have no option do not use cash wash machines they are hard on paint and fixtures. If you get sap, pollen, bird droppings or salt spray wash off as soon as possible.
I also wax the car every 6 months, do not over wax though as this can cause a wax build up and looks bad. Avoid getting the wax polish on the rubber seals and black trim as it is a pain to get off.

Washing the car should be done on a dull day I do it early in the morning when its still cool, I wash and rinse small areas at a time starting from the bottom of the car working my way to the roof, this allows the dirt to easily rinse off over the clean non stick surface. Washing the
car yourself gives you the opportunity to check for stone chips or scratches.

Once a year I put my cars into a good car groomer to get a thorough groom and they come back looking fantastic inside and out.

wasabi2k

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#1396527 29-Sep-2015 12:08

Very nice - any comments on the car in general? Really keen on a 6 but don't think budget will stretch that far

dclegg

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#1396539 29-Sep-2015 12:18

wasabi2k: Very nice - any comments on the car in general? Really keen on a 6 but don't think budget will stretch that far

We love it! We got the entry level GLX sedan, as a replacement for an ageing Diamante 3.5 V6.

I was initially concerned that the 2L engine may be a little underpowered, especially considering the motor it was replacing. But in reality it drives really well.

The in-car entertainment system is the best I've heard. I'm used to being disappointed by the in-built sound in cars, but this sounds pretty good to me. And seamless bluetooth connectivity to my iPhone renders the CD player pretty much redundant.

The car retails for just under $33,000, but we picked up one with 70kms on the clock for just under $27,000. It was essentially treated as a new car sale, so we still get the full 5 year warranty and 3 years of free servicing.

And what makes it even better was we had headed out for a days worth of car shopping expecting to drive home in a 2014 Corolla with about 26,000KM on the clock. But we were able to get John Andrew Mazda down to a price we were happy with. A little over budget, but well worth it for a car that looks far nicer, and by all accounts is a more livelier drive too (we didn't test drive the Corolla, so ceding to the experts on that one).

If you're in Auckland, they still have a few listed at $29K. They can move a little on price, and in fact you may be able to negotiate better than we did (I suck at that sort of thing).

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MikeB4

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#1396544 29-Sep-2015 12:21

dclegg:
wasabi2k: Very nice - any comments on the car in general? Really keen on a 6 but don't think budget will stretch that far

We love it! We got the entry level GLX sedan, as a replacement for an ageing Diamante 3.5 V6.

I was initially concerned that the 2L engine may be a little underpowered, especially considering the motor it was replacing. But in reality it drives really well.

The in-car entertainment system is the best I've heard. I'm used to being disappointed by the in-built sound in cars, but this sounds pretty good to me. And seamless bluetooth connectivity to my iPhone renders the CD player pretty much redundant.

The car retails for just under $33,000, but we picked up one with 70kms on the clock for just under $27,000. It was essentially treated as a new car sale, so we still get the full 5 year warranty and 3 years of free servicing.

And what makes it even better was we had headed out for a days worth of car shopping expecting to drive home in a 2014 Corolla with about 26,000KM on the clock. But we were able to get John Andrew Mazda down to a price we were happy with. A little over budget, but well worth it for a car that looks far nicer, and by all accounts is a more livelier drive too (we didn't test drive the Corolla, so ceding to the experts on that one).

If you're in Auckland, they still have a few listed at $29K. They can move a little on price, and in fact you may be able to negotiate better than we did (I suck at that sort of thing).

Mazdas are very good, reliable vehicles. My wife has owned a Mazda 2 and a Mazda 3 MPS and they were both great cars and trouble free through the entire time we had them.

DravidDavid

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#1396548 29-Sep-2015 12:25

If you're just looking to keep it shiny and "protect" it, you can wash, clay wax and seal. If you wax and seal with a machine, it will last longer.

If you want to actually protect it. You should invest in StoneGuard/Clear-Bra. It's a protective film that's highly effective against the likes of stone chips and even car keying.

Regular washing with a proper car wash is a good idea. Wash & Wax from maguires is a good choice if you're just getting rid of road grime and want to top up the coating. If you're off-roading all the time, you might want a wash that's a little more aggressive.

Good luck with your new ride! :)

jonathan18

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#1396549 29-Sep-2015 12:25

It'll be interesting to see how long you keep up the monthly washes! I thought similarly when I purchased my Mazda 6 in July 14, and kept it cleaned (inside and out) on a regular basis - but will admit the intervals between cleans have stretched out further and further as time's gone on! Kids, cars and winter aren't a great combination, but I've learnt to be less @nal as time's gone on. That said, I do love it when the car's clean inside and out - it's just hard to justify the time to keep it like this when I'm still to get the gutters cleared...

wasabi2k: Very nice - any comments on the car in general? Really keen on a 6 but don't think budget will stretch that far

If you haven't already ready these, there have been a bunch of other threads where many have commented on the Mazda 3, including a number who have ended up purchasing them (from across the range. including the 2.5 Limited and the 2.2 diesel Limited) - seems to be the most popular car on this forum this year!

dclegg

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#1396566 29-Sep-2015 12:50

jonathan18: but I've learnt to be less @nal as time's gone on.

Yeah, I can't wait until I reach that stage. But I've got a few more months of treating it with kid gloves yet, I suspect. :-)

coffeebaron

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#1396573 29-Sep-2015 13:08

Doing a bit of rural work, my car picks up a nice layer of dirt and mud, thus locking the paint work in :)

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wasabi2k

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#1396576 29-Sep-2015 13:14

jonathan18:
If you haven't already ready these, there have been a bunch of other threads where many have commented on the Mazda 3, including a number who have ended up purchasing them (from across the range. including the 2.5 Limited and the 2.2 diesel Limited) - seems to be the most popular car on this forum this year!

Thanks, I have - helped set my mind on the 3/6. Will look at a 2014/2015 Mazda 3 SP25 next year I think.

timmmay

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#1396577 29-Sep-2015 13:14

I find my bonnet gets chipped easily, it did after it was painted a few years back. What about those plastic protectors you can get?

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#1396578 29-Sep-2015 13:15

Also check the manual for any cleaning information etc - our '03 Toyota has some sort of protection on the windscreen, and theres a label advising to not use standard glass cleaner etc on it.

Theres more to keeping a car clean than just the paintwork guys ;)

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