afeldman327

Hey RX-8 fans,

I'm new to the club, as well as to car ownership and the 8 is my first new car. I've been saving up for a while and was finally able to purchase it. I've been enjoying life since I bought it in mid-July. :D

I want to baby it and give it plenty of TLC. My first question concerns taking care of the Velocity Red paint.

Can anyone recommend a very good wax that is available commercially off-the-shelf? not something i would have to mail order please. Also, how often should I wax it?

Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks.

ADF

StewC625

Ah, my favorite subject, DETAILING!

Here's the regimen:

1) Wash the wheels first, using a good quality spray on wheel cleaner - I use the Armorall brand. Buy a soft, long-handled brush, spray the front wheel on one side first, then the back, then go back and brush the wheel clean and rinse it, the brush the rear wheel and rinse it. Repeat on the other side.

2) Use a good quality commercial car wash product - Meguiar's PolyWash is my favorite - on rinsing it causes the water to just run off the car. Mix up a bucket of suds with it according to directions on the bottle.

3) Spray the car, bottom up with a hard spray of water and make 3 laps around the car doing this - this wets and loosens the dirt. the longer the dirt is wet, the easier it comes off.

4) Doing one section at a time, wet a wash mitt or pad (I use one of those big cotton-yarn covered wash sponges, plus a netting-covered sponge for the front end bugs), and wash every square inch - TOP TO BOTTOM - the bottom is dirtiest. Every time you reach bottom, swish the sponge in the wash bucket to shake out the crud and reload it with water. The sections I do are first: Front "clip" - windshield forward, both sides of the car, then entire left side including the roof, then entire right side including the roof.

5) Rinse with a flood of water, not a hard spray - either take your nozzle off and just use the flood out of the hose, or buy a high-quality nozzle that has a flood setting.

6) Dry it with soft cotton towels (old bath towels that are starting to fray are what I use).

7) Spot detail with spray detailer (see supply list) and soft towels.

8) Finish the tires

WAXING:

I use Mother's professional products. They have several great things - explained below. Once a year I do a thorough finish cleaning routine that starts with the clay bar, then the glaze, then the pure wax. Then about every 6 weeks, or whenever I feel like it, I use just the wax. Follow the instructions on all the products.

Here's my supply list:

Washing:
Wheel cleaner: Armorall wheel cleaner
Car Wash: Either Armorall car wash or Meguiar's Poly Wash

Waxing:
Pure Wax: Mother's Pure Carnuba Liquid (step 3 of their three-step product series)
For polishing glazing (step 2 of my 3 step annual regimen): Mother's Finishing Glaze and Swirl Remover
For finish cleaning: Meguiar's Clay Bar kit (bar plus spray detailer for lubricant).

Detailing supplies (other than washing and waxing):

Tire Dressing: Stoner More Shine Less Time for Tires (hands down, the best tire finish on the market)
Interior cleaning: Armorall Cleaning wipes
Glass Cleaning: Stoner Invisible Glass glass cleaner
Leather Care: Occasional: Armorall leather wipes
Deep cleaning: Lexol cleaner followed by Lexol conditioner
Quick Detail: Mequiars Quick Detailer spray
Vaccum: A good shop vac.
Carpet cleaning: Woolite Oxy Cleaner, followed by a fresh water rinse vaccumed out with the shop vac.

Now, I know you said no mail order, but I've also tried and loved Griot's Garage products. www.griotsgarage.com

That's it!

Rob Tomlin

Look elsewhere in this forum: RX-8 Show and Shine

Or here: Autopia

And, in my opinion, you would be better off going with mail order products, including, but not limited to, Zaino.

Congrats on the car!

800Degrees

StewC625... Thanks! I printed that write up. Thanks for taking the time to do that.

Velocity-8

There can be only one...


ZAINO

StewC625

My favorite is Malms, actually.

mysql101

Zaino has a following more loyal to it than their own religion.

Use it, it's worth the $80 price of admission, and that will last you 6 months even if you wax your car almost daily.

StewC625

My favorite is Malms, actually.

800 ... glad I could help.

Rob Tomlin

My favorite is Zaino, actually.

markd

Stew--You seem to have left off an important step: polishing (unless your glaze=polish?). I use Meguiar's NXT wax (which seems to be used by a majority of other 8 drivers on this forum who do not use Zaino), and so far so good--and it's tough to make Titanium Gray look as wet as virtually any of the other colors!

But I pre-treat it with Meguiar's Deep Crystal Polish, which GREATLY enhances the shine and depth of the paint. Having detailed the car both with and without the polish for comparison, I definitely noticed the difference. I e-mailed and called Meguiar's customer support, and both times they recommended I first polish the car and then wax it. I suppose the polish conditions and protects the clear coat/paint; the wax acts as a sealant/extra protectant. At least, that's how I think of it. Give it a shot and tell me what you think.

Obviously, both of these products are over-the-counter.

Here's a good article worth reading:
http://www.bettercarcare.com/articles.php?articleId=17

PS. I started a thread w/o any response a few days ago, but for anyone who might know, is there a curing period for polishes as there is for waxes, or is it okay to wax immediately after polishing?

Mark

Rob Tomlin

No he didn't.

He said:

"For polishing glazing (step 2 of my 3 step annual regimen): Mother's Finishing Glaze and Swirl Remover".

That's polishing. And yes, that should be done prior to applying any protectant. There is no real curing needed with a polish.

2ROTORZ

Personally I have always used Zymol, but for touch ups and spot cleaning, the best product I have ever found was actually something I started using for my motorcycle. It's called Honda Spray & Polish. It can be used on virtually any surface safely. From interior vinyl, to chrome parts, to plastic, to painted surfaces (anything but glass). Cleans and waxes painted surfaces.

I usually cover my car at night to keep it clean, but before covering it, to prevent scratching, I spray the vehicle with Honda S&P, wipe it off (never scratches, like most "waterless" cleaners) and it is a clean and slick as when I last washed it. Also works great on wheels (and the waxing agent makes wiping wheels later easier).

Another great thing about this stuff is that it works amazingly well on bird droppings, even dried. Just spray it on the dropping, wait 1 minute, then wipe clean, with no risk of scratching. Really good stuff, available from any Honda motorcycle dealer...

For tires, I recommend NO TOUCH "Wet 'N Protect". Lasts longest and no foam to become airborne and spot your windows...

BTW, anyine get a Mazda car cover for the RX8? Should a cover designed for a car be that tight? My old Eclipse cover actually fits better..

Dave

markd

Whoops. Sorry.

Abracadabra

I use fabric baby diapers for drying...they work great, are super soft and are easily machine washable. They are also terrific dry for polish removal...just keeep these seperate from the wash towels. Also I use 3M glaze...available from most auto paint supply stores. Enjoy the 8!

loco4rx8

I might suggest you get some high quality microfiber towels. They are excellent for removing polish/wax and the waffle weave type are the best for drying your car. There are many places on the Internet that sell great MF towels. Personally, nothing but microfiber touches my paint.

Congrats on the car!

Velocity-8

You misspelled it... It's spelled


ZAINO!!



:D :D :D :D

mysql101

Just to make a note here, Zaino isn't a wax, though I frequently call it one (so that everyone has an idea what I'm talking about), it's really a polymer protectant. It bonds to your car. This is why one application of Zaino can last months, though you'll likely want to do several.

Velocity-8

True. A lot of the products discussed here and other threads are actually not waxes.

I gave up on waxes after using Zaino. I used to you Pinnacle which is an awesome wax. It would leave the car super smooth and was easy to use. However, 2 weeks later it would barely bead water. Zaino beas like mad 3 months later after a few car washes and numerous drives through major rain storms.

Rob Tomlin

Ditto re the Microfiber towels.

mysql101

One other thing to consider is getting a leaf blower. Something that rates 150mph or faster. It'll blow all the water off without any fuss. It will get rid of water in the cracks too.

All this, plus no rubbing on your paint.

I don't have one yet, but many people have recommended this action. I plan to get one sooner or later.

NavyDood

Using a hard stream of water on your car is asking for trouble. Especially at first trying to get the grime and dirt off. That hard stream of water can push the dirt across and scratch the clearcoat. You should always set it to stream then back it off till it starts to fan out. If it is really dirty, mix a spray bottle with water and a cap of car soap. Spray that on and let it soak for a few minutes then rinse.

Oh, and.... ZAINO. Read the Ultimate Zaino post that I worte up. It's a sticky at the top.

SpinninAgain!

Another vote for Zaino

Products = superb
Appearance = superb
Longevity = superb
Info on website = superb
Additional tips by NavyDood = superb
My originality = not so good!

Velocity-8

I have a gas leaf blower and I started using it on the car. The Wife thinks I'm nuts and so do my neighbors but it works AWESOME.

mysql101

gas leaf blowers are typically not recommended from what i've found, because the fumes can leave a layer of oil on the car. But if it works for you

Velocity-8

I've never noticed any oil but thanks for the heads up!