Newbie with a Mazda and a pair of hands

[liverpoolz]

Hey guys, my first post on detailing here  I am a proud owner of a new 2016 Mazda 6 in grey, bought it from a dealer a couple of weeks ago. The car was prepped by the dealer prior to delivery and came “dealer installed” with light swirls  The manufacturing date of the car is 11/15, so the only good news is it had not been sitting in the dealer lot for a long time before my purchase. I would like to protect the paint as much as possible as this is my daily driver, and living in an apartment means the car is parked out 24 x7 x 365. I don’t have access to running water in my high rise, but I usually hand wash the car in one of those self-car wash places. Given my situation, which I’m sure many urban dwellers face, I have to rely on my hands for applying any paint protection. So here are my questions :

1. Since the paint is new and the swirls are light, I am thinking I’ll need some sort of a pre-sealant cleaner. I’ve read great things about ‘Wolfgang Polish Enhancer’ here, is this the right product for my situation ? Can I apply it by hand ? If yes, what type of applicator pad would I need ?
2. As the car is parked out all the time, plain carnuba wax won’t help me much. I was hoping to use a sealant of some sort and I’ve read good things about ‘Wolfgant High Gloss Sealant’ (pretty expensive at $40+ for a bottle), ‘Klasse high gloss sealant’ or the ubiquitous Meguiars Ultimate Wax or Meguiars M21, and hoping to layer it with a decent carnuba wax for depth. Will this strategy work ? Again, what hand applicators would I need for the job ?
3. The autostore/supermarket microfiber towels that I’ve purchased in the past don’t seem to hold up too well after a couple of washes. Do you guys recommend any specific drying and buffing microfibers ?
4. Finally, for the maintenance wash I was hoping to use the ONR rinseless wash, any thoughts ?

Sorry for all the questions, just trying to take better care of this car than what I did with my Scion tc.

 

[11Silverado]

First off, welcome to Autogeek!

I'll try to answer your questions to the best of my ability.

1. Wolfgang polish enhancer is used mainly to remove previous layers of protection and in your case may be of some use if the dealer applied any kind of protection. This product won't remove any of the swirls installed in the paint. To remove swirls your best bet will be to purchase a dual action polisher such as the Porter Cable 7424xp, GG6 or similar.

2. I use Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant and it is fantastic. It is a little pricey, but thin is in and you won't use much product. You'll find that true with a lot of what you use so products should last you awhile. One thing to note about Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant, it needs 12 hours cure time and can't be exposed to moisture.

3. I don't really have much to comment with this. I use a Master Blaster to dry my vehicle and dry what little is left with a microfiber. There are a lot of choices with microfibers towels and I'm still trying to perfect what I believe is best for each task. Hopefully someone else can comment on this.

4. I've never used ONR, but many people have and love it. A relatively new product is Wolfgang Uber Rinseless which I do have and it is an excellent product. It can be used 4 different ways which can be read about on the product description page.

I hope this helps some and feel free to ask more questions. To me, this hobby was very overwhelming at first, but after conducting research you learn quick and it becomes less overwhelming. I will say I use a lot of Wolfgang products and they may seem pricey, but a little goes a long way in most cases. I've loved everything I've tried from them!

 

[kesmit]

I just picked up a 2016 Mazda 6 GT a couple of weeks ago myself (my first ever brand new car) to replace a 2004 Mazda 6 wagon. Mine is the deep crystal blue color. Luckily, the dealer left the paint is very good condition on mine. I just had to clean off some adhesive from the masking used in delivery.

1) Pinnacle Paintwork Cleansing Lotion and a Pinnacle Polishin’ Pal Combo would be good for preparing the surface for sealing or wax. Depending on how bad the swirls are, it might be enough to make you happy. Usually it will take machine polishing to remove swirls though.

2) I put Wolfgang High Gloss Sealant on my Mazda and so far I'm happy with it. The application is very simple, just read the instructions on the product page here on AG. It does take 12 hours to cure and shouldn't get wet (even by dew) in that time if that's an issue for you.

3) Don't use grocery store microfibers. They are almost guaranteed to cause scratching, if not from the fibers, then the stitching on the edges. I've been hearing good things about the edgeless towels here on AG, but I don't have any yet. They look like a good place to start though.

4) ONR is good stuff. Nothing made my 2004 Mazda 6 with Sepang Green Metallic paint look better. However, Wolfgang Uber Rinseless is very good too and also works well for waterless washes and clay lubricant, so it is very multi-purpose.

As 11Silverado mentioned, car detailing can get very overwhelming. I just got into it several months ago and felt like an avalanche of information got dumped on me in the first two months. I'm still digging myself out. So try to ease into it and try little things out before getting in deep.

 

[liverpoolz]

11Silverado and Kesmit, thanks much for those very informative posts. The swirls on my car are not too bad, and it looks like without a machine polisher my options are limited here. I remember reading somewhere that the 'Wolfgang polish enhancer' had some sort of a filler for minor scratches and swirls ? I know i will be sacrificing that ultimate depth and gloss by skipping the polishing part, but without access to power tools, i think my only option is to jump straight to a sealant.

I plan to use the 'Wolfgang high gloss sealant' on a low humidity spring day, but as i said earlier my car is parked out all the time, will not having a closed garage make much difference to the curing ? Any other sealants that are not so dew sensitive ?

@Kesmit - Congrats on your new GT ! Mine is a GT too ! A lot of Mazda guys say the paint is really thin and soft, do you feel the same way ?

Thanks again guys.

 

[Kamakaz1961]

Welcome to AGO! I believe your Mazda is considered "Soft" Paint. Very easily correctable. As for recommendations you will get a lot of great advice here. Absorb all opinions like a sponge and then choose what you think is right for you!

 

[kesmit]

I know i will be sacrificing that ultimate depth and gloss by skipping the polishing part, but without access to power tools, i think my only option is to jump straight to a sealant.

I plan to use the 'Wolfgang high gloss sealant' on a low humidity spring day, but as i said earlier my car is parked out all the time, will not having a closed garage make much difference to the curing ? Any other sealants that are not so dew sensitive ?

@Kesmit - Congrats on your new GT ! Mine is a GT too ! A lot of Mazda guys say the paint is really thin and soft, do you feel the same way ?

You could try something like Meguiar's Swirl X as well. I wouldn't expect miracles, but it's inexpensive enough to give it a try. I haven't personally used it, but I've seen videos online that make it look promising.

As far as the sealant goes, I would think that if you applied it by noon it would have enough time to cure. This is my first experience with a sealant, so I couldn't comment on other alternatives. I actually missed that instruction on my first pass and put it on at dusk and left it outside. I honestly didn't see any harm come from it. I'm guessing that it just won't last as long if you do it that way.

As far as my Mazda goes, luckily I haven't found out if the paint is thin or soft yet. Surprisingly the dealership gave it to me in good condition so I haven't done any polishing on it yet. I did notice that a bird bomb etched a spot on the back bumper before I had a chance to get some sort of protection on it. I'll have to buff that out when the weather gets nicer. The fact that it etched so easily makes me wonder if the paint is pretty soft.

 

[11Silverado]

11Silverado and Kesmit, thanks much for those very informative posts. The swirls on my car are not too bad, and it looks like without a machine polisher my options are limited here. I remember reading somewhere that the 'Wolfgang polish enhancer' had some sort of a filler for minor scratches and swirls ? I know i will be sacrificing that ultimate depth and gloss by skipping the polishing part, but without access to power tools, i think my only option is to jump straight to a sealant.

I plan to use the 'Wolfgang high gloss sealant' on a low humidity spring day, but as i said earlier my car is parked out all the time, will not having a closed garage make much difference to the curing ? Any other sealants that are not so dew sensitive ?

@Kesmit - Congrats on your new GT ! Mine is a GT too ! A lot of Mazda guys say the paint is really thin and soft, do you feel the same way ?

Thanks again guys.

It is said that Wolfgang Polish Enhancer does have filler properties. I have this product and used it, but it's not like they make them disappear really. I wouldn't expect your swirls to be all filled in, but they may get filled in to a point. It wouldn't hurt using this product before the paint sealant, but it isn't necessary. I've always been able to apply my sealant indoors and let it sit for 12 hours so I'm not sure how it would react outside. I would suggest like someone else and apply it mid-morning or so on a clear day with no chance of rain. It should have time to cure before midnight. Also, I don't believe you've mentioned claying your car. Perform the baggy test and see if there is any contamination.

 

[jsgntulok]

Where do you live? Perhaps another forum member, with equipment, is willing to help you out. If you are near Tulsa OK, get in touch with me.

And, welcome to Autogeek, a great place to learn and share.

 

[zx10r Elle]

Hello liverpoolz,

Wolfgang Polish Enhancer is a paintwork 'cleanser', it has no ability to correct or protect the paint finish, what it does do is cleanse the finish as a proper 'prep' for your LSP. It could be applied with something along the lines of the yellow poly foam pad or perhaps more specifically a red Lake Country CCS Euro Foam Hand Pad. I have these and it is very soft.

Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant is excellent, and a good companion if you're using the Polish Enhancer, they are engineered to work together. However if you are concerned about the cure time and if expense is a factor there are plentiful alternatives. Just as comparisons; Collinite #845 is a highly durable candidate as well as Optimum Car Wax. Both of these examples have close to same longevity yet cost much less, but as has been stated, you wont be using much of any of these products so the supply should all last reasonably long.

They can all also be applied using a Red CCS Euro Foam Hand Pad or poly pad.

As far as microfiber towels ive learned as long as there is a minimum quality standard adhered to it is always better to follow the credo 'more is better', that is to say, personally I would sacrifice ( assuming price is a factor ) that luxurious Ultimate Guzzler Waffle Weave for 3 Super Plush Deluxe towels, or 7 16x16 MF Wax Removal towels, or 32 ( 2 x 16 pack ) Color Coded MF Bulk detailing towels. Its always nice to have 1 big drying towel though for blotting or patting the finish dry.

ONR is excellent, its well used and well loved, its also very versatile; also as a clay lubricant and QD.

You didnt specifically state whether you intended to actually correct the paint, if so then you'll need more and different pads and a decent correcting polish. It all depends on what your end goal is.

As far as correcting by hand, it is doable, you just need an ample supply of stamina, commitment, time and patience.

Corrections are typically scheduled once per year along with other decontaminations as an annual maintenance program. My first correction occurred 15 months after initial purchase off showroom floor so another correction not for at least 12 months. My current supply of correcting products look to be able to last 2 more applications if not more since this was my first correction and 'practice makes perfect' so next time less may be used.

Couple rules of thumb in detailing:

1) Less is more.
2) Always use the least aggressive approach to accomplish your goals.



Steve