ComradeGrumbles
New member
- Feb 22, 2012
- 141
- 0
Not too long ago, I purchased this 2011 Mazda 3 GTs. It had very few miles on it and came certified from the dealer. They did a number on the paint though... swirls everywhere.
Because I didn't want to go thinning the clear coat without knowing more about it's current condition and thickness, I decided to just go with a glaze/filler for the swirls this time around. I used a finessing pad on my GG DA with Pinnacle's Paintwork Cleansing Lotion. It fights the swirls well, but not perfectly. I won't be showing any swirl-revealing photos until I eliminate them completely later this summer. =D
For now, the process I completed helped to hide many of the swirls and brought the paint up to a nice gloss. Here's the exact process I followed. Below that, I have some pictures from a test-drive that I allowed my brother. This was a rare event! :xyxthumbs:
Washed with XMT's standard wash.
Clayed
Pinnacle Paintwork Cleansing Lotion
BFWD
DoDo Juice Supernatural as an LSP
Windows: The windows on this thing are near-perfectly maintained. I have yet to find more than a few water marks. I hit the few markings that I found with Detailers Pro watermark remover. After that, I sealed all of the windows with BFWD. By the way, I've always found BFWD to be very effective on glass. It doesn't last very long against wiper blades, although I'm not sure many sealants would.
Just before the photo shoot, I hit it with some Crystal Mist as it had collected dust over night.
My brother enjoying his first test drive of this car... maybe too much so for this parking lot.
Headlight shot.
Rear Corner
One more thing... Here's a quick shot of my new shift knob. Luckily, I found a manual on the lot!
One thing that I'm not too fond of with this car is the fact that the dealer installed paint protection on the lower half of the hood, as well as some other areas. While it does a darn good job at keeping the chips away, it doesn't look that hot. I cleaned wax residue off of the seams of the paint film and it helped it blend a little more. Luckily, the application is nearly flawless with no bubbles or ripples. I'll live with it for the time being, if only for the added protection.
Let me know what you guys think! This weekend I'll be testing out my new tub of FK 1000P on the roof. I hope to post a short review on my findings because there can never be too many opinions out there for a product.
Because I didn't want to go thinning the clear coat without knowing more about it's current condition and thickness, I decided to just go with a glaze/filler for the swirls this time around. I used a finessing pad on my GG DA with Pinnacle's Paintwork Cleansing Lotion. It fights the swirls well, but not perfectly. I won't be showing any swirl-revealing photos until I eliminate them completely later this summer. =D
For now, the process I completed helped to hide many of the swirls and brought the paint up to a nice gloss. Here's the exact process I followed. Below that, I have some pictures from a test-drive that I allowed my brother. This was a rare event! :xyxthumbs:
Washed with XMT's standard wash.
Clayed
Pinnacle Paintwork Cleansing Lotion
BFWD
DoDo Juice Supernatural as an LSP
Windows: The windows on this thing are near-perfectly maintained. I have yet to find more than a few water marks. I hit the few markings that I found with Detailers Pro watermark remover. After that, I sealed all of the windows with BFWD. By the way, I've always found BFWD to be very effective on glass. It doesn't last very long against wiper blades, although I'm not sure many sealants would.
Just before the photo shoot, I hit it with some Crystal Mist as it had collected dust over night.
My brother enjoying his first test drive of this car... maybe too much so for this parking lot.
Headlight shot.
Rear Corner
One more thing... Here's a quick shot of my new shift knob. Luckily, I found a manual on the lot!
One thing that I'm not too fond of with this car is the fact that the dealer installed paint protection on the lower half of the hood, as well as some other areas. While it does a darn good job at keeping the chips away, it doesn't look that hot. I cleaned wax residue off of the seams of the paint film and it helped it blend a little more. Luckily, the application is nearly flawless with no bubbles or ripples. I'll live with it for the time being, if only for the added protection.
Let me know what you guys think! This weekend I'll be testing out my new tub of FK 1000P on the roof. I hope to post a short review on my findings because there can never be too many opinions out there for a product.
Since then, (5 weeks ago) its just wash and spray wax.
