Mazda Clear Coats Too Thin???

~TumbleWeed~

~TumbleWeed~

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Hey there fellow Geekers,

I started a similar thread over there at the Sister Site but didn't get the answers I was looking for so I thought I'd try again here.


The Wifey and I are going down to Mazda today to pick up our new vehicles. :xyxthumbs:

The Red one (wife's) 2015 Mazda3 GT hatch has quite a bit of marring and small scratches here and there. It has 74 miles on it.

The White one (mine) 2015 Mazda6 GT w/ Tech Package is in great shape actually with minimal marring and scratches. It only has 7 miles on it

Since it still somewhat warm here in the S/W, I'd like to compound & polish both cars as well as top with an LSP.

Only this is where i'm having a difficult time making up my mind.

I just recently read that the Newer Model Mazda's clear coat is really thin. So I was wondering if anyone here who works on Mazda paint can possibly tell me how aggressive is too aggressive on this paint?


I recently purchased a Flex3401 w/ extra backing plates from, but still need to order the pads, compound, polish pad cleaner etc...

I am planning on using the LC Hybrid pads….only, i'm not sure how many i'll need total.

I'm thinking I'l need at least a few 6.5" pads to polish out the bigger panels but will definitely need some 5" pads for the smaller areas..

For compound, I'll be using Menz FG400 w/ orange hybrid pads
For Polishing, I'll be using Menz SF4000 w/ white hybrid pads

Now, here is where I'm kind of lost, being a noob, i'm not sure which direction to go from here…

I have a few products here at my disposal like for instance meg's m20 & m21 as well as a full bottle of Collinite#845

But living out here in the desert, everything gets dusty really fast …especially with a fresh coat of wax.

So what should I use as an LSP for these cars then????



___________________________


These are the steps I was planning on taking with these new cars.
All tips and advice will be greatly appreciated


1) pressure wash
2) foam
3) rinse
4) dry
5) Iron X
6) Rinse
7) dry
8) clay bar or nano skin ????
9) rinse
10) dry
11) tape off
12) fg400
13) wipe off
14) sf4000
15) wipe off
16) LSP



Does this sound like a good plan of action????

If you were in my shoes, what would you use as your LSP?

Thanks so very much in advance!!!!
 
Oh yea, and part of our "package deal" is that they offer a Paint Protection every six months …for three years.

So they basically expect me to go down there six different times during the first 3 years to have them coat the paint with some kind of protective film.

But I am SERIOUSLY contemplating telling them no thanks to that as I have seen what their polishing and buffing work looks like up close….and it's not good.

Thoughts?
 
It is very thin these days. Personally, I'd give it a very light polish and put a proper coating on it like Cquartz.
 
Thanks 2shiny, this will be my 1st attempt to add a coating to a vehicle.

Is Cquarts easy to use….or easier then other brands?

As for polishing….so your saying to skip compounding altogether then and just polish out the obvious?
 
What do you consider "newer model"?

I have a 2010 Mazda3 5-door in Graphite Metallic. While I can't comment on the thinkness of the paint due to not having a meter, I can say the paint is pretty durable.

Compared to my VW which is hard, yet scratch sensitive, and my Toyota which mars when you look at it, it has held up really well. In the five years we've owned the car, I've only had to polish it twice. A simple finishing polish was all I needed to clear up all but the deepest RIDS.
 
Cquartz is prettt easy to use, but there might be easier one, like the pinaccle one, I just don't know if these form a crystallised layer like Cquartz.
I wouldn't compound too much and try to do as much as possible with a light polish.
 
Right on, I'll look into the Cquartz. Thanks!

And yea, this is where I actually wished I had some polishing experience under my belt so I can determine exactly what steps need to be taken to correct their obvious mistakes.

The dealership told me the other night that they would be willing to correct it themselves but I told them I didn't even want them to wash them again at this point.

He kinda looked at me strange like…."you really want to drive a dirty car off the lot? well ok, it's your car" lol

So yea, if I can get away with correcting the paint by just polishing it out, then that would definitely be ideal!
 
~TumbleWeed~ said:
Oh yea, and part of our "package deal" is that they offer a Paint Protection every six months …for three years.

So they basically expect me to go down there six different times during the first 3 years to have them coat the paint with some kind of protective film.

But I am SERIOUSLY contemplating telling them no thanks to that as I have seen what their polishing and buffing work looks like up close….and it's not good.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
I would definitely tell them:
No Thank You!!..on their paint protection offer.
{This may just be me though}

Bob
 
~TumbleWeed~ said:
These are the steps I was planning on taking with these new cars.
All tips and advice will be greatly appreciated


1) pressure wash
2) foam
3) rinse
4) dry
5) Iron X
6) Rinse
7) dry
8) clay bar or nano skin ????
9) rinse
10) dry
11) tape off
12) fg400
13) wipe off
14) sf4000
15) wipe off
16) LSP
Click to expand...

My suggestion:
1) IronX
2) Foam
3) Pressure Rinse
4) Foam again
5) Wash with mitt and rinse bucket with grit guard
6) rinse
7) clay with lube
8) dry as you clay
9) test spot with SF4000 and do the rest of the car if it comes out the way you want it.
10) IPA wipedown before sealant or coating

Also, I would recommend 5.5 inch pads for general polishing. Get 3 or 4 inch for smaller areas.

You can probably skip my steps 3 and 4 above if you wanted to pick up even more time.
 
I have only detailed one Mazda to date - a 2009 Mazda 3 MPS which I did this past weekend.

The car was subjected to a horrible respray on the front fenders and hood and so the paint was ridiculously thick (like 400+ µ) but the rest of the car averaged out at just over 100µ.

I found evidence of a previous bad polish (holograms/wax in the cracks etc) so have to assume that a fair chunk of the paint has probably already been removed over the past 5 years.

I think the easiest way forward for you in determining how to proceed in respect of the polishing, would be to conduct a test spot, or 2 or 3..... starting with your least aggressive combo (pad+polish). Only if that does not give you the results you want, do you step up a notch in aggressiveness. This will ensure you only remove as little paint as possible to give you the results that you want.

Hope this helps a little.
 
start with a light polish and polishing pad (test spot) and if that doesn't work try using a cutting pad (may have to follow up with the polishing pad if there's any light marring induced). sometimes stepping up to a different pad will yield results without having to use a more aggressive compound. with winter around corner, you may not want to go to extreme on the paint correction (wait till there's warmer weather in months ahead after all the snow, rain, etc.) and at least cleanse the paint and add some durable protection. i have a feeling this winter is going to be a cold one...
 
I've been a vendor for a Mazda dealership for about 8 years. I do all of the scratch and rock chip repair. Mazda paint is very durable and easy to correct. Paint is thin. Tape off the edges. I don't have experience with the Menzerna products as I use Meguiars. M101 or M105 and M205 responds very well on this paint. Most of the time I'm using a PC. I use the Flex 3401 on bigger areas.

If it's a car you plan on keeping long term I'd invest in a clear bra to cover hood, bumper and mirrors.
 
Mazda paint is indeed some of the thinnest OEM paint I have worked on. My wife's 2010 CX-7, for instance, averaged about 75 microns in total thickness throughout the exterior. We purchased the car used, and it had very bad water spotting, swirls, scratches, etc (it is jet black, of course)... I was able to do a 2 step without removing too much material. The car was then coated for durable protection and to restore some lost material.

In general, stick to the golden rule and you'll be fine: Always use the least aggressive method!
 
When I polished out my '10 Mazda 3 this Spring, I used Poorboy's Pro Polish on a white LC pad. I was really impressed by all the marring and light swirls I was able to remove with a non-abrasive finishing polish.

The paint was in really good shape. Combine that with a dark-ish color with heavy metal flake, and the mild polish was all I needed to make that DD look really good. I could have chased the nearly invisible RID's, but I'm glad I didn't based on what people are saying regarding the paint thickness.
 
i did a Mazda Miata, and the paint is on the thinner side, but very easy to correct. always do a test spot see what works best for you and go from there. i also used the Flex 3401 with the hybrid pads. i ended up using the Wolfgang Uber Compound with the orange pads, then finished it off with Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant, but the car was in pretty bad shape when it came to me. my test spot with the Wolfgang Finishing Glaze on a white pad removed most of the swirls and scratches, but the customer wanted clarity when doing the test spot that is why we jumped up to the Uber Compound.

The Mazda 3 was also down with the Wolfgang Finishing Glaze and white pad. it was brand new when it was brought to me. really easy to correct.

for a straight forward easy to use coating that will last for 2 yrs, BulletProof is a winner. really easy to apply and you can layer it for more gloss and protection and to ensure even coverage.



 
back when i had my MS3 in 2008, it was brand new and within the first month or so i got a chip on the roof from a bird dropping something (i live near the ocean).

i went to perform chip repair, something i had done many times on several different cars, even back then. i filled the chip with base and then topped with clear, let it harden and then i lightly block sanded it with something very light, 2k or 2500, can't recall. anyway, it almost INSTANTLY burned through. didn't even get to polish first before the base showed! it was heartbreaking. i had no clue it was as thing as it was. i wish i had my gauge back then because i probably would have just been a little more careful with the filling process and knocked it down with my machine instead of sanding at all.

as far as an easy coating, Gloss-Coat is new and very promising. i've only used it on a test panel and i liked it A LOT. almost brainless in application.
 
Thanks everyone for the great advice…. and for taking the time to share your experiences with detailing Mazdas.


I just wish I knew whether or not I can correct both vehicles by just using the SF4000 alone with the cutting & polishing pads ~OR~ if I should just shut up and order the FG400 already???

I'm a little tight on cash atm since I have to order a bunch of other things too.

so if I can get away with just buying a few cutting pads along with some polishing pads and some SF4000 then that's awesome!

But I'd hate to not buy it only to find out later I'll need it anyways!

Thoughts?
 
Oh, and i'm considering using Optimum Gloss Coat on both vehicles…. still not 100% sure yet.


Keep reading mixed reviews on coatings……


My mind keeps telling me that coating new vehicle that will be living here in the dusty dry desert will definitely need that added protection and will make washing the cars easier since all that dust won't stick and cling to the paint as much as dust layered on a sealant would.
 
please post pics when it's all cleaned up, the new mazda styling looks very nice...
 
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