Newbie with Miata in New Mexico

QuinGold

QuinGold

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Looking forward to learning how to take care of my 2013 Mazda Miata. We live in the mountains with snow and grit on the roads in the winter, so it's my fair-weather car.

My husband's car is a Ford Escape Hybrid, and in bad weather we both drive it. But I was so fed up with the mediocre job that the car wash place does, that I swore I would learn how to wash and wax myself (this is the same car wash from the Breaking Bad series…say no more).

I bought my Miata new in May 2013, and it's a "dolphin gray" color. I work at home, so it sits in the garage a lot, gathering dust. It only has 5000 miles on it. It's lovely for driving along Route 66 and along the Turquoise Trail to Santa Fe with the top down in the warmer months.

I've noticed sadly that it no longer looks like a new car. The surface is hazy and there are water spots on the bonnet (aka hood). I want to learn how to get the shiny new-car-look back. I just bought a custom fitted cover for it so when I get it looking good, it will help to keep the dust off at least.

At first I thought I'd just wash it well and apply some wax, but the Mothers carnauba wax made no difference on my test area to remove the water spots, so I know I need to learn and do more.

I'm on Chapter 2 of Mike Phillip's ebook "Complete Guide to a Show Car Shine" on my iPad; figure it will take a week to get through it. I've also watched lots of his videos on YouTube (the pacing is the best).

I ordered the Flex 3401 "kit" on Amazon from Palm Beach Motoring Accessories (shipped today) and since the book is published by Palm Beach Publishers, I'm assuming they are related?

To make things more challenging, I have a petite build and a wonky neck/shoulder and tennis elbow. That's why I went with the Flex, as I need the smoothest machine that gets the job done fast. (You should have seen my chiropractor's face yesterday when I told him I was learning how to polish and wax my car…right after he popped my neck and elbow back in!).

I also bought the Meguiar's "kit" of Ultimate Compound and Ultimate Liquid Wax, with towels etc, but I'll probably find out now that I should have bought Wolfgang(?!)… If it's easier to wipe off by hand, I will get it, just to save wear and tear on my elbow.

I'm going to "practice" first on the Ford Escape (ha ha!). Hubbie is actually the classic car enthusiast in the family; he even dragged me to the Monterey Classic Car show one year. But he's not so much into working on cars as much as he likes to watch them being auctioned off on TV...!

PS. My first car was a Triumph Spitfire that I drove around Cambridge, England in the 1980s. I loved it to bits, and I had a great mechanic who kept it purring along. But I had no idea how to take care of the body and was too busy working all the time to learn anything. When I moved to the US, I sold it to someone in the Triumph fan club so I know it went to a good home. When I first moved here, the Miata had just come out, but only as a stick shift and I couldn't handle driving on the opposite side and using a stick. So 25 years later, I finally got the car I really wanted!
 
Welcome to AGO!

Flex 3401 + LC Hybrid Pads + Wolfgang Uber/Finsihing Glaze (Menzerna FG400/SF4000) = Awesome
 
Welcome to the forum!! You will learn a lot!! As for the Flex 3401 IMO it is the BEST DA out there PERIOD!!! AGO is under the PBMG umbrella. PBMG stands for Palm Beach Motoring Group. Since you are reading Mike Phillips books he also has another one on specifically how to use the Flex 3401. You might want to get that. There are also a couple of How-to-use the Flex videos he has made.

Do not forget to get the Lake Country Flex Backing Plates and the 5" and 6.5" Lake Country Hybrid Pads. They do wonders for your control on that DA. Start with the 5" as you will have better control of the machine.

As for the Megs you can't go wrong with that product. However, you mentioned Meg's Ultimate Compound. You should also follow up with their Polish. Then the liquid wax as the LSP. Either way you will learn a lot from here.

Usually, my hello's are short and sweet, however, you hit 2 great nerves!! The 1st one (the awesome nerve) is that I had a 1999 (I believe) Miata 1st Gen and it was one of the best cars I ever drove. It was not too masculine my friends teased me all the time (called my ride the HomoMiata and many other names) and I could care less what they thought. The Miata was an awesome ride.

The 2nd nerve (not so good) is that I had a 1980 Triumph TR8 and it was a piece of Doo Doo. Talk about breaking every week no SH_T!! I learned how to become a mechanic because it would break so often.

When you mentioned the Spitfire oh man nightmares came back!!.....LOL

HOWEVER, all that trash talking on the Triumph TR8 it was a cool ride when it ran!! That is why I am so glad the Miata came out! It basically sealed the British Sports Car fate here in the US.

Now that I am old and BALD a convertible would not be good for me...LOL

Thank you for bringing back some fond memories of the Miata and my Triumph TR8!! Would not have changed anything after all these years!!!

PS: You are smart....learn on your hubby's ride before you start taking care of your ride....it is too nice of a car to mess up!! His car....not so much!! All kidding aside, you will do fine and it is so nice to see that a female is learning the art of detailing. I no longer work on cars mechanically, I hate dirt in my fingernails....I learned how to detail instead!

Again, WELCOME!!

:buffing:
 
281 said:
Welcome to AGO!

Flex 3401 + LC Hybrid Pads + Wolfgang Uber/Finsihing Glaze (Menzerna FG400/SF4000) = Awesome
Click to expand...

James is correct on these products. If you are looking at other products Wolfgang is great and the Menzerna FG400/SF4000 are a great choice too.

I also want to let you know that even though James (281) is younger, stronger and has more hair than me...he will never be as good looking as I am!

From the

LEGEND IN HIS OWN MIND

Im the MAN
 
Kamakaz1961 said:
James is correct on these products. If you are looking at other products Wolfgang is great and the Menzerna FG400/SF4000 are a great choice too.

I also want to let you know that even though James (281) is younger, stronger and has more hair than me...he will never be as good looking as I am!

From the

LEGEND IN HIS OWN MIND

Im the MAN
Click to expand...

ROFL CJ :props:
 
If you are going to use the flex get some ultimate polish. Ultimate polish with a white pas can do a lot of correction. Ultimate polish is newbie friendly. You always want to start with the least aggressive. When you start polishing take some painters tape and make 2' x 2' box next to each othe. Then take a marker and ruler and mark 1" tick marks ( numbers) on the tape on each side of each square. This will tesch you how fast you are going. You want to have an arm speed of 1" for each second. This will help in making sure that you are correcting the paint. When using the polisher you want to overlap each pass and go across and then up and down.

Take pictures before you start, during, and after.

No pictures means it didn't happen

Best of luck. You will do fine.
 
Welcome to Autogeek. If you can make the trip to sunny Stuart, FL, I would highly recommend attending Mike Phillps' Detailing Boot Camp. It is a great learning experience. Lots of hands on training with many different tools. Plus he always has great cars to learn on.
 
Thank you all, what a nice group! Don't worry, the Meg. kit included the Ultimate Polish as well as the Compound (which I will use as a last resort really as I am so scared of messing up!).

I also added the Meg. A3714 Compound Water Spot Remover which I assume is more gentle than the Polish?

I think what I really need to buy & learn next is how to use the clay product to remove contamination as the dust in NM is horrendous. Plus, we use the other half of the garage for spraying acrylic (we're artists), so goodness knows what floated about in the air last year. Do you have a recommendation on what clay to buy?

Now I'm just learning from Mike's book about removing iron after washing the car… At this rate, I'll be washing and cleaning the car for a week before I even plug in the Flex…!

I need to also get the Lake Country plate & Hybrid pads; I saw it on Mike's class on YouTube. I like the idea of the 5" smaller pad for more control.

thanks again, and if I have questions, do I assume I ask them in the regular forum (and not the Introduction forum)?
 
re: Wolfgang Uber/Finsihing Glaze

Thanks for the tip.

"Wolfgang Finishing Glaze 3.0 is a water-based emulsion with ultra fine diminishing abrasives that gently polish the paint to a brilliant gloss. Compounding swirls, mild oxidation, and water spots disappear to reveal glassy smooth, beautiful paint. Underneath a wax or sealant, the paint radiates with energy and gloss."

Do I take it that this might be the mildest polish and I should try this first?

Then assuming that works well, finish with Ultimate Liquid Wax.
 
Never mind last question! I think I have figured out the plan of action.

I ordered the LC Flex changeable plate + 5" Hybrid pads (polishing & finishing).

I bought the Wolfgang Fuzion Mini Wax kit, and a clay kit plus the pink Opti-Eraser. After I clean and clay, I'll test a section using the Wolfgang Finishing Glaze, and hope that removes the water spots.

If it does, I'll apply the Wolfgang Paintwork Polish Enhancer, then finish with the Fuzion Estate Wax.

If it doesn't work, I'll use the stronger Meg. Ultimate Polish, then the Finishing Glaze and so on.

Does that sound like a plan of "least aggressive first"? Thanks!
 
:welcome:

Looks like you're well on your way to becoming a detailing guru! You're starting out with better equipment than I used for 12 years.

I don't know how hard Miata paint is, but I'm skeptical that Finishing Glaze and a 'polishing' pad is going to do the job on your water spots, but never say never. You might need to step up to a more aggressive pad. And I'm not sure if the Megs Ultimate Polish cuts any more than the WG Glaze. Megs UC should do it, if it comes to that.

The rest of your plan looks good. We need photos, of course!
 
Welcome!
Do yourself a favor and buy the Nanoskin Autoscrub pad. With your elbow, neck, and shoulder issues it's going to save a lot of wear and tear.
 
Thanks Dave. Will check out the Nanoskin pads.

Brett - thanks for feedback! Promise I will take pics!

Yes, I like good tools - comes from being an artist and realizing that quality art supplies trumps technique every time....well, no, not really, but they do help! I like printmaking, which involves wiping ink on and off copper plates, as well as mixing ink to various viscosities. I'm thinking that detailing is not so different - it's also about getting the surface texture correct, and the various products are similar to the wide range of acrylic gels and mediums.

I'm jealous of the black&white tiled floor in Mike's garage in the videos. Do all of you have such nice clean garages?! I'm nervous that there is too much dust in our garage and that I'll grind dirt into the paint. May have to have a good clean while I'm waiting on supplies to arrive next week from Palm Beach.

I'm thinking that the "quick wash" products would be good to use right before doing any polishing. My plan is to have it all done before the windy (dusty) season starts in Spring. Right now the ground is moist with rain and snow, and the wind is not an issue.
 
Hi and welcome.
Sounds like you're well on your way.

Of course study, and make note of the steps used to refine a paint finish, commonly wash, decon, polish, wax (or sealant)

Nothing at all wrong with clay bars, and they're easy to get at usually any big parts stores, and even wally world. Mothers, and Meguiars both make good clay kits that will get the job done.

Biggest downside with clay, drop the bar and it has to go in the trash. And they are easy to drop, especially when working side panels. Use the plastic baggie test to monitor your progress on both paint, and glass.

As for the Wolfgang Finishing Glaze, which is actually a very mild finishing polish commonly used as a last step to a 2 or 3 step correction, yes, it should work fine, especially with the flex and finish pads if all you are seeing are water spots, and some lack of gloss to the finish.

But, if there are some swirls, and even some light scratches, I wouldn't exactly say that this would be the best product to grab as it won't effectively remove them. One might first need something like WG Total Swirl Remover, or I would say even Meguiars M205 would have a little bit better cut, and more effectively, and more quickly refine the finish from light swirls. M205 again can usually be easily gotten from the parts stores and sometimes wally world too. A very good finish polish, and it is easy to work with.

Dullness, and swirls, can come from poor wash techniques, and believe me how I know what a battle it is here in NM to avoid installing swirls, as within 12 hour's time with a vehicle sitting outside, it usually has a patina coating of dust-grit everywhere. The more effectively you can hose off this grit before touching the paint, either via garden hose, or pressure washer, the better. The softest wash and drying towels, a two bucket wash with grit guards helps quite a bit

Yep, and the water spotting, that's a big problem here as well, with the water being so hard, loaded with Caliche.

It means after a final rinse, really working fast to dry, and hopefully in good shade, because if the water dries on the vehicle, the battle is lost.

Using the "drying with water" technique, with a garden hose just gently streaming over the paint with no attachment helps sheet the water off the paint, you'll note you'll be wringing a lot less water from your drying towels. Some use blowers like the Master Blaster, and some even use a pristine clean electric leaf blower.

I've yet to use any more conventional products here, such as waxes, or sealants which have any great ability to reduce marring from the ravages of new mexico dust, except one that seems to surpass all, and that's been Carpro CQuartz UK Ceramic Coating. This is not the product to use though if you're the type who likes waxing-sealing a car every few weeks. It's not needed with such a durable coating.
Mark
 
Also read mention of you spraying paints in the garage where the car was kept? Hopefully, you pulled the car out when doing such, but if not, you'll probably be in for a horrid shock if you did the plastic baggie test.

I know well from experience, that spray paint has the nasty propensity of getting on every last square inch of a vehicle. That it will be found on every part, paint, glass, trim, wheels, everything.

But clay barring will usually take care of such quickly, and effectively.
This step may take you the longest, and if as you state, the car is not a daily driver, then you can do a couple panels at a time without over-taxing yourself.

The better you can clay and clean the vehicle, and rid it of any above surface contaminants such as overspray, dirts, saps, the better.

Some wash soaps can have a tendency of dulling paint due to films left behind. Again, Clay will help clean, but can also introduce a small amount of micro-marring to the finish as well. Be sure to use plenty of clay lube or detailer spray, it will lessen micro-marring, and also makes claying an easier job. It takes a little practice, to spray ahead of the area you are about to clay, and as I mentioned before, the plastic baggie will help be your guide in knowing just how contaminant free you have gotten all surfaces on the vehicle.

CARQUEST commonly carries good products, their DG901 Shampoo is well liked and regarded, as well as basically all other products they make, such as DG-501 Marine-RV Polish-Sealant, has good chemical cleaning action, but not much in the way of abrasives to then be used as a polish.

If you have much black plastic trim, the new Endura Trim and Tire Coatings from Turtle Wax have been also liked here. These liquid bottle kits come with everything needed, are relatively cheap, a little goes far, and they both work extremely well, and are long lasting. The Tire Coating Kit is really a great product (Don't buy the spray!)

O'Reillys usually has both, and even found the Tire Coating at wally world here.

I always try to remember the old saying of "Rome was not built in a day". Since this is your personal vehicle, you can then take the time going through, interior detailing, cleaning door jambs, engine compartment-trunk, wheels, wheel wells, etc, getting everything back to looking great.

Upkeep will become easier once you get caught up.
 
Thanks MarkD51! Nice to connect with someone who understands NM dust...! Great info; will have to check out more local auto stores. (I usually only go in for art supplies like bondo scrapers!)

Fortunately I can keep the car in the garage, and I have a nice cover for it now (should have done that on day one!). So I can't wait to just be in "upkeep mode" - I have so many "quick detailer" products to try now!

I'll try the "drying with water" technique; haven't heard of that! We have a great water softener on the house which extends to the outside faucet, so washing the car with soft water should help too, and there is some shade outside the garage.

Counting the days to my Auto Geek shipment arriving...
 
Just an update: 10 days later and I've read lots of threads. I'm still finding stuff I needed I buy - like vinyl tape to cover the edges (yesterday) and Iron X to do before the claying (today). I think the UPS driver thinks I've hit the lottery as a new box arrives every day. Hopefully by mid-week I'll have all the stuff so I can start on the wheels. In the meantime, I detailed the Miata interior as well as the inside of my husband's Ford Escape - he was very impressed! Looked just as good as when we had it detailed professionally. (The only minor damage was when he attacked the only stain I couldn't figure out how to remove on the inside of the door, so on his head be it!)

I found Leather Nova did a bang-up job on the leather seats in the Miata and both steering wheels, and Cockpit Premium was great for cleaning all the plastic inside the Ford Escape.

Funny enough, was just at a party and when I mentioned to the host that I was bummed the weather had turned so cold (a high of 18 today…with freezing wind) as I can't work on detailing my car like I want, he asked advice on how to take care of his Corvette! Ooh, I'd love to practice on a Corvette instead of my husband's Ford… :joking:
 
Just an update to my post above (2-12-2015). You don't need to use the Wolfgang Polish Enhancer after using the WG Finishing Glaze, it's "redundant". see info from Nick in this thread
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/wolfgang-car-care/91927-wg-polish-enchancer-wg-glaze.html

The Finishing Glaze is working out really well to remove the haze and water spots using a Flex 3401 and a white polishing pad. However, by the time I finished washing it really well (loved the WG Auto Bathe - what a shine!), and claying it twice (SpeedyPrep towel and then again with WG clay as I had driven it a bit), the car was already looking much better.

I'm doing a panel or two each week, as time allows, giving each panel a waterless wash and a quick clay before polishing. Now that I'm 2/3rd done, I'm keeping it in the garage to keep it clean until I'm done with the Sealant & Wax and trying to make progress daily. Will post pics when it's all shiny!

For my test panel (roof and trunk) I applied the Fuzion Wax. For the rest of the panels, I'm going to apply the WG Sealant before the Fuzion Wax. Then I'll be able to tell over time how well different panels held up.

I also got a Flex PE8 last week, to help with the last few panels (bumpers and low panels). It's another learning experience; while I like the lighter weight, the pads seem to soak up the polish too fast.

It's been a learning experience for sure, and taking longer than I thought, but it's going to look great when it's done! Really appreciate all the great info on Autogeek.
 
Be sure to post some pics when you're done :dblthumb2:
 
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