Hello Michigan?

[mazdaspeedster3]

been dead around here lately. Where is everyone at?

 

[lynx17]

Just sitting in Grand Rapids, wishing my daily commute more resembled Grattan Raceway, but rejoicing that it's short and cheap.

I have to rely on the weekends to get my driving fix. Speaking of which, there is some local automotive action this weekend with the Furrin group.

 

[flipmz3drvr]

just chillin.... cant really do much now... wanted to wash the car but it rained....

 

[Silver Ecstasy]

I have been swamped with work, and the weather has been totally up and down.

We should get everyone together for an evening hang out. I know of a few spots in the Livonia/Novi area where we could get together and just hang? I'm sure the beginning of June we could start gettin more stuff together. May is totally jammed for me right now.

 

[MikeLikesMazda]

just waiting for graduation and the fun drive in june lol

 

[flipmz3drvr]

I have an Detroit meet that I have planned for the 8th of June if anyone is interested in meeting... got reball, gameworks, and a cruise on woodward... just check out my OAC detroit meet.

 

[mazdaspeedster3]

xceedspeed is having their tuner Barbq this Saturday. Check out tunersteves link. There are going to be A LOT of tuners... Free food. there is a caravan of up to 30 cars going from the Miejers at 8 and haggerty to go out there. Leaves at 10. Good chance for everyone to get together!

Otherwise, anytime in Novi/Livonia for sure! Summer should be great.

 

[CWPspeed3]

Hopefully the weather holds up for this weekend, I'll try and make it to the xceedspeed bbq. I'm getting an Avery paint shield installed on Friday and as long as it stays dry I shouldn't have a problem letting it dry while driving... Luckily the Wings game is at 7pm Saturday so that wont conflict with the bbq.

I'm down for anytime around the Novi/Livonia area as well.

 

[Silver Ecstasy]

May is a total c-block right now. Saturday is my day off to finally detail the car. I'm not going to claybar yet, but I'm just going to apply a coat of wax to try and protect the paint a little.

Laurel Park Mall has a parking garage that stays open and doesn't cost. I was thinking we could hang out on the top level on a clear night. Take a few pictures and whatnot.

 

[CWPspeed3]

I was going to have the clear plastic bra put on this weekend but no where around has any CWP touch up paint so I had to special order it so who knows when it will be in. I waxed my car a couple weeks ago with Eagle 1 Nanowax and its already not beading as much as it should, overpriced marking scam there, I'm not impressed at all.

I never thought of the Laurel Park Mall, I havent been there in ages, or any mall for that matter, but good idea. Now we just have to find a clear night...

 

[Silver Ecstasy]

Yeah definitely! Depending on what everyone's doing on Saturday night, hell I may say we should do that around 9pm or so that night?

I only use Meguiar's Caranuba Wax. You'll find it at the store as a "step 3" wax. It's out of a 3 step but you don't need to do the first or second step. Then I apply on TOP of the wax, Meguiar's NXT Tech Wax. The two combined makes for a very slippery and smooth feel. Ultimately, claybarring first gives the best results, but the car doesn't need to be claybarred as of yet and I don't want to risk hurting the clearcoat.

 

[CWPspeed3]

Saturday is the xceedspeed picnic and at night is game 2 for the wings... I dont know if i'm going to make it to the picnic or not yet but i'm going to try.

I've used many different types of wax, my last car ive tried Mothers caranuba and wasnt impressed at all, maguiars gold which for whatever reason is in a black bottle seems to work pretty good, i actually have the mothers 3 step stuff dont like the wax but the prewax cleaner works well for taking out small scuffs or bugs if you dont have any bug and tar remover. Nufinish lasts forever because you can never get it to come off so that might be a bad thing. The best stuff I've used actually I "borrowed" from a friend of the family it was actually a boat wax i believe and very expensive, i accidentally left it sit in the garage over a winter and it all separated but I'll look to see what that was. Thats just my experiences with wax, I havent used any of the really high end stuff.

 

[mazdaspeedster3]

Saturday should be sweet... Good idea on the mall parking garage. I clay barred my car last saturday, wasnt as bad as I thought. Waxes... Boy where do you start. I was the proud owner of detail one for several years and can tell you the cheaper the wax the better. If you can wheel your car out (truthfully wheel it out) and then just wax it every other week you will be better off saving money on waxes and buy turtle wax. If you cant wheel it out and are truly trying to take care of your paint then follow these simple steps. Wash your car, detar/debug or use paint thinner to take anything off the paint (even Nufinish) and then use a cleaner wax (if you dont have a speed wheel) and then use a polish and after the polish use a basic cheap hard coat wax. While that last wax is setting clean your windows in and out and do your rims/tires. Get that last coat of wax off and you wont see anything prettier! I promise. If you dont have a speed wheel and need it done I can do your car for $35 in about an hour. If you want the full exterior treatment it is $75 and will take me roughly 2 hours and you can sit in a lawn chair and kick some cold ones back and watch or help out at a discounted price...

 

[Silver Ecstasy]

I don't have a wheel but i'd love to learn how to apply wax by wheel eventually. Right now I do EVERYTHING by hand. Claybar, wax application, wax removal. I'm achy by the time the day is over with.

The procedure I use may be stupid or overkill. I'll never know, i've just tested in the past and stuck with what works.

 

[tubebrner]

Silver you may want to consider claybarring even though your car is new. It sat on a boat across the Pacific for a few weeks and then it got to MI by train which undoubtedly imbedded some rail dust into your clear coat. I guess I should practice what I preach though, I've had my car for a year and I will be claybarring for the first time on Saturday. Also will be using Zaino polish for the 1st time. I hope it is worth the $$$$

 

[CWPspeed3]

My car had some rail dust on it from the nice cross country train ride and i had the service manager at the dealer come out with a clay bar before i even started my car for the first time. I've waxed it since but apparently not that good because i occasionally find specs of rail dust. I will be waxing my car again next weekend after I get my clear bra put on, maybe I'll pick up a claybar before that.

 

[Silver Ecstasy]

tube-- I think you're right. I may just end up claybarring and the whole nine yards tomorrow.

Matt - maybe you may be able to answer this question. Are you supposed to wax over the clearbar? Or are you just supposed to avoid touching it? I ask, because at the bottoms of my rockers near the passenger rear doors, theres a section of clearbra that's OEM applied.. I didn't know if I should touch it with a claybar, or even bother waxing it?

 

[mazdaspeedster3]

I am not Matt but I can tell you that you wash it again and then dry it and wax/polish however you want. Dont leave it untouched after you claybar it. You have pretty much stripped everything out of your clear coat. Paint is pouris (sp), that claybar took a lot out of the pours and you need to put a wax into those pours to protect it.
Next time you see a nice Porsche (996 or better) take a look at the paint. They dont clear coat the cars, you can see everything. But, after a claybar and wax there is no better looking paint.

 

[CWPspeed3]

Mike, yeah wax over that factory clear plastic on the rockers. That was a spot deemed by mazda to have problems with chips I guess. As mazdaspeedster said anytime you claybar, rubbing compound, or pre wax cleaner on a car you should defiantly put a coat of wax on right after since it takes it down to the clear coat.

 

[Silver Ecstasy]

Oh yeah i've claybarred before. The paint will be in real good shape once i'm done tomorrow.