Another DP 4-in-1 Rinseless Wash Review

[mshu7]

Today, I finally decided to take the plunge and test out the DP 4-in-1 Rinseless wash (thanks Meghan & Max). After seeing Justin's (& others) results, I trusted it enough to do it myself. We've had a lot of rain lately so the car was fairly dirty. You would have thought that being in Indiana we'd be seeing snow right now but no, all rain so far.

Anyway, I mixed up a 4 gallons of warm water & 4 ounces of DP solution. I wanted to make sure that I had enough cleaning solution since it was my first time and since the car was probably dirtier than it should be for this type of wash. I also mixed the DP solution in a bottle of water, along with a couple drops of NXT shampoo (I love this stuff). I sprayed the solution on each panel prior to washing. I went through 1.5 bottles over the entire car. I used a Meg's sheepskin wash mitt on the paint and on the wheels I used a microfiber towel that is now dedicated to wheels. If you notice, it did a heck of a job on the wheels.

Overall, I am very pleased with the end results. I will say, one of the keys to this process is to have a really good drying towel. The whole process took me about 35 minutes, and that was taking my time to make sure that I didn't induce any marring or anything of that nature. There's no sun today so the pictures aren't the greatest. Once again, being in Indiana, you can never count on Sun through the winter months.

BTW, please disregard the door ding in the drivers door. A couple weeks ago a co-working parked about 1 foot away from my car and hit my door with his as he got out. What was worse was that I had parked in an area where there were about 8 other spots open that he could have parked in but instead he parked right up against my car. I'm still waiting for the insurance/repair shop to work it out so I can get it fixed.

Before Pics:






After Pics:










Questions/comments welcomed!

[Mike T]

Car looks great. Thanks for the write up. That sucks about the dings. Every time I get them removed, someone else comes along and creates another one for me.

[mshu7]

Thanks, Mike T!

[RTexasF]

Very nice indeed! I am impressed.

[Whitethunder46]

Very nice, I'm looking into getting a Mazda3. Are your taillights factory?

[mshu7]

Thanks guys!

Whitethunder46 - The tail ligths are from the factory. For the 2005 model year, they produced only 5000 of the SP23 trim (3500 sedans / 1500 hatchbacks). The SP23 hatchbacks were the only ones to get the clear LED tails. I believe in 2006, the clear lens LED tails are optional on the hatch. And now in 2007, I believe they have them for the sedan as an option (I could be wrong though).

For the money, I don't think you can beat the Mazda3. For my wife & I, didn't want an appliance (Corolla, Sentra, etc.). I like sporty cars but we wanted something economical at the same time. This is a very fun little car to drive, especially with a manual trans. I initially didn't want the hatchback but because I got to pick the transmission, my wife got to pick the number of doors. Now, I love the hatch. It's really convenient & with the seats down, there is a TON of room for stuff. I highly suggest taking one for a test drive. We absolutely love this car; although now I wish we could have waited for the new MazdaSpeed3 with a 260hp+ turbo 4-cyl & 6spd. manual trans.

Here are some more pics of our 3 you can check out if you're interested: Detail by mshu7: My '05 Mazda3

[Whitethunder46]

Thanks for the info. Yea, I knew about the different models of the Mazda3's and the LED lights. I didn't know however they came stock on the SP23's. And yes, 07's have LED's as well.

I've already test driven 2 Mazda 3's, one hatch and one sedan. I like them a lot, but unless I can get a very good price on my Mustang, I don't think I can afford one.

I also want an "s" version, not the "i". And used of course since my budget would be $15,000 tops.

[Bigfoot]

Originally Posted by mshu7

. BTW, please disregard the door ding in the drivers door. A couple weeks ago a co-working parked about 1 foot away from my car and hit my door with his as he got out. What was worse was that I had parked in an area where there were about 8 other spots open that he could have parked in but instead he parked right up against my car. I'm still waiting for the insurance/repair shop to work it out so I can get it fixed.

Nice turnaround, indeed! And that's^^^^ the reason why I park in the middle of nowhere, so I don't get those dings of rresponsible people who don't care about their cars!

Phew, that felt good...

Joey

[mshu7]

Originally Posted by Whitethunder46

I've already test driven 2 Mazda 3's, one hatch and one sedan. I like them a lot, but unless I can get a very good price on my Mustang, I don't think I can afford one.

I also want an "s" version, not the "i". And used of course since my budget would be $15,000 tops.

I think the "S" version is a good choice. You get 17" wheels which will improve the handling. I would think for 15K you'd be able to find an '04 or '05. Right now, with 25K on the odo ours appraises for about 16K on Edmunds.com. An "S" version should run a little less than that.

[mshu7]

Thanks Joey! I'm like you...I tend to park in the deserted areas. Unfortunately, I just couldn't avoid this guy! lol