BatonRougeMX5
01-13-2013, 05:02 PM
After spending quite a bit of time wandering around the Autogeek site and forums, I took the plunge several months ago and purchased several products (clay, wax, shampoo, assorted cleaners, some micro-fiber towels, etc.) and continued my research on how to best approach the task at hand. I had to do this because the cash was burning a hole in my pocket and I would have wasted it on something else. That task - Actually taking care of the family vehicles like they should be. My first purchase from Autogeek did not include the PC 7424 or pads, but I was confident that by Christmas my funds would be replenished and I could treat myself. They were and I did. Sweeeet!!!
As a teenager, my truck (an ’84 Mazda B2000) was my pride and joy. I washed it every Friday after school in preparation for the weekend festivities. I was the envy of all my friends (most of them) with my brilliant white paint that beaded water whenever it rained. If I knew then what I have learned in the last 6 months… well I wouldn’t have been using OTC products and hand towels. Oh the shame of it all! But a kid going to high school and on a budget only slightly higher than the family dog, has to do what he can, right?
Fast forward 27 years (ouch!). Now I have the family, a 60+ hour per week job and I need a hobby. Golf? No Thanks. Woodworking? Umm, no. I got it, I’ll get back into detailing cars, that will be great since I’m all about the “details”. Just the family cars, none of that “make your hobby a career” stuff. I did that once and now I hate talking about Home Theater related stuff.
So here we are with 3 neglected vehicles:
1) a white 2012 Nissan Altima
2) a silver 2007 Mazda MX-5 (Miata)
3) a brownish-goldish 2003 Honda CR-V
All are daily drivers. The Altima is in good condition, but I need to keep it that way. It will be the “easiest” to maintain. The Honda, well, there will be a lot of work here. It was mine before my daughter got her license last year and I hated that car (she does too but she’s not complaining about a free vehicle). I never washed it and frankly just didn’t give a darn about it. It’s got scratches, a significant dent, and I’ll likely use it for testing different products. Now the Miata, that’s my mid-life crisis, and I’m enjoying every bit of this particular crisis. There are swirls, surface scratches, and a couple hail dings; but for the most part it’s not in bad shape for its age and not being parked in a garage. It will eventually have some minor body work done, but it is what it is for now.
I got my slew of products from Autogeek about a week and a half ago. Unpacked everything and was giddy as a school girl to use it. Since the night I got my products, it has rained every day except yesterday. I don’t have an enclosed garage (just a carport) so I waited patiently. Yesterday, although it was overcast, I couldn’t wait any longer. I got out the camera, took pics of my scratches on the truck lid of the Miata for before/after comparison. Not bad for a first attempt. I did come to realize two things: 1) that I need to invest in the Brinkmann Maxfire and 2) I use a huge amount of microfiber towels. I parked the car under the carport, got out, walked by the trunk and I’ll be darned if I didn’t see some minor scratches in the different light angle. I smiled to myself because I know I get to do this all again when the weather is right. But boy, she already looks a lot better.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/medium/MX5_Trunk_Before_small.jpg
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/medium/MX5_Trunk_After_small.jpg
Products used:
· Two bucket wash method
o Pinnacle Autobody Shampoo
o 303 Fabric/Vinyl Convertible Top Cleaner
· Toro Leaf blower to dry (oh yeah, my neighbors are scratching their heads)
· Pinnacle Ultra Poly Clay
· Pinnacle Clay Lubricant
· PC 7424XP
· Lake Country Orange cutting pad
· Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover 3.0
· Lake County Gray finishing pad
· Wolfgang Finishing Glaze 3.0
· Collinite Liquid Insulator Wax #845
· 303 Aerospace Protectant (on the convertible top and trim)
If you actually read all this, thanks for letting me ramble. I’m looking forward to continuing on this quest and posting frequently, albeit in a much shorter format.
Allen (BatonRougeMX5)
As a teenager, my truck (an ’84 Mazda B2000) was my pride and joy. I washed it every Friday after school in preparation for the weekend festivities. I was the envy of all my friends (most of them) with my brilliant white paint that beaded water whenever it rained. If I knew then what I have learned in the last 6 months… well I wouldn’t have been using OTC products and hand towels. Oh the shame of it all! But a kid going to high school and on a budget only slightly higher than the family dog, has to do what he can, right?
Fast forward 27 years (ouch!). Now I have the family, a 60+ hour per week job and I need a hobby. Golf? No Thanks. Woodworking? Umm, no. I got it, I’ll get back into detailing cars, that will be great since I’m all about the “details”. Just the family cars, none of that “make your hobby a career” stuff. I did that once and now I hate talking about Home Theater related stuff.
So here we are with 3 neglected vehicles:
1) a white 2012 Nissan Altima
2) a silver 2007 Mazda MX-5 (Miata)
3) a brownish-goldish 2003 Honda CR-V
All are daily drivers. The Altima is in good condition, but I need to keep it that way. It will be the “easiest” to maintain. The Honda, well, there will be a lot of work here. It was mine before my daughter got her license last year and I hated that car (she does too but she’s not complaining about a free vehicle). I never washed it and frankly just didn’t give a darn about it. It’s got scratches, a significant dent, and I’ll likely use it for testing different products. Now the Miata, that’s my mid-life crisis, and I’m enjoying every bit of this particular crisis. There are swirls, surface scratches, and a couple hail dings; but for the most part it’s not in bad shape for its age and not being parked in a garage. It will eventually have some minor body work done, but it is what it is for now.
I got my slew of products from Autogeek about a week and a half ago. Unpacked everything and was giddy as a school girl to use it. Since the night I got my products, it has rained every day except yesterday. I don’t have an enclosed garage (just a carport) so I waited patiently. Yesterday, although it was overcast, I couldn’t wait any longer. I got out the camera, took pics of my scratches on the truck lid of the Miata for before/after comparison. Not bad for a first attempt. I did come to realize two things: 1) that I need to invest in the Brinkmann Maxfire and 2) I use a huge amount of microfiber towels. I parked the car under the carport, got out, walked by the trunk and I’ll be darned if I didn’t see some minor scratches in the different light angle. I smiled to myself because I know I get to do this all again when the weather is right. But boy, she already looks a lot better.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/medium/MX5_Trunk_Before_small.jpg
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/medium/MX5_Trunk_After_small.jpg
Products used:
· Two bucket wash method
o Pinnacle Autobody Shampoo
o 303 Fabric/Vinyl Convertible Top Cleaner
· Toro Leaf blower to dry (oh yeah, my neighbors are scratching their heads)
· Pinnacle Ultra Poly Clay
· Pinnacle Clay Lubricant
· PC 7424XP
· Lake Country Orange cutting pad
· Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover 3.0
· Lake County Gray finishing pad
· Wolfgang Finishing Glaze 3.0
· Collinite Liquid Insulator Wax #845
· 303 Aerospace Protectant (on the convertible top and trim)
If you actually read all this, thanks for letting me ramble. I’m looking forward to continuing on this quest and posting frequently, albeit in a much shorter format.
Allen (BatonRougeMX5)