New Car Detailing

Not a pro, but I know a bit about detailing and managed to keep my current car looking pretty nice for a decade now. Picking up a brand new Mazda3 next week, already told the dealer not to wash the car.

Due to space and time constraints, I'll be unable to carry out any machine polishing at this time.

I want to protect the new car until it can be properly detailed, it's going to be parked outside. I was planning on prewashing, washing, claying, and applying a sealant (or wax). I'm kinda nervous about applying iron remover since I don't want to get it on the black trim, among other things. Have a clay bar, but might try a clay mitt or clay towel instead.

I'm also planning on getting a PPF ASAP, and eventual ceramic coating applied. The detailer who applies the ceramic coating is going to be doing all this prep work again by the time it arrives at his shop.

Does my plan of action sound reasonable? Any advice appreciated. I'm estimating it will be at most a month between time I pick up car until it gets to the detailer.

dman said:

I want to protect the new car until it can be properly detailed, it's going to be parked outside. I was planning on prewashing, washing, claying, and applying a sealant (or wax).

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You have a good plan. Being pro-active at cleaning and protecting the paint and other surfaces is the most important thing you can do for a new car, (any car actually), especially if it's going to be parked outside 24/7.

Like the saying goes - something is better than nothing - so go with your plan.

dman said:

I'm kinda nervous about applying iron remover since I don't want to get it on the black trim, among other things.

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I stopped using Iron Removers years ago. I'm not sure there are any pictures of the Volkswagen Passat I detailed, but when I sprayed an Iron Remover onto the car to decontaminate it - the product I used STAINED all of the aluminum trim surrounding the windows.

The product I used, (a big name brand), stated it was safe on any surface. It wasn't. It left all of the trim with splotchy looking, cloudy looking stains. I was able to fix it. It took me about an hour for each side. It may have been the first time I have ever fixed anodized aluminum trim and it may have been the ONLY time I've seen anodized aluminum trim fixed.

I took pictures and sent them to the company rep. I suggested he have their chemists go to a local salvage yard and try to find some comparable trim and re-test their product. Never heard back from him and it's been so long, I'm confident he no longer has the pictures I texted him.

After that experience - I simply stopped using Iron Removers.

And here's my opinion - for what it's worth for everyone that may read this thread int the future.

For the most part, any car I'm detailing I'm detailing it because it needs paint correction. And it is my belief and opinion that when I run some type of compound/polish/AIO with some kind of pad on any type of polisher OVER the paint - THIS will remove any iron contamination or any other type of contamination.

Here's logic process

Compounding or polishing the paint REMOVES a little paint. The paint that is contaminated is topical - or on the surface. Thus machine polishing the paint will do the same thing the Iron Remover would do except NO RISK for staining something.

So I stopped using Iron Removers. Don't care if others choose to use them, that's their option.

dman said:

Due to space and time constraints, I'll be unable to carry out any machine polishing at this time. Have a clay bar, but might try a clay mitt or clay towel instead.

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What I practice, teach and preach is if you're going to do any type of mechanical decontamination, be it a bar of clay, a clay disc, towel or mitt, you should already have factored in doing at least ONE machine polishing step to remove any marring induced by the claying process. If you can't machine polish - skip this step until your detailer can do both the claying and the polishing for you.

And while it's possible a brand new car will have bonded contamination on it - there's also the chance it might not. So after washing and drying, do the Baggie Test and go from there.

dman said:

I'm also planning on getting a PPF ASAP, and eventual ceramic coating applied. The detailer who applies the ceramic coating is going to be doing all this prep work again by the time it arrives at his shop.

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And of course, the sooner the better. The longer the car is exposed to the elements, the more deterioration can take place making undoing any damage for you or your PPF guy or your detailer, do more work and take more time.

dman said:

Does my plan of action sound reasonable? Any advice appreciated. I'm estimating it will be at most a month between time I pick up car until it gets to the detailer.

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Yes. Sounds like a great plan of attack.


Mike

I really wish I could do the machine polishing myself, especially since I already have all the supplies needed in my closet. I usually get around 4 months of protection with my Collinite 845, so that will buy me some time. And if I eventually do the machine polishing myself, I could certainly apply a ceramic coating myself.

The Platinum Quartz Metallic paint (stock photo) is a neat color which shifts from silver gray to a champagne sand depending on the light. Will probably be easier to keep looking nice, compared to my deep crystal blue Mazda3. If only Mazda would use more clear coat...

Mike Phillips said:

What I practice, teach and preach is if you're going to do any type of mechanical decontamination, be it a bar of clay, a clay disc, towel or mitt, you should already have factored in doing at least ONE machine polishing step to remove any marring induced by the claying process. If you can't machine polish - skip this step until your detailer can do both the claying and the polishing for you.

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That makes sense, but since I plan on applying a sealant for temporary protection, I figured I should clay first...

dman said:

That makes sense, but since I plan on applying a sealant for temporary protection, I figured I should clay first...

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I good with that but I would highly recommend doing the Baggie Test after washing and drying the car. If you get lucky, it's possible the paint will feel smooth as glass and you don't need to clay.

Also - claying tends to mar paint, at least soft paint. On a white or light colored car, you probably won't see the marring but it's there.

You would of course see the marring on softer paints on black and dark colored cars. And this tends to annoy people, especially when it's a brand new car.

Just a few things to keep in mind.

Personally, I hope I never have to clay a car just so I don't have to remove the marring it can induce. At this point, all I have to do is correct the existing damage. And if there's no existing damage on a new car, (there shouldn't be), this means healthier paint and less work on my part.

That said, if the baggie test shows me there is enough bonded contamination that I need to mechanically decontaminate the paint, I've already factored in that afterwards, I'm doing at least ONE machine polishing step.

It is accurate that applying a wax, a synthetic paint sealant or even a ceramic coating to paint with above surface contamination means these types of protection products are less able to actually stick, bond, adhere, polymerize, or crosslink to the paint and thus this reduces the longevity of these products.

Because you're going to have the car detailed later you could easily get away without polishing and stick to your plan.


Mike