MIS: True Red Mazdaspeed3!

[We're Here]

I`m going to get a cover for the WRX and the thought occurs to me that there probably is a much higher quality private label cover out there than the one the dealer offers. Any suggestions?



Thanks ... Alan

[enjoy425]

Well Alan, I currently have a cover by NOAH. BMW recommends and even sells NOAH car covers at their dealerships! It`s water resistant and you can feel the real quality of the cover. It`s even treated with UV protective properties.

The cover has been awesome g=for me and I highly recommend it! Here`s a link to a write-up/commercial:

http://autosupermart.com/shopcart/covercraft/covercraftnoah.html (`http://autosupermart.com/shopcart/covercraft/covercraftnoah.html`)

Wish you the best!

[ISLANDSBEST]

I have a Weather Tech cover from California Car Covers. Its the most advanced, supposedly. It is very thin, which is why I bought it. The Evolution 4 marterial is very good, but very bulky. The NOAH is not as serious s cover, but is lighter.



The Weather Tech is not absolutely waterproof.



I have owned an Evolution 4. I suspect most would be happy with a Noah, unless the car is really going to be in the weather.

[nerdhunters]

I think a lot of the choice depends on whether or not the car is stored outside or garged. I have found that the NOAH is good for me. My cars are garaged at home but I use the cover at work. I agree with darbh if the car is subject to a lot of weather I would get something more substantial than NOAH.

[Cybercowboy]

I also got two Noah covers recently, one for my wife`s soon-to-be exiled Eclipse and one for the the new vette (will be here very soon). They are very nice. Haven`t used them yet but I have put one on the Eclipse to make sure it fit (both are the same, the cars are similar in size.) The only thing is, I have to figure out how to make a hole for the Eclipse`s antenna. It doesn`t retract. I am thinking about marking where it needs to be and having a local awning business sew in a grommet or something.



So, I got the Noah cover for both inside and outside cars. Good luck!

[ru1thirst]

I have the Noah and love it. Now my car isn`t sitting in the rain but it is under a car port. It`s very easy to put on and take off. They have many custom made models and I got mine made to fit with mirror pockets and also the antenae pocket so no worries about where the non-retractible antenae goes. Looks a bit obscene but works great! :)

[BradE]

I have a Weather Tech cover like darbh. They are a good cover, but I also noticed that they are not 100% weatherproof. I have had water get under mine on several occasions. They are very light. Sometimes my cover slides off my car when I am putting it on because it is light, and the surface of my car is very smooth. The Weather Tech can be somewhat expensive, my cover is for my Lincoln and it was $326.99 from Cal Car Cover.

[ISLANDSBEST]

Hi Showroom. Glad to see your post and to have my perceptions confirmed by someone else. I like the Weather Tech, but I was disappointed with the fact that it does sometimes let some water in. I do not have experience with it in the rain, as I live in Los Angeles and bought the cover in the early summer (no rain). I have found, however, that if I rinse the cover with a hose while it is on the car (as suggested for cleaning purposes), a film of water seems to get through the cover. The cover materials repel water like nothing I have every seen, but the cover is not a thick, water-proof barrier -- it is relying, instead, on a repellant/beading action as a result of the micro-encapsulation of silicon into the fabric <em class=`bbc`>during[/i] the manufacturing process. Now, to put things in perspective, in spite of letting some water "film" in, I have seen no water spotting and negative effects on the paint. Have you?

Yes, the cover sure is slippery, particularly if you have a highly polished car. But, that goes with the territory, with having slick paint, and a slick, silicon-based car cover. The slipperiness problem can be nullified by developing a handling techniques appropriate for your car.

By the way, have you noticed what I presume are "silicon marks" on the car, that mirror the seams of the cover?

[BradE]

darbh,



I was also disappointed with the cover somewhat, especially for what it costs, this is not exactly a cheap cover. I had mine out sitting in my driveway in a moderate rain storm, and water got under the cover. Mine got wet on the sides of the car, but not much on the flat surfaces. But IMO, for almost $400, it should not get wet at all. I called Cal Car Cover, and they told me I had put the cover on wrong (they were trying to shut me up). I am glad I am not the only one who has had this problem, at least now I don`t feel like I am crazy. :)



My first few times using it I did notice some what looked like wax marks, but I had not waxed the car. The marks on mine were along the seams also. After a couple of weeks the marks stopped, so it could have been silicon marks.



If I had to do it over again, I probably would have not bought the cover. I just don`t feel that it is worth what it costs. There are other covers on the market that probably work just as good, and cost less $$$.

[Don2000g]

I have a Noah cover and am very happy with it. It is perfect for my climate. It`s a great custom cover for the sun, dust and rain. It ranks extremely high in these categories. Hard to find a similar quality cover in the same general price area. I paid $160 for mine.

[ISLANDSBEST]

Don -- Thanks for the data on your Noah. I probably should have bought that brand.



In defense of the Weather Tech, I really like the fact that the cover is not bulky. Saves trunk space and is easier to handle.



ShowroomLincoln -- Thanks for your post. Our data and observations are the same. That makes a good cross-check. I guess someone has to test these products, for the good of the group, and we will take a hit every once in a while.



One thing I did not mention: One day, after I put the cover on the car, I needed something in the cabin. I pealed back part of the cover and sat down in the driver`s seat. A lot of light comes through the fabric. Later, I examined the fabric, holding it up to the sky. It appears to have thousands of micro-holes in it. I called the company and expressed my concern that the cover might not stop UV. They assured me it does.



I am a bit unconfortable and would like third party confirmation. Ahh, there must be a meter of some kind that can test this -- test UV light levels. Does anyone know?

[BradE]

Light comes through the cover ?!? :( That is totaly unacceptable for what is supposed to be the "Top of the Line" cover. Could those little holes be there so that moisture can escape from under the cover?

[Cybercowboy]

Light comes through my sunglasses but they are 100% UV blocking.:cool:



I am sure that the UV is dramatically reduced by the cover, so I wouldn`t lose any sleep over it.



And, yes, the holes are there so the cover can breathe.

[kaval]

Hello TID!

This is a 2007 Mazdaspeed3 I detailed in April of 2009. Never got the chance to post these until now as I was busy throughout the season. But hey, rather be busy than not!

I`ll get right into it...

Car came for full correction including stone chip repair (which had to be done later because the paint refused to dry properly). The paint was in need of a thorough polishing as there were holograms, swirls, and RIDS that were robbing the paint of its true red beauty. The engine bay was also shampooed but there was some stubborn rust proofing that simply would not come off.

http://www.makeitshine.ca/Site/Pictures/redms3/IMG_9341.jpg

http://www.makeitshine.ca/Site/Pictures/redms3/IMG_9343.jpg

http://www.makeitshine.ca/Site/Pictures/redms3/IMG_9344.jpg

http://www.makeitshine.ca/Site/Pictures/redms3/IMG_9349.jpg

http://www.makeitshine.ca/Site/Pictures/redms3/IMG_9350.jpg

http://www.makeitshine.ca/Site/Pictures/redms3/IMG_9352.jpg


For correction, I tried various things until I was happy with the first step. Mazda paint is slightly harder than most japanese cars, which means I could use a slightly harsh step and have it finish down better than usual (like Honda paint for example). I tried various combinations (SIP on PFW, M105 on white, M105 on yellow) but settled on M105 on PFW.

Here is M105 & PFW before and after:

http://www.makeitshine.ca/Site/Pictures/redms3/IMG_9376.jpg

http://www.makeitshine.ca/Site/Pictures/redms3/IMG_9377.jpg

And so, I carried on with the rest of the car carefully compounding out the holograms, swirls and RIDS...

I found it difficult to capture the defects on this red paint.

http://www.makeitshine.ca/Site/Pictures/redms3/IMG_9392.jpg
http://www.makeitshine.ca/Site/Pictures/redms3/IMG_9393.jpg

http://www.makeitshine.ca/Site/Pictures/redms3/IMG_9395.jpg
http://www.makeitshine.ca/Site/Pictures/redms3/IMG_9396.jpg

http://www.makeitshine.ca/Site/Pictures/redms3/IMG_9408.jpg
http://www.makeitshine.ca/Site/Pictures/redms3/IMG_9412.jpg

After compounding with M105, I followed up with SIP on a white pad and PO106FF on a black pad. The paint was taking on a completely different look from where it was before...

http://www.makeitshine.ca/Site/Pictures/redms3/IMG_9434.jpg

After all the polishing was complete, I brought the red stallion out for an engine bay shampoo and final wash before its LSP treatment. These pictures are Pre LSP.

http://www.makeitshine.ca/Site/Pictures/redms3/IMG_9352.jpg

http://www.makeitshine.ca/Site/Pictures/redms3/IMG_9525.jpg

http://www.makeitshine.ca/Site/Pictures/redms3/IMG_9447.jpg

http://www.makeitshine.ca/Site/Pictures/redms3/IMG_9450.jpg

Before sealing the paint, I swapped out the winter tires for the summers.

Rims were cleaned with Kleenol @ 8:1 and tires with Grime Reaper @ 4:1. Tires dressed with Opti-Bond and rims sealed with Opti-Seal. Exhaust tip polished with P21S FR & #0000 Grade Steel Wool, and P21S FR & microfiber towel.

http://www.makeitshine.ca/Site/Pictures/redms3/IMG_9514.jpg
http://www.makeitshine.ca/Site/Pictures/redms3/IMG_9515.jpg

http://www.makeitshine.ca/Site/Pictures/redms3/IMG_9529.jpg
http://www.makeitshine.ca/Site/Pictures/redms3/IMG_9530.jpg

At this point, I was ready to seal the paint. I wanted to add lots of protection and a wet look at the same time. For this, I chose 476S, followed by two coats of Opti-Seal. The results speak for themselves.

http://www.makeitshine.ca/Site/Pictures/redms3/IMG_9454.jpg

http://www.makeitshine.ca/Site/Pictures/redms3/IMG_9461.jpg

http://www.makeitshine.ca/Site/Pictures/redms3/IMG_9469.jpg

http://www.makeitshine.ca/Site/Pictures/redms3/IMG_9475.jpg

http://www.makeitshine.ca/Site/Pictures/redms3/IMG_9478.jpg

http://www.makeitshine.ca/Site/Pictures/redms3/IMG_9484.jpg

http://www.makeitshine.ca/Site/Pictures/redms3/IMG_9490.jpg

http://www.makeitshine.ca/Site/Pictures/redms3/IMG_9493.jpg

http://www.makeitshine.ca/Site/Pictures/redms3/IMG_9504.jpg

http://www.makeitshine.ca/Site/Pictures/redms3/IMG_9509.jpg

Thanks for looking!

Kaval

[imported_Luster]

Hey Kaval! That MazdaSpeed 3 turned out great! Nice correction and cleanup.... I`ve driven one of those cars. I can`t believe the acceleration and torque those things have for such a small engine!!!

Nice work.:biggrin::Dancing Dot: