Finally detailed my new DD!

[mikenap]

I recently picked up a 2010 Mazda3 to replace my aging, abused and neglected 96 Honda Civic. It came from a dealer about 2 hours away, and I requested they deliver it as-is. So I received the car in a fairly dirty state, and over the next 3 weeks either weather or other details kept me from taking care of my own car.



So today is the first time I've EVER seen this car clean, and it was worth the wait! The Celestial Blue Mica is a pretty interesting color, it changes with the light, but not like chameleon paint(thank God). I like it, but it isn't exactly the manliest color. So after adding some window tint and a set of TSW Nurburgrings, the car looks a lot better in my eyes and I no longer have to pretend it's my wife's car.



Process:

ONR wash

Megs clay

Flex M205/white and GG6 M205/HT Tangerine (I was only going for a quick one-step due to time, but the car was in great shape overall and this step knocked out 85-90% of the swirls. Yay!)

CG Ez-creme glaze on black pad. (I've never noticed much benefit in the looks department using this, but the increased slickness is nice.)

Collinite 845, will add another layer after the next wash

My two babies tucked away for the night.

My friend Matt came by to pick up the factory MZ3 wheels and helped me out from the claying step til the end. Afterwards, we threw the wheels on his Mazda6, which he's cleaning up tomorrow.

Thanks for looking.

 

[Accumulator]

mikenap- I bet it was gratifying to get your car all cleaned up!



You know, I'm usually all :nono about people tinting their windows, but that *did* really *change*/improve the look! Doesn't really look all that dark either (I'm glad to say).



And those wheels look a whole lot better on it too (to be honest, I don't even like the old ones on your pal's car, but then I had 5-spokes like his on my MPV).



Yeah, you did affect a big improvement :xyxthumbs



Now about those emblems on the hatch......

 

[mikenap]

Thank you Accumulator. Honestly, coming from FL and always having cars with darker interiors, I've never owned a car without window tint. It just seems natural to me. And I wasn't all that wild on the stock MZ3 wheels either, but Matt's MZ6 wheels had so much curb rash from the previous owner that he saw it as a huge improvement over his. And as for the de-badge.... we'll see. I've never been much for debadging a car before, but it had occurred to me on this one. The emblems are mighty prominent on there!

 

[Accumulator]

Thank you Accumulator. Honestly, coming from FL and always having cars with darker interiors, I've never owned a car without window tint...

Ah, OK, understood, and yeah...FL is different with regard to tint in all sorts of ways, so you do get a pass on my usual tint-rant

And I wasn't all that wild on the stock MZ3 wheels either, but Matt's MZ6 wheels had so much curb rash from the previous owner that he saw it as a huge improvement over his.

OK, gotcha, didn't see the curb rash. Those wheels are a *huge* PIA to repair/refinish too (gee, guess how I know ).

And as for the de-badge.... we'll see. I've never been much for debadging a car before, but it had occurred to me on this one. The emblems are mighty prominent on there!

Well, before you take me *too* seriously on that, note that Mazda is weird about what emblems they pin on; my MPV's emblems were *NOT* all glued on the way you'd expect, so I'd sure hit up the Mazda forums/dealer and know what's what before you go all Accumulator on the hatch.