Waxed my 370Z today
 

Since I'm getting tint tomorrow, I thought it will be a good idea to give the Z a good wash and put some wax on. I used the Mcguiars NXT Tech Wax 2.0. I was very surprised how easy it was to work with. Shine wasn't too bad either. I bought an applicator pad with handle to make my job easier.

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Upon washing my car I made a very frustrating discovery. I am not sure if it's just Monterey blue or all colors, but there were two small (1" x 1") area on my hood and right rear fender where paint lost it's clearcoat and I can visibly see some cracked paint :(. I am going to wait and see if that happens in any other spots. I'll take some pictures in daylight tomorrow.

Here are some pictures

First some evening pictures with sun out (from sony camera, regular shutter speed)

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...x/DSC01497.jpg

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Reflection :tup:

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Not too bad for a quick wax.

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...x/DSC01505.jpg

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Some nighttime pictures with various shutter speed (1.5 sec to 7 seconds). NO enhancement was done. I just uploaded them as is.

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...x/IMG_0463.jpg

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...x/IMG_0469.jpg

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I'm starving now! I am going to get some KFC and then install the LED license plate bulbs!

Good photos! Shinny!:driving:

looks good, but damn you still don't have your tags? Or, you're just dreading putting on the front one!? haha...

Well, something is not right with this picture as this should not be the case. Was there any freight damage that the dealer took care of?

I don't think so. I think the paint just cracked without any warning. They weren't there when I washed my car last time. Weird....

I'll def show you some pictures tomorrow. It's barely visible from distance but standing close, you can see it.

no tags yet. I am not in a rush either :icon17:. NJ is going to force me to put the front plate as soon as I get them :shakes head:

Man, AK, that car is beautiful! I actually didnt like the blue initially, but after seeing those pics, I love it.

I was debating whether that Mcguiars NXT Tech Wax 2.0 was worth the $17 or so. Were you happy with it? Glad to see it on a Monterey Blue so I can easily compare to mine.

Now you have me scared about the clear coat on that color as well. Please keep us updated on what happens with it.

I'm going to check my car now...

do you keep your car outside or inside a garage??? new nice i have the same car

Beautiful shiny car.

I had problem with my car paint too.
Mine had a few white spots and I was able to buff them out.
It looks like thery were from the splashing gasoline when they put in the gasoline and left the car too long in the hot Sun.

Was a good wash all you did before waxin?

Looks horrible. ;)

Detailing
 

Nice job with great pics.

If anyone is interested, I have bought a bunch of detailing products from autogeek.net with great products and satisfaction. They have a bunch of info on how to detail the inside and outside of cars. I've spent way to much money there because it gets in your blood making the car look soooo good!

Looks so good...

i wonder is the paint quality would be severely ruined if you have your car outside compared to a garage kept car???

Long waxings are generally more satisfying! :nutswinger:

looks great!

NXT was very easy to work with. I am happy with it. But again, I don't have too much experience with waxes. I barely ever washed my 350Z :ugh:

Outside on the street :(.

aha..makes sense now. One of the spot is right by the gas tank! looks like the clear coat burns if gasoline stays for long period of time. So, with that said, I'm going to wipe off with a clear damp sponge after filling up at the pump from now on.

yes. Car is only 3 weeks old. Paint is fresh. IMO a good wash is all it needs before waxing.

:(

Awww AK, you took out my smiley and made me look like an a**. Car does look nice though, how long did you spend doing a quick wash/wax?

3 hours.

Looks great, but I would've used a clay bar on the car before waxing.

Claybar shouldnt be necessary on a brand new car with first wax application.

Nice! I've always been a fan of Meguiar's TechWax.

So before I get my collarbone surgery on Thursday I decided to do a somewhat detailed wash/wax and store it in the garage. From the information I've gathered I guess the order I'll be going is:

Thorough wash
Fix scratches/abrasions(giant rock ding + door ding) with ScratchX 2.0
Rinse
Wax with NXT
Rinse again

I decided to skip polishing/claying for now.

Are you sure you want to do this before a surgery? :confused:

Isnt cracked paint, worn clearcoat covered under the warranty? It darn well should be.

Well I probably won't be able to drive yet even touch a car for at least a week and a half so might as well get it over with now.

Different surgery than yours, but if you can, do it as they always lean to the optimistic time to heal. The time I was told was two weeks—turned into five weeks!

I'm envious.

Funny thing is I broke my bone back in July of last year and they told me it was going to heal fine therefore surgery was unnecessary. It's now March of 2009 and you get the idea. :shakes head:

oh okay... Clavicle is a weird bone. Sometimes it heals properly, sometimes it does not. Older the person is, more likely they will need surgery. Well, good luck with your surgery!

Well I'm 22 and the fact that I low-sided on a motorcycle(again) while my clavicle was still healing doesn't really help either, but don't tell my doctor. :tup:

Anyways, hopefully I'll be back in a couple days, though high on drugs.

Waxed the Z again yesterday
 

I waxed the Z yesterday and thought I share some pictures. I did use RAINX on all the glasses (exterior). Well I was getting streaks with the RainX until someone here told me I wasn't using enough energy to buff the haze out. Well, he was right. This time NO streak, squeaky clean! Drove in the rain today in the morning and it was good! After the wax and rainX, my arm almost went numb! :icon17:


http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...x/000_0228.jpg

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NO special effect what so ever. Picture came out better than expected.
http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...x/DSC01900.jpg

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RainX shine
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simply beautiful

Uhm, yeah it is.

use the back of your hand and rub across the car while it's wet...if you feel anything, it's crap embedded in the paint that a claybar will take out.

Pictures came out great ak!
How long did this take you?

Dealership details suck, I always would claybar any car i get just so i can start with a clean slate.

Wash to wax - 4 hours.

Find out how long the NXT wax lasts. Then keep on using it to keep your car protected.

Sounds dumb but its going to be a constant war trying to keep things off your clear coat. I had no idea gas could possible eat our clear coat, but i have only accidently let a drop hit once but i wiped it off quick for fear of staining the cars paint.

I do know if you have bug guts on your car and its big and yellow, i have found the yellow bug guts are the most acidic and eat threw every thing quick, remove those fast.

Great job, man. I've used Meguiar's products on all my cars (all have been Black; '05 IS 300 and now an 06 330xi), and there's nothing better. I'm a weekend warrior with my detailing, it's good to see it being well used on a 370z! I hope to use my Porter Cable + all my goodies on a new 370z soon, too!