ubersoldat

Hi guys,

I just purchased a brand new graphite colored 2014 RDX and have been reading through a whole bunch of posts on the forums about car care and am still slightly confused. The paint is perfect on it so I did not end up with the dealer-installed swirl option, so I was wondering what I need to do to keep this paint in great condition, especially for it's first wash? I bought three grit guards for wash, rinse, and wheel buckets, as well as Meguiar's waffleweave drying towel for drying. I'll also be using Meguiar's gold class as the soap. Some questions I have are:

Do I need a cleaner specifically for the wheels?

What do you recommend as an interior plastics/dashboard/leather cleaner?

Do I need to wax my car since it's brand new? I've been hearing mixed responses on this.

Would I be fine just using a spray wax for the first six months and then wax the car afterwards?

Thanks!

stogie1020

Do I need a cleaner specifically for the wheels?
Nope the megs soap is fine for the wheels. If you want to ever clean the insides of the wheels, a general purpose APC like Simple Green will be a good idea.

What do you recommend as an interior plastics/dashboard/leather cleaner?
For now, it should be clean so only protection is necessary. Try Aerospace303. Wipe it on, wipe it off.

Do I need to wax my car since it's brand new? I've been hearing mixed responses on this.
ABSOLUTELY. The paint may have some type of wax or sealant from the dealership but who knows. As for waiting, would you wait three hours after arriving at the beach to put on sunscreen? Get some wax or sealant on there.

Would I be fine just using a spray wax for the first six months and then wax the car afterwards?
Spray wax is not the worst thing, and some good waxes in spray bottles, but a basic spray wax will not protect you the way you want. Lots of good over the counter or online waxes/sealants. I like Klasse SG and Collinite 845IW, but I live in the desert so I need max protection versus absolute dripping wet shine.

Enjoy and welcome to the obsession!

C8N

^ +1
I have used Simple Green on my wheels and I saw no ill effects. However, I have read that Simple Green doesn't react well to aluminum. Better to be safe than sorry I have replaced it with Meg's APC+.

As for wax, just want to reaffirm what has already been said and say that something is better than nothing. There is no reason why you should not wax a new car. You should avoid waxing a freshly painted car out of a body shop but as for a new car from a dealership lot you should definitely wax.

Also, if you have not done so, I would clay the car.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^^ these two gentlemen are spot on!

Jesstzn

I have never used or needed to use an APC cleaner on wheels if you just don't let them go to hell. All I use is the tail end of the wash water. You use an APC and kiss any wax on the wheels goodbye.

As for interior cleaning use a mix of water / Woolite 10/1 and put it in a spray bottle. Mist the seats and wipe down followed by a damp m/f ... Dress the plastics etc with 303 and the seats with leather conditioner of choise keeping in mind you can't condition coated leather.

I would clay the car then a sealant like Meguiars #21 or Duragloss #105. A spray wax bought at Walmart etc is a waste of time & $$. Do it right the first time and the excercize is good for you. Also get a pkg of m/f yellow towels from Costco.

stogie1020

Those MF towels from costco are rubbish. They leave lint and treat paint poorly. I had high hopes for them but ultimately, they dry door jambs and wheels for me now. Maybe glass if I don't mind cleaning up the yellow lint.

OP, grab a few great towels from Ranney at PakShack: http://www.pakshak.com/micro-fiber-towels.html

They are having a sale right now.

Jesstzn

Unless they have changed them I have never had issues with them and have used them for close to 5 years now .. They are not drying or window towels but used for wax/sealant removal. If you use the correct towel for the right job .. things work out.

stogie1020

And so you are suggesting that the yellow MF towels from Costco are the "correct" towel for wax/sealant removal? Yikes.

I am assuming from your AV that your car is white. Having owned several black (Acura) and dark blue (BMW) cars,. I can confidently say that the Costco MF towels will leave mocromarring on the paint. It's not my technique, I use two bucket, grit guard, PC, etc... It probably wont show on a white car, but try using a yellow towel from Costco on black Acura paint and tell me its the right tool for the job...

Jesstzn

Yes that's what I am saying "if" they haven't changed them in the last couple years. Which they might have ..

And yes I have a white car and no there is no micro marring ... I know how to look for it .. I /we also use them on this car which has a $12,000 paint job. Its washed with ONR using these towels exclusively.



This one that has a $10,000 paint job



I'll add this one too




I'm not questioning your technique or knowledge .. I am saying the towels I have been using from Costco don't mar if used properly.

I use these towels exclusively on some pretty high end cars and custom paint for wax/sealant removal.

The hood on my TL is black vinyl and very soft .. no marring



Oh .. and I have owned black too