I just purchased a 2010 TSX. My service manager advised me to be very careful in cleaning my car due to the fresh paint. He said I shouldn't wax it for a year and to not wash the car unless the temps are in the 70's.

Do you have a favorite car wash product that you prefer to be used on "fresh paint"? Or any other type products I should avoid till it is a year old? Or, again, products to protect the new paint?

Thanks!

 

What a crock of crap!

 

exceldetail,

I did read your excellent, very detailed post on New Car Care Suggestions/Advice. I did not find where you made these references in caring for "fresh paint", which confused me; thus, why I was asking the question.


Could you please elaborate on your response?
I am trying to learn.

I thought that Acura possibly trained their service management on the care of their vehicles and made recommendations???


Thanks!

 

Never heard that- From day 1 I would handwash it and then use a quick detailer (mequiers or mothers)My husband waxed it before we went on a cross country road trip when it was less than 6 months old. i am going to have to ask him about this the next time I see him or catch him on facebook.

 

nj2pa2nc,

It was Mustafa who told me that. BTW, I was very pleased with their services when I had the accesories added. Though, I am still waiting for the Trunk Tray. Hard to believe an item as that would be out of stock for so long. Mustafa was extremely nice and very patient with my questions. He told me that approx. every 90 days he runs a class for new owners to go over all the features on the car and asked if I would be interested.

He immediately knew who I was referring to when I gave him your hello.

 

Yes-he is very nice. When I take my car there for service I sometimes bring him homemade chocolate chip cookies (He loves them). I will have to let you know the next time I am going to be taking my car there for service.

 

It is true that new paint is soft but only for a few weeks after it is shot. By the time your car makes it across the Pacific, through all the rail cars and trucks, gets to the dealer and into your hands, it is fully cured.

It is wise to not wash your car in direct sunlight, especially if the surface of the car is hot as this will cause the water to evaporate, leaving hard water marks. As for the not waxing for a year, now that's just .

 

same things goes for waxing
I remember when I was in my much younger days-My parents bought a brand new Pontiac. I thought I would be nice and wax it. I was wondering why the towels I was using turned the color of the car. My father gave me the never wax a new car lecture.

 

Your car is ready for total maintenance. You can wash, you can polish, you can clay, you can quick detail, you can wax, you can seal, as soon as you drive it up the driveway.
As for your dads car, more then likely it was signle stage paint. (A combination of color coat/clear coat) As single stage oxidizes more rapidly then a primed, colored, clear coat, the dead (oxidized) paint is removed when you introduce any petroleum product to the surface. Very natural occurrence, and you did not cause any irreversible damage.

 

I have been doing total maintenance on my 06 tsx. I find it easier to do it when it not in complete sunshine and cooler out. I do the quick detailing in the garage.
Back then it seemed like alot of damage-Dad discipline. he was definately not a happy camper.

 

I have never heard of that!

I've always thought that factory painting is done at a much higher temperature than the after-market paint jobs so that you could wax it pretty much the moment you bring it home from the dealer(not sure why you would want to though).

Besides, as PortlandRL said, by the time you took delivery of your TSX, it's most likely been > 6 months from its assembly date in Japan (look at your driver's side door jamb for manufacturing date).

Some do & don't that I always try to follow:

Do NOT take your car to an automatic car wash.
Do always try to wash your car by hand (top down).
Do wash your car frequently with any major brand name car detergent.
Do use a quick detailer spray between wash.
Do get birdie poop off ASAP.

If you do all that, I actually doubt that you'll need to even worry much about waxing your new car in the first year.

After that, you can maintain your car's like-new shine with products like clay bar/wax/pc buffer etc.

I have tried to religiously follow my routine for my Integra that I bought back in 1989 and the car's OEM paint still looks great after more than 20 years.




What color is your TSX?

 

Not to mention all factory paint jobs are detailed after painting/assembly...........

 

As already mentioned, that's a load of nonsense.

The weekend after taking delivery, I took my '10 TSX V6 from this (left side is after the first polishing pass, right side shows dealer-installed damage):


...to this (after polishing and sealant/wax):

 

Thank you everyone for clearing this up for me!!

I just thought that maybe the newer paints required a different type of care that I was accustomed to.

Obviously, there was some type of miscommunication between myself and the service manager. I cannot believe he would not know what you have all told me. Because I wrote everything down, maybe he misunderstood my question? I do remember being surprised by his answer that I could or (did he say should?) wait for a year. See, just by stating "could or should" makes a difference. Maybe I misunderstood his answer?

Though, I didn't get this part wrong... he told me that I could just wash my car with dishwashing soap, which exceldetail very well explained not to do.

 

Now, if you had your car "repainted", then waiting before waxing would be a good idea. I've heard anywhere from 30-90 days is the period that brand new paint takes to fully cure.

But, if your car is new from the factory, that time has most likely already passed.

 

Get yourself some name brand soap for your car!

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by exceldetail

Get yourself some name brand soap for your car!

Okay, well since this post was created I have seen some very good answers and some very bad one. I am the person being quoted in the original post. Unfortunately some of us have a misunderstanding of what American Acura would like you to do when you purchase your new vehicle.

In American Acura's (American Honda's) "What you should know about maintaining your Acura" published Feb 2007
The line reads as fallows
• "Fill a bucket with cool water. Mix in a mild detergent, such as non-antibacterial dishwashing liquid or a
product made especially for vehicle washing"

So the big question, why would you use a $50 car wash soap VS $5.00 hand wash soap when it does the same thing? Your washing a car not the Washington Monument. The fact is there is no proof out there that washing your car with name brand soap is any better for your car then any other soap.

2. Washing your car in the heat. The next line reads
"• Wash you vehicle in a shady area, not in direct sunlight. If the vehicle is parked in the sun, move it into
the shade and let the exterior cool down before you start"

last time I checked if it was about 70 most of us considered that hot. If anyone washes there car in 90 deg. more power to you. It just makes it harder, due to the fact that soap dries faster in hotter weather.

Again there are reason to my madness. I agree with what some have stated but there are some facts behind some of the other statements. Acura does not say never to do the fallowing but its not recommended. I have a picture of what happens to a 06 TL after waxing every 3 months. I will post it. It's not a good thing. Again I'm not here to say your wrong or I'm right we do as the factory instructs us.

Please feel free to post up. I would love for some feedback.

 

Point #1 .. soap ... dish soaps and hand soaps contain detergents that will strip any wax/protection on your car very quickly. They will also dry necessary oils on the paint leaving you with a dry dull surface. Car wash soaps are formulated to lubricate the surface and not dry the paint. Good car wash soaps are less than $10 a gallon not $50.

Point #2 due to the fact that soap dries faster in hotter weather wash a panel .. rinse a panel .. then there is no soap to dry.

Point #3 I have a picture of what happens to a 06 TL after waxing every 3 months Don't just post the pix but also add the methodology , how was it washed .. dryed .. what wax ?? all that sh*t.

I have a dozens of pix of an 06 TL that was polished , waxed 5 times in the first 3 months then probably once a month after that except for winter months and it is flawless. And I'll post pix if you like.

 

First thing I d when I get a new car home is wash it (some times clay bar it) then wax it. You will find a multitude of opinions here for products to use. Me personally been using Meguairs Gold Class wash then Meg's #21 Sealant for a few years now, easy on and off and holds up well.

 

That Service Manager is just trying to get out of washing your car for you after a service call....

 

Steven...I read this as being meant to be a joking/teasing remark. Unfortunately, the written word can be misconstrued because there is no voice inflection. So, just incase, I must defend my Service Manager. He has told me that anytime I am in the area, I could stop by and he would wash my car for me.


I would like to add something that I fell upon and found interesting because it only adds to the confusion

Many of you recommended the Optimum No Rinse Wash and Shine product. I am interested in this car wash as I appreciate how it helps the environment. I watched the video on how to use the product on the Optimum site. The person on the video demonstrating it, had made a comment, "I won't use polish on this car because it only has 200 miles on it". So, let's add that to all the confusion!


Thanks everyone for all your responses!

 

Only if you decline having it done. They ask first.

 

It’s a sad fact of life that people w ho sell vehicles give advice that has no basis in any fact and what makes this worse is the general public will listen to the advice given because after all he / she is a ‘professional’.

FWIW my favourite is ‘your car doesn’t need wax protection, that’s what the clear coat is for’

Ask your car care questions on a forum like this and you'll get correct advice

 

 

I agree unfortunatly most sales people do not have the proper training in order to be informed on what a car requires or what it doesn't. It's the unfortunate truth, that the world we live in. Then again that why there are web sites like this.

FYI I wash every car that comes through this shop, unless a client says he or she doesn't want there vehicle washed. It's called good service.

Anywho. Thank you for the feedback.

 

I actually decline the service wash .. I put a post it note on the steering wheel and ask the service manager to write it in bold on the order. I have experienced and seen too much damage from washes provided by the $8/hour shop detailer.

 

Now is he refering to polishing the car or applying a wax/sealant? The carmight have 200 miles on it but can be a few months old and sat on the lot a while. Regardless of the miles some form of protection should be added.

Now keep in mind he is demoing ONR not doing a detail.