What have you done to your CX-5 today?

Avoidin Deer said:
Finally got around to a deep exterior clean & wax. I've washed the car before but this is the first coat of wax I've applied (bought it in March).

-Washed the car
-Used Mother's 2.0 Clay substitute on the entire car to get the baseballs
-Used Iron-X on the hood & rear quarter panels. There was no oxidation, so I stopped there

-Clayed the entire car (Adam's Clay bar and Nanoskin lubricant)
--It picked up a little contamination from the hood, and virtually none anywhere else
---I don't know how much Mother's Clay 2.0 picked up, if any, but it did not get all of the contaminants

-Had some stains of varying size (pencil point to fingerprint) on the hood & roof that were still there. Looked like colorless hard water marks. The clay bar would not remove them
--Got nearly all of them off alternating Meguiar's Ultimate Compound and Turtle Wax Bug/Tar Remover
--Some came off after one iteration. Others took 10. A couple are still faint
--This process took the most time, because there were a bunch and I let the Compound and the Remover sit each time I applied them

- Used my new Porter Cable Random Orbital Polisher
--Applied a coat of Meguiar's Ultimate Polish using Chemical Guys Polishing Pad Conditioner
--Applied a coat of Turtle Wax Ice, Seal & Shine
--You still gotta manually rub out the polish quite a bit (leaves a haze like classic paste wax), and the Turtle Wax to a much lesser degree, but those polishers sure save elbow grease during the application step. I could reach the back of my hood with it while standing at the bumper. Also helps reaching across the roof.

I ran out of daylight and energy, so I haven't dressed the tires or the exterior trim.

It looks nice. I did think it would be shinier. I don't know if the Ice/Seal/Shine is not gonna get as deep a shine as paste wax, or if my expectations were too high (or if it will be better in full daylight). When I applied the Turtle Wax to the hood, I compared it to the fenders with just the Meguiar's Polish and didn't really see any difference, so there's no strange reaction or conflict between them.

I read a lot of reviews on that Mother's Clay 2.0 pad. Folks like it because you can do so many cars with it, you can actually wash your car with it while "claying" (using the soapy water as the lubricant), and if you drop it you just rinse it off. Some said "I'll never use real clay again," while others thought it would get some portion of the contaminants off but not all of them. That last group was my experience. I don't think the Adam's clay picked up a small amount of contaminants because the Mother's got the rest, I just don't think my car had got many this soon (and the Mother's did leave at least some--if not all--behind). But there are recommendations out there to clay a new car because they say contaminants can get in the paint during the transportation process. And I wanted to have a known clean surface for the polish & wax. Besides, a second wash using the soapy water and the Mother's Clay 2.0 took no time at all, and since there were few contaminants, neither did using the Adam's.

I'm real happy with the way water beads on it. I got some cleaner/wax splash on my windshield I gotta get off. 2 iterations of spray cleaner and it's still spotted and slightly tacky. Hope the stuff did not react with my Rain-X.

After I dress the tires & trim, I'll see if I can get the picture upload feature on my account to start working (it never has, even with tech support). Or I'll set up another hosting account somewhere (PhotoBucket started charging if you want to tag your pics on websites).

Man, I'm tired...
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Sounds like you did a very thorough job...congratulations! You should be good for another 6-12 months right?

I really, really, REALLY need to do something like this on our Touring. We've only had it for two months and there was a very stubborn, sticky, and darkish film on every surface that faces directly skyward. My wife parks under trees at work so I'm not sure what it is...it's definitely coming from the trees though. Maybe droppings from aphids?

Anyway, washed it last week and the only thing that was able to remove the film was hand sanitizer...and it was a PAIN in the neck! Took a lot of elbow grease and there was A LOT of real estate to cover when you consider the rooftop and hood areas!

I need to get the surface perfectly free of impurities then apply a sacrificial layer of protection against this stuff. BTW, I've asked to wifey to not park there anymore! It's really darned if you do or darned if you don't..with the summer heat here....parking spaces in the shade are highly sought after and coveted!
 
ChuckyVee said:
Sounds like you did a very thorough job...congratulations! You should be good for another 6-12 months right?

I really, really, REALLY need to do something like this on our Touring. We've only had it for two months and there was a very stubborn, sticky, and darkish film on every surface that faces directly skyward. My wife parks under trees at work so I'm not sure what it is...it's definitely coming from the trees though. Maybe droppings from aphids?

Anyway, washed it last week and the only thing that was able to remove the film was hand sanitizer...and it was a PAIN in the neck! Took a lot of elbow grease and there was A LOT of real estate to cover when you consider the rooftop and hood areas!

I need to get the surface perfectly free of impurities then apply a sacrificial layer of protection against this stuff. BTW, I've asked to wifey to not park there anymore! It's really darned if you do or darned if you don't..with the summer heat here....parking spaces in the shade are highly sought after and coveted!
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Yeh, I should be good for another 6 months. Since I had been in Product Research Mode, I was already looking at how to remove prior coats of wax/sealants in anticipation of my Springtime reapplication. I found a guy who recommends Meguiar's Wash Plus because it has a polish (mild abrasives) in it. Here's his video. He uses it because the products specifically sold as wax removers state they remove <i>old</i> wax, not necessarily recently applied wax in preparation of a new coat. t's worth a watch.

Now that I get it out of the shade and into the sunlight, I really like the shine the Turtle Was Ice/Seal/Shine did. And the surface is slick! It's very well protected.

I did not think about using hand sanitizer to remove the stains. As I said, I used alternating applications of Meguiar's Ultimate Compound and Turtle Wax Bug/Tar Remover, letting each soak before I rubbed them out by hand. I have no idea what cause these milky stains that ranged in size from pencil-lead diameter to small fingerprints. I have some overhanging branches but I'm not really under a tree, per se. I can't imagine bird poop residue leaving the smaller stains.

If you can swing it, get yourself a random orbit polisher. Man, they make this level of detailing so much easier. I should have got one a long time ago. I stood on a small step ladder and by holding on to the back of the machine, I could reach well over the halfway point of the roof and let the weight of the machine do the work. Polishing/waxing doesn't require tons of downward pressure, especially on a new car.

I got a few hours into it and wished I hadn't started, but now that it's finished I'm glad I did this myself and took my time. Next time will be easier. Of course, I still wonder what happened to the days when washing the car meant hose+bucket+Tide.
 
Chris, in the description it shows PBR pads, but what I have got, it's their brand pads. They don't answer to my questions. With tax, it ended up $170.
 
Just got the PowerStop Z17 coated front/rear pad and rotor kit yesterday. Planning to do the brakes on our CX5 tomorrow. We've had the car since 52K, and it has about 97K now, and I've never done any brake work myself on it. No idea if it had any brake work done previously. But the steering wheel shakes REALLY bad when putting on the brakes at highway speeds. So I'll be glad to have that fixed up.
 
PatrickGSR94 said:
Just got the PowerStop Z17 coated front/rear pad and rotor kit yesterday. Planning to do the brakes on our CX5 tomorrow. We've had the car since 52K, and it has about 97K now, and I've never done any brake work myself on it. No idea if it had any brake work done previously. But the steering wheel shakes REALLY bad when putting on the brakes at highway speeds. So I'll be glad to have that fixed up.
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Yup, oem/oem match are really susceptible to heat spots/"warp". At least I know my new rotors will last longer since I won't have to get them resurfaced to remove heat damage.
 
Detailed the interior today.

-Took out the WeatherTech mats and scrubbed them (still having a hard time removing mud stains).
-Vacuumed the carpet, and used the brush attachment to get the dust off the dash, console, seats, etc.
--I bought a set of vacuum attachments on EBay for sole use in my car so as to not introduce funk
p.jpg

These ended up being small (about 1/2 normal size) so are perfect for car cleaning.

Cleaned the interior
-Got 2 small buckets: One with a squirt of mild dish washing liquid & water, and the other rinse water.
-Wiped down and rinsed the whole interior (inside the doors, the dash, the seats, console, etc).
-Applied Mother's VLR to door interiors, dash and seats
--The directions say to wipe off the excess, but it does not really leave any (it ain't Armor All)
-Used eyeglass cloths and spray to clean the instrument cluster and infotainment screen (which has a protector on it)
-I did not apply any "product" to the shiny plastic on the console or the dash

I discovered that the front door compartments have factory rubber "coasters" in them.

I gave the exterior a quick wash, since I detailed it a few days ago and wanted to get the gravel driveway dust off of it.

At a certain angle, I can really see the few stains on the hood I could not get off with light compound (Meguiar's Ultimate) and bug/tar remover. These 2 products removed all the small identical stains, but the 3 larger ones would not budge. I'll try again when I strip the wax off next time I detail the exterior. I've been told to not use rubbing compound on new clear coat. (I should have had film applied when I first bought it, dammit).

Other than that, it really cleaned up nice.
 
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Avoidin Deer said:
Yeh, I should be good for another 6 months. Since I had been in Product Research Mode, I was already looking at how to remove prior coats of wax/sealants in anticipation of my Springtime reapplication. I found a guy who recommends Meguiar's Wash Plus because it has a polish (mild abrasives) in it. Here's his video. He uses it because the products specifically sold as wax removers state they remove <i>old</i> wax, not necessarily recently applied wax in preparation of a new coat. t's worth a watch.

Now that I get it out of the shade and into the sunlight, I really like the shine the Turtle Was Ice/Seal/Shine did. And the surface is slick! It's very well protected.

I did not think about using hand sanitizer to remove the stains. As I said, I used alternating applications of Meguiar's Ultimate Compound and Turtle Wax Bug/Tar Remover, letting each soak before I rubbed them out by hand. I have no idea what cause these milky stains that ranged in size from pencil-lead diameter to small fingerprints. I have some overhanging branches but I'm not really under a tree, per se. I can't imagine bird poop residue leaving the smaller stains.

If you can swing it, get yourself a random orbit polisher. Man, they make this level of detailing so much easier. I should have got one a long time ago. I stood on a small step ladder and by holding on to the back of the machine, I could reach well over the halfway point of the roof and let the weight of the machine do the work. Polishing/waxing doesn't require tons of downward pressure, especially on a new car.

I got a few hours into it and wished I hadn't started, but now that it's finished I'm glad I did this myself and took my time. Next time will be easier. Of course, I still wonder what happened to the days when washing the car meant hose+bucket+Tide.
Click to expand...


Definitely going to look into an orbital polisher...I've been meaning to get one for a while. Before using it I need to research all the different pads and the correct usage for each. Need to find an "Orbital Polishing for Dummies"!

I do have on hand a little kit from Meguirer's I believe it is, that attaches to the end of a drill. That system is pretty much foolproof. The only downside of it is the "footprint" of the applicator is so small that it takes a long time to cover an entire vehicle.
 
David Paul said:
I know from personal experience that your CX5 will be very, very happy. It will take them a while to get used to each other but eventually they will actually be going out together. I can't tell you how many nights I have gone out to the garage only to find both of them not there. Usually they get home before sunup..

Now you can join the MX5 Miata Forum. It is an extremely active forum with a lot of important info that you will enjoy reading. My name is David Paul on that forum as well.

https://forum.miata.net/vb/index.php
Click to expand...

Conrad 16.5,

I found out what happens when you leave them alone, unattended, without a chaperone.

5xKghHK.jpg
 
ChuckyVee said:
Definitely going to look into an orbital polisher...I've been meaning to get one for a while. Before using it I need to research all the different pads and the correct usage for each. Need to find an "Orbital Polishing for Dummies"!

I do have on hand a little kit from Meguirer's I believe it is, that attaches to the end of a drill. That system is pretty much foolproof. The only downside of it is the "footprint" of the applicator is so small that it takes a long time to cover an entire vehicle.
Click to expand...

Be vewy vewy careful with those little things. You can burn & destroy your finish in a real hurry if you're not careful. Especially along body lines and edges.
 
Buzzard said:
Be vewy vewy careful with those little things. You can burn & destroy your finish in a real hurry if you're not careful. Especially along body lines and edges.
Click to expand...

It won't hurt the paint. The polisher is a single bonnet, orbital action polisher that is geared down just like the big guys.


Like the OP said, because it is so small, it takes forever to do a large vehicle.

For a small vehicle, it would be perfect.
 
Chris_Top_Her said:
Nice, I think you will be happy with them. At that price point, I'm sure they come from the same OEM as the PowerSport/BrakeLabs
I just looked again, and the kit I paid $180 for a few months ago from PowerStop, is now $148.. https://www.ebay.com (commissions earned). I'm 99% sure these are all just rebranded from the same OEM. That's good because it keeps the price lower.
Click to expand...


You guys should check out "BrakeMotive". Got 4 (front,rear) cross drilled/sloted rotors and their front pads for under $130 for my Mazda6. Essentially Power Stop part numbers, labeling, and instructions for half the price. I didn't use their pads since it was their cheapest version but saved it as a backup.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/12pAy6lPKtnnTHXHkkxlVhhU6_T9NAAnS/view?usp=sharing

Teamed with Raybestos Element 3 pads the stopping power is legit folks.
 
CX-5um said:
You guys should check out "BrakeMotive". Got 4 (front,rear) cross drilled/sloted rotors and their front pads for under $130 for my Mazda6. Essentially Power Stop part numbers, labeling, and instructions for half the price. I didn't use their pads since it was their cheapest version but saved it as a backup.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/12pAy6lPKtnnTHXHkkxlVhhU6_T9NAAnS/view?usp=sharing

Teamed with Raybestos Element 3 pads the stopping power is legit folks.
Click to expand...

I found them on ebay $120 https://www.ebay.com (commissions earned)
 
CX-5um said:
Damn....I knew it would be cheaper for the CX-5 (more popular car). Rockauto sells the exact same thing...for more money.

Rockauto: JPOWER STOP JBR1745XPR Extreme Performance Drilled and Slotted= $63 per 1 front rotor.
Click to expand...

Yea dude, ebay is almost always cheaper because of the seller competition.
 
Threw a cel on the motorway, pulled over and pulled the code. Look at my oil control valve and the ground wire came apart. Hey at least this one isn't "weeping" oil. Should be a simple splice operation once I get the old wire out (gonna fix both). In the mean time just will want to stay out of higher cam profile (below 4k rpm) to avoid low oil pressure
JVYeNuSr.jpg

6FLwJtN.jpg
 
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Chris_Top_Her said:
Threw a cel on the motorway, pulled over and pulled the code. Look at my oil control valve and the ground wire came apart. Hey at least this one isn't "weeping" oil. Should be a simple splice operation once I get the old wire out (gonna fix both). In the mean time just will want to stay out of higher cam profile (below 4k rpm) to avoid low oil pressure
Click to expand...
Is that black plastic a removable connector? Nevertheless it seems to be difficult to fix the loose wires either by soldering or splicing them.
 
yrwei52 said:
Is that black plastic a removable connector? Nevertheless it seems to be difficult to fix the loose wires either by soldering or splicing them.
Click to expand...

From what I can tell (I'm at a car event rn) the connector itself is removable from the outerblack casing. Just looks to be held in by 2 silicon nubs. I'll just have to use something thin to push them out
 
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