Paint / Clear Coat concerns

Have you tried replacing the grease inside the unit? It's one of the first things I did to mine and made a huge difference in noise and vibration. The 5" backing plate and pads also help as well as any vibration isn't amplified by the larger pads. I use some Lucas sticky red synthetic grease in mine and it runs much smoother know. You'll also be able to make sure the counter weight is properly tightened when you have it apart.

See my edit. My unit I could not do the mod. Stripped the damn screws trying to do so to the point that now I am just stuck with how it is. At this point if I decide that the paint correction is something I want to do myself, I will take a look at some better models.

Oh and better believe my black CX-5 needs some paint correction. Sadly, trying to do so with the HF DA last year killed any enthusiasm I had for trying to do it myself. :(
 
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Why invest in a drill based polisher? You'd be much better served getting something like the Harbor freight Dual action polisher. The 6" backing plate and pads aren't terrible but they aren't that good either. 6" is a bit much for that machine to spin with out stalling out all the time. A decent 5" backing plate and a 6-pack of Lake country pads with some M205 and you should be good to go. For the Mazda paint I recommend the orange and white pads, those should take care of most anything needing correcting on the paint.

Unless the drill polisher is something like the Meguiars DA power system polisher, you're essentially getting a small rotary polisher which is very difficult to use correctly and you run the risk of holograms and possibly burning thru the paint if your not careful. Rotary polishers have their place but can do a lot of damage if not used properly. I would encourage you to get a dual action polisher. Even ones from ebay will be better then nothing. I just know the HF one is decent for the price point, I can't speak to any of the ebay ones. The HF DA polisher with 20% off coupon comes to about $56, it's a good machine.

I need something that I can do on the street. Cordless - I already have a drill. Mostly the DA polisher / drill attachment will have to wait. I did the Aquapel treatment. I hope it stays for a year. The tree sap and water marks as so much easier to clean now. I can polish / wax with hand and since I intend to do it once every year or so might work.
 
I haven't had any strange problems with mine. I will agree with Uno on this. Seems similar to Wifey's Honda. I have noticed complaints seem to be more about certain colors.
 
I need something that I can do on the street. Cordless - I already have a drill. Mostly the DA polisher / drill attachment will have to wait. I did the Aquapel treatment. I hope it stays for a year. The tree sap and water marks as so much easier to clean now. I can polish / wax with hand and since I intend to do it once every year or so might work.

This isn’t cheap but with a 5amp battery you can do a whole car and you don’t get white finger (those pins and needle cramps) with using it.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)

Has anyone used paint sealant on their CX5? My detailer is suggesting it after a wash and clay bar .

Sealants are OK but the purists seem to favour a good wax like Collinite.
 
Has anyone used paint sealant on their CX5? My detailer is suggesting it after a wash and clay bar .

I applied this product to the front bumper cover and plastic top grill lip of my '17 Machine Gray CX-5:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)

After 5500 miles, I don't see any unusual paint wear. It has a few pinhead-sized rock chips here and there on the front clip, but that's expected for any vehicle that sees highway use. I live in SW VA and my car is parked outside nearly all of the time, but regular car washes and the proper cleaning products keep it looking fantastic.

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This isn’t cheap but with a 5amp battery you can do a whole car and you don’t get white finger (those pins and needle cramps) with using it.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)



Sealants are OK but the purists seem to favour a good wax like Collinite.

That's a rotary polisher and can be very dangerous in untrained hands. They can easily burn thru paint, especially on edges and have a tendency to leave behind holograms. You'd be better spending your money on a cordless Dual Action polisher like this:

https://www.ntxtools.com/network-tool-warehouse/RBL-22001.html?gclid=CjwKCAjw_47YBRBxEiwAYuKdw6_9No9UX8f_3iOG4oWoAKjHDdHbOXoi_usy30o-y2atvjwdkjBaIRoC9OoQAvD_BwE
 
See my edit. My unit I could not do the mod. Stripped the damn screws trying to do so to the point that now I am just stuck with how it is. At this point if I decide that the paint correction is something I want to do myself, I will take a look at some better models.

Oh and better believe my black CX-5 needs some paint correction. Sadly, trying to do so with the HF DA last year killed any enthusiasm I had for trying to do it myself. :(

Try using a locking pliers and grabbing the heads of the screws to get them to break free. They can often times be very tight. I had to use a vise-grips to break my screw loose as well, I replaced the screws with allen head screws on my for easyier future maintence.
 
Has anyone used paint sealant on their CX5? My detailer is suggesting it after a wash and clay bar .

What exactly do you mean by sealant? There's a lot of products out there that can be considered sealants. Generally speaking detailers will consider a sealant anything that is synthetic rather then natural carnauba wax. Some last longer then others. But yes I've used many sealants and coating on vehicles and they are great.
 
Try using a locking pliers and grabbing the heads of the screws to get them to break free. They can often times be very tight. I had to use a vise-grips to break my screw loose as well, I replaced the screws with allen head screws on my for easyier future maintence.

Naw, I tried all that. The screws are toast. If I decide to do my own paint correction, I'll spring for a better DA I don't have to do that with.

Any recommendations?
 
I work for a Mazda dealer and collision center. We have 4 soul red CX-5's in our shop right now that are absolutely peppered with rock chips. I just hand washed my 17 Sonic Silver CX-5 yesterday, and after 7400km's I have no rock chips.

Definitely an issue with the red.
 
I work for a Mazda dealer and collision center. We have 4 soul red CX-5's in our shop right now that are absolutely peppered with rock chips. I just hand washed my 17 Sonic Silver CX-5 yesterday, and after 7400km's I have no rock chips.

Definitely an issue with the red.

Maybe...since I moved, I have not accrued too much more rockchip on my CX5. My paint, nor driving habits, nor time of day driving did not change. My mileage almost trippled, if not more. Road surface matters! Do you know the demographics of all CX5 owners at the dealership service? It plays a role.
 
I work for a Mazda dealer and collision center. We have 4 soul red CX-5's in our shop right now that are absolutely peppered with rock chips. I just hand washed my 17 Sonic Silver CX-5 yesterday, and after 7400km's I have no rock chips.

Definitely an issue with the red.

1. Do you know if Mazda Corporate has acknowledged that there's a problem with the paint, the clear coat or how the paint was applied at the factory?
2. Assuming the cars are being repainted, how is the paint, clear coat or painting method different than how it was applied originally at the factory?
 
Naw, I tried all that. The screws are toast. If I decide to do my own paint correction, I'll spring for a better DA I don't have to do that with.

Any recommendations?

The griots garage and porter cable 7424xp are both really good machines and a higher level quality wise then the HF machine, but they do cost more. The griots garage 6" machine comes with a lifetime warranty so that would be my pick for a comparable machine to the HF one.

If you are really looking for some good swirl removal consider getting a long throw DA polisher that has a 15mm or 12mm throw. Generally the 15mm machines come with 5" backing plates where the 21mm machines have a 6" plate. I actually use a 21mm machine with a 5" plate and love it. Rupes and Griots Garage are the top of the line machines when it comes to long throw DA's but at almost $400 they were to rich for blood. There are several decent alternatives out there. I have one that is basically the DAS-6 21mm machine but in green instead of the blue color. Ebay and amazon have several decent options. If you're new to machine polishing I would recommend you stick to the 15mm throw machines as they are a bit easy to wield and provide excellent results. Adams Polish also has a great line of polishers call swirl killers.

I have this machine but in a 21mm version:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)
 
That's a rotary polisher and can be very dangerous in untrained hands. They can easily burn thru paint, especially on edges and have a tendency to leave behind holograms. You'd be better spending your money on a cordless Dual Action polisher like this:

https://www.ntxtools.com/network-tool-warehouse/RBL-22001.html?gclid=CjwKCAjw_47YBRBxEiwAYuKdw6_9No9UX8f_3iOG4oWoAKjHDdHbOXoi_usy30o-y2atvjwdkjBaIRoC9OoQAvD_BwE

Thats an old wives tale. Not only is it virtually impossible to cut through the paint, they dont leave swirlies.
 
The griots garage and porter cable 7424xp are both really good machines and a higher level quality wise then the HF machine, but they do cost more. The griots garage 6" machine comes with a lifetime warranty so that would be my pick for a comparable machine to the HF one.

If you are really looking for some good swirl removal consider getting a long throw DA polisher that has a 15mm or 12mm throw. Generally the 15mm machines come with 5" backing plates where the 21mm machines have a 6" plate. I actually use a 21mm machine with a 5" plate and love it. Rupes and Griots Garage are the top of the line machines when it comes to long throw DA's but at almost $400 they were to rich for blood. There are several decent alternatives out there. I have one that is basically the DAS-6 21mm machine but in green instead of the blue color. Ebay and amazon have several decent options. If you're new to machine polishing I would recommend you stick to the 15mm throw machines as they are a bit easy to wield and provide excellent results. Adams Polish also has a great line of polishers call swirl killers.

I have this machine but in a 21mm version:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)

Cheers, I am definitely new to it, so I would want the user friendly stuff and nothing too expensive. My experience trying with the HF DA was very discouraging, so maybe a different machine and proper pads/backing plate should help.

Thanks for the suggestions.

That’s an old wive’s tale. Not only is it virtually impossible to cut through the paint, they don’t leave swirlies.

Maybe so, but I don't know, even just last week I saw a very bad polish job on a black car. Holograms, holograms everywhere, very clearly in a pattern consistent with polishing.
 
That’s an old wive’s tale. Not only is it virtually imposible to cut through the paint, they don’t leave swirlies.

Yeah, old wives tale indeed! I guess the smoking paint doesn't mean it's burning?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEuz-ZbD7q4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyUF5X619M4

Point: they can burn thru the paint, especially on a hard edge very quickly and they will leave holograms, not swirls. And if the pad is very aggressive you will get micro marring.
 
Cheers, I am definitely new to it, so I would want the user friendly stuff and nothing too expensive. My experience trying with the HF DA was very discouraging, so maybe a different machine and proper pads/backing plate should help.

Thanks for the suggestions.



Maybe so, but I don't know, even just last week I saw a very bad polish job on a black car. Holograms, holograms everywhere, very clearly in a pattern consistent with polishing.

The proper machine can make all the difference in the world. The pads and backing plate also play a huge role in your results as well. I've always like Lake Country Pads. Orange is about as aggressive as you need for the mazda. When I did a BWM and a Mercedes I had to use a Microfiber cutting pad followed by a white cutting pad to get the defect removal I was after. For the mazda I used the orange flat pad 5" with M205 and was very happy with the results.
 
The proper machine can make all the difference in the world. The pads and backing plate also play a huge role in your results as well. I've always like Lake Country Pads. Orange is about as aggressive as you need for the mazda. When I did a BWM and a Mercedes I had to use a Microfiber cutting pad followed by a white cutting pad to get the defect removal I was after. For the mazda I used the orange flat pad 5" with M205 and was very happy with the results.

Fantastic, thank you!
 
The proper machine can make all the difference in the world. The pads and backing plate also play a huge role in your results as well. I've always like Lake Country Pads. Orange is about as aggressive as you need for the mazda. When I did a BWM and a Mercedes I had to use a Microfiber cutting pad followed by a white cutting pad to get the defect removal I was after. For the mazda I used the orange flat pad 5" with M205 and was very happy with the results.

I did cure my hood and added UFF. I think there are bird droppings that have been etched to the bottom of the clear coat. They look like circular with some design in them - almost like a brain. I do not have a DA portable in budget right now. So circular disk is only option I guess. I will see if I need to learn how to use it and fix it. I will avoid edges - yesterday I realized that ScratchX 2.0 is really a light compound and I wont get to those darn bird poops with bare hands and applying scratchX.
This could be a project for next year. Right now my entire car is UFF coated. We will see how it pans out.
 
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