Paint / Clear Coat concerns

Chemical guys has a sale going on today - orange lake country cutting pad, white medium polishing pad and the backing plate hardware - all shipped in lower 48 States of USA for $21.XX - not bad.
But I am worried about pig tails and holograms and proper technique to avoid those. I only need to do 3-4 corrections on my hood. I think paint elsewhere is good.
2 minds!
 
I would add - buy a Silver CX5. Paint film is about a grand - not worth putting that much money because you have to strip it and replace every 3-4 years else the chips on the film look bad.
Silver or White are two best options. I love the new 2018 6 in dark blue specially the wheels in Touring. will be a pain to keep nice and shiny!

Agree with this post, but white is most certainly not a good option if you're looking for a paint that hides scratches/imperfections easily. white is almost as difficult as a black paint to maintain and keep clean. this is why you always see soccer moms driving around in white car and the paint has a urine-tint to it after all those years of not taking care of it.

silver is very easy to keep clean and maintain, and also I would look into liquid silver (basically a cross between silver and gray) this paint hides swirl marks very well and is super easy to maintain. it's held up well for me over the years.
 
Shortly after purchase I found a dull spot on my Infiniti. It certainly looks like an amateur detailer burned right thru the clear coat. I'm not too concerned about it, but I highly doubt it left the factory like that.
 
Chemical guys has a sale going on today - orange lake country cutting pad, white medium polishing pad and the backing plate hardware - all shipped in lower 48 States of USA for $21.XX - not bad.
But I am worried about pig tails and holograms and proper technique to avoid those. I only need to do 3-4 corrections on my hood. I think paint elsewhere is good.
2 minds!

What? I'm confused by your post. What do you mean when you say 3-4 corrections on your hood> I think paint elsewhere is good? If you're talking about using a rotary polisher or one of those drill attachments then yes, proper technique is key to getting good results, it can be done, you just have to me more careful. Watch some you tube videos on how to properly use a rotary polisher and you should be ok. I started out using a rotary polisher, it's just DA's are just as fast and much safer so I can work with them and get more done with out the risk.

https://www.autogeek.net/buffer-polisher.html

The key to a good finish with the rotary style machines is the correct pad. A heavy cutting pad will remove the scratches and defects very quickly but will leave holograms, if you finish with a light polish and a lighter pad you can remove those holograms very easily. A DA doesn't leave them in the first place so you can often avoid the second step.

If you get one of those drill attachments start out with the lightest cutting pad and lightest polish you have and work your up until you get the removal you are after, then work your way back down to finish it. Meguiar's Ultimate compound and polish would be great choices for this.
 
What? I'm confused by your post. What do you mean when you say 3-4 corrections on your hood> I think paint elsewhere is good? If you're talking about using a rotary polisher or one of those drill attachments then yes, proper technique is key to getting good results, it can be done, you just have to me more careful. Watch some you tube videos on how to properly use a rotary polisher and you should be ok. I started out using a rotary polisher, it's just DA's are just as fast and much safer so I can work with them and get more done with out the risk.

https://www.autogeek.net/buffer-polisher.html

The key to a good finish with the rotary style machines is the correct pad. A heavy cutting pad will remove the scratches and defects very quickly but will leave holograms, if you finish with a light polish and a lighter pad you can remove those holograms very easily. A DA doesn't leave them in the first place so you can often avoid the second step.

If you get one of those drill attachments start out with the lightest cutting pad and lightest polish you have and work your up until you get the removal you are after, then work your way back down to finish it. Meguiar's Ultimate compound and polish would be great choices for this.

Corrections - by that I meants some etched bird poop inside clear coat/some fine scratches. Not really paint imperfections.
I also noticed some scratches that are on the hood. Since most of my work is going to be on a relatively horizontal surface - I think with proper technique I can do it.
I am also looking at the least abrasive pad with Scratch X 2.0 which is again not very aggressive.

I am going to research some videos and read up on my drill which is B&A with 22 settings and a setting for drilling. I am thinking those are speed / torque settings. I just wish I had a practice hood.

Ride92 what do you think about cleaning Wax? will it cure scratches? I am going with Lake Country Orange pad - 3.5inch followed by white which is a light polish pad. I will use the compound with Orange and apply a Wax coating with white and then wipe down with UFF.
 
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 have a 2016.5 Sonic Silver. Purchased 09/23/2016. Now with 11,385 miles on it.. this weekend I used clay bar and waxed it.. I have about 8 chips on the front under the lights & next to the license plate. I have about another 6 on the hood and even 1 on the roof.. I bought a paint pen from my dealer so i’ll Be touching up soon..
wish I had done the clear vinyl stuff the day after purchasing.. so the silver is just as soft as others..
 
Corrections - by that I meants some etched bird poop inside clear coat/some fine scratches. Not really paint imperfections.
I also noticed some scratches that are on the hood. Since most of my work is going to be on a relatively horizontal surface - I think with proper technique I can do it.
I am also looking at the least abrasive pad with Scratch X 2.0 which is again not very aggressive.

I am going to research some videos and read up on my drill which is B&A with 22 settings and a setting for drilling. I am thinking those are speed / torque settings. I just wish I had a practice hood.

Ride92 what do you think about cleaning Wax? will it cure scratches? I am going with Lake Country Orange pad - 3.5inch followed by white which is a light polish pad. I will use the compound with Orange and apply a Wax coating with white and then wipe down with UFF.

Cleaner waxes are just very light polishing compounds with wax added in for a all in one solution. They do a decent job at removing haze and very light swirls but that's about it. I don't think most cleaner waxes will remove the bird droppings etching. The orange pad will serve you well, I'm not sure if there will be enough cut with the orange pad and the scratchX 2.0 but give it a go and if it works great, if not step your polish up to something a bit more aggressive like Meguiars Utimate compound. The white pad is a very light polishing pad and works great for finishing polishes. I use my white pads with M205 or Ultimate polish all the time with great results. Be carefull using the white pad to apply waxes as it does have some light cut to it. Check it on a small area and if there is hazing at all switch to just a regular applicator by hand or something like the LC black pad which has zero cut, that's what I use for wax applications.

And those markings on the drill are not speed settings they are clutch settings. the higher the number the higher the torque you will get before the clutch slips in the drill. It's use for driving screws so you don't go to hard and strip the head when driving.
 
Just found a second chip on the hood of our almost new (~2k miles) Soul Red. Super frustrating, but the stories seem to be true. I'll probably try to correct them with a paint pen or something someday, but I'm going to wait and see how many accumulate in coming months in case I need to take it up with Mazda. Sucks because the car is almost perfect in every other way!
 
Just found a second chip on the hood of our almost new (~2k miles) Soul Red. Super frustrating, but the stories seem to be true. I'll probably try to correct them with a paint pen or something someday, but I'm going to wait and see how many accumulate in coming months in case I need to take it up with Mazda. Sucks because the car is almost perfect in every other way!
Unfortunately the paint pen will do you no good...

Might as well get ready to file a claim and get her done right like the others. Still a PITA and a sad situation,though...
 
Unfortunately the paint pen will do you no good...

Might as well get ready to file a claim and get her done right like the others. Still a PITA and a sad situation,though...

A paint pen by itself - I would not do.

A paint pen in conjunction with Dr. Colorchip or Langka system I would be interested in doing.
 
I have the dark blue. I hate it - its hard to maintain probably toughest. Yet I am eyeing the 18 6 with dark blue. Its such a gorgeous color when kept clean and polished well. Darn it.
I only have 1 rock chip and it seems it was a hard hit - the paint seems to have been pushed out of position more than chipped. Actually there are two within 1 millimeter of each other.
Knowing what I know - I would recommend Silver. White is costly to repair - 2 tone and hard to keep clean. Black Blue and Light blue (doesnt look that good) are hard to maintain.
Grey which is a $300 option is undoubtedly the least safest and a meh color. Soul Red has its own issues.

Sometimes you see good intentions and execution go bad, Soul red is an example. Also the new center vents have a chrome strip running through center for the new 6. that looks nice but develops mist when using AC.
 
I have the dark blue. I hate it - its hard to maintain probably toughest. Yet I am eyeing the 18 6 with dark blue. Its such a gorgeous color when kept clean and polished well. Darn it.
I only have 1 rock chip and it seems it was a hard hit - the paint seems to have been pushed out of position more than chipped. Actually there are two within 1 millimeter of each other.
Knowing what I know - I would recommend Silver. White is costly to repair - 2 tone and hard to keep clean. Black Blue and Light blue (doesnt look that good) are hard to maintain.
Grey which is a $300 option is undoubtedly the least safest and a meh color. Soul Red has its own issues.

Sometimes you see good intentions and execution go bad, Soul red is an example. Also the new center vents have a chrome strip running through center for the new 6. that looks nice but develops mist when using AC.

My god, they need to stop with the excessive chrome.

Yeah, the dark blue is definitely close to the black IMO, so both are hard to maintain. My Black CX-5's paint needs a lot of TLC. Silver I agree would hide being dirty and paint imperfections the best, but I have honestly never been a fan of silver cars. The only silver CX-5 I ever liked was first Gen, maybe a 2013, with an aluminum color to it. Have not liked the silvers since.

Totally in agreement with you Kaps on my "meh" to the grey, and I also don't care for their light blues that they've had since they stopped using Sky Blue after 2014. What do they have now? Blue Reflex? Eternal Blue? Those are like the worst colors they have for this car IMO.
 
So, talking with one of our painters at work and he thinks the chip issue is because there are so many layers of paint for the Soul Red, it's not adhering well to the metal.

The steps to painting a Soul Red Mazda has 9 layers of paint.
 
Unfortunately the paint pen will do you no good...

Might as well get ready to file a claim and get her done right like the others. Still a PITA and a sad situation,though...

A paint pen by itself - I would not do.

A paint pen in conjunction with Dr. Colorchip or Langka system I would be interested in doing.

Thanks for the tip. I might grab one of those systems, fix up the existing chips, and just get a clear bra installed on the front. I got a quote at $730 for front end, 24" of the hood, and the side mirrors. Seemed decent to me, although I'll shop around a bit. Anyone else just gone ahead and done that?
 
Re: Paint pen

Soul Red paint pen doesn't really match Soul Red is what I have heard.
 
Thanks for the tip. I might grab one of those systems, fix up the existing chips, and just get a clear bra installed on the front. I got a quote at $730 for front end, 24" of the hood, and the side mirrors. Seemed decent to me, although I'll shop around a bit. Anyone else just gone ahead and done that?

I would just get the whole hood done honestly for the couple hundred extra dollars. The rake of the hood when viewed from the side is pretty steep so you could still catch something further up the hood where its not protected. Also you wont get dirt accumulation where the cut line would be if you do the whole hood. In this picture you can see the line and how much of the hood is still unprotected by doing a partial one:

soapy_mazda_small.jpg
 
I would just get the whole hood done honestly for the couple hundred extra dollars. The rake of the hood when viewed from the side is pretty steep so you could still catch something further up the hood where it’s not protected. Also you won’t get dirt accumulation where the cut line would be if you do the whole hood. In this picture you can see the line and how much of the hood is still unprotected by doing a partial one:

soapy_mazda_small.jpg

Thanks for that...great illustration. I'll def have to get the quote on full hood as you mentioned.

Beautiful shot, btw...man these cars look so great. Even after a month I almost always do a double-take walking away or back to our car. But the softness of the paint! Argh!
 
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