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Hi all,

I've got a 2007 (reg mid 2008) with only 2500km's on the clock. She is showroom cond, I am first owner and even all 4 wheels are in pristine 'as new' cond.

I am looking to keep this baby for only 12mths, as I buy my cars for resale value only so I get a bit of joy and then sell them on without losing too much (I've not lost a dime yet using this method!) however with such a beautiful car, and with her in such good cond I want to keep her looking as good as possible whilst keeping miles down low and I will be selling her probably in about 10 months time..(so keep your eye on her as she is a real keeper)

My need for help is with regards to the paint, interior and general maintenance...
Exterior -
1) I know she needs regular washing, good chamois, polish and wax (or sealant??) I've looked at Meguirs, Blackfire (US) and AutoGlym and I'm just not sure which to get & stick to!
2) I also was looking at getting ( you'll cringe I know I did) a car bra...wait for it wait for it...only because I'm driving her Adel > Melb and I don't want stone chips etc to ruin the front so thought this for at least long drive purposes would be ok. The car is black anyways so wouldnt harldy notice a black bra??? ;) My concern with this is I know car covers are bad bad bad and I would hate to put the thing on, then have paint ruined/come off etc when i was merely trying to protect?! Thoughts??
3) Soft top - What is the best method to protect & look after these?? I was going to also buy a security cockpit cover for when the roof is up to keep out UV's etc and protect the interior too I suppose...Any experiences I can take advantage of with this??
Interior
1) Leather Leather Leather...How to keep it looking & feeling soft & supple and protected from the sun ?!? ANyone anyone..bueller bueller Seats, steering wheel, gear knob...and then just the dash & general plastic I want to maintain and ensure it doesnt fade or dry out & go crappy...

What else is there...I think that's all.
I'm happy to spend a bit on cleaning gear and cover/s if anyone thinks they're worth it.

I should mention she is currently not in a garage ( I know I know!) but on a driveway. She will be in a few weeks under a carport however it isn't fully protected from weather so...if that bears any difference to your responses.

I have babbled enough and I would truly truly appreciate any experiences and to hear from those with knowledge of the paint as I believe this paint is incredibly soft compared to other marques.

Thanks for anyone's time in advance on helping me source and understand the best methods to maintain my girl

btw..does anyone think a 2007 model mx-5 with 20,000km's after two years (i.e. when I go to sell her if she has that much mileage) is still very low miles???
I want to drive her but want to keep her low miles to help sell her & have advantage over others in a year...again..if you're interested she will be very looked after & as new if you'd be keen in 10mths time. She is only 6mths old now effectively as I got her brand new from Mazda:D

Thanks again...

Lo

It's only a year so I can't see how you could do too much damage, a year is worth about 4 full wax's and 20 normal washes (soft washes)
Watch out with the car bra and fading, you might find your bumper will start looking darker than the rest of the car depending on how much sun it gets. I don't think they are worth it just for stone chips, some touch up paint and a steady hand is normally enough to cover up any small chips.
Soft top will also be very fresh, I've had my car 2 years now and only ever used water and it's still going great.
Leather, I would just keep it clean.

Another thing, I can't stand car's that have super slippery interiors from overuse of armourall or similar products, it just makes it look oily and dirty IMHO.

The process is simply to wash it and vacuum it - you are hardly going to get any deterioration in such a short time. Car bras are probably more for folks doing a lot of country driving in areas where stones and grit are a problem. A car cover ( refer recent post) is imo nice to have as it does keep dust and other airbornes off your car whilst it is parked say under your carport. You weigh up the cost versus the benefit and the discipline in fitting and removing. Alex covered it pretty well.

Lolo wrote:1) I know she needs regular washing, good chamois, polish and wax (or sealant??) I've looked at Meguirs, Blackfire (US) and AutoGlym and I'm just not sure which to get & stick to!

I use a combination of Mothers and Meguirs and I'm happy. Others use Autoglym and Zymol and swear by the results.

Lolo wrote:3) Soft top - What is the best method to protect & look after these?? I was going to also buy a security cockpit cover for when the roof is up to keep out UV's etc and protect the interior too I suppose...Any experiences I can take advantage of with this??

Aerospace 303 make a soft top cleaner and protector.

Lolo wrote:1) Leather Leather Leather...How to keep it looking & feeling soft & supple and protected from the sun ?!? ANyone anyone..bueller bueller Seats, steering wheel, gear knob...and then just the dash & general plastic I want to maintain and ensure it doesnt fade or dry out & go crappy...

Supposedly Mr Sheen once a month is the best according to Benny.

just use exactly the same method as you have used in the past, as you say you havern't lost out yet so you must be doing something right.

Thanks all for a detailed reply esp Stu & Alex

Just don't want to do the wrong thing and although I've been ok so far, I havent had one of these models before & just after expert knowledge and experiences :D

Thanks a heap

Laura

Hang a photo of the car in your garage. Admire it daily.
Sell the car to someone who will use it.
Put your money in the bank.

My car used to live close to the fligh path from Sydney Airport, I would have to wax it at least once every 2 weeks due to the effects of the aircraft fuel and the sun, I tried every super cool product available and it would just not last.
I then bought "Glare" brand Paint Sealer at around $200 for the four bottles, scratch and swirl remover, pre cleaner final coat sealant etc.
After the initial application, I have only applied it once a year for continued protection - very cool stuff as it stayed put even with the aircraft fuel, 3 years on and I still have plenty left over. I'd advise using any good paint sealer/protection as it saves a whole lot of waxing! .... even protects your paint from those nasty little birds.
The manufacturers tell you to throw a bucket of water over the bonnet when you are finished, the water does not even "bead", it actually runs off completely, they apparently use this product on Aircraft and it is safe to use on your windscreen.

Stu wrote:Aerospace 303 make a soft top cleaner and protector.

Be very careful what you use on the fabric soft top. I just wash mine with a wool mit and allow to air dry. I carefully vacuum it (with the brush attachment) if it is just a bit dusty. A lint roller will also get rid of lint and stuff that seems to stick to it.

MX5CHIC.....
AWESOME photo... ummm what color is your car? Can't quite tell because of the mirror finish.....
(I may just have to some of that stuff.....)
Chris

My Car is Black, it is great stuff and cheap if you can do it yourself - my mother just got a new car and paid $650 for paint protection.
BTW - the photo is my boot.

MX5CHIC wrote:My Car is Black, it is great stuff and cheap if you can do it yourself - my mother just got a new car and paid $650 for paint protection.
BTW - the photo is my boot.

That's your boot?..... Really......this is a boot



Baaaahahahahahahahahahahaha

thanks everyone

Lolo wrote:Well so far in just ONE week...I've managed to lightly scrape a wheel from my dad's stupid drive which I was miles away from the curb (being cautious) not realising his driveway juts out with some rather 'jagged' edged concrete & just caught my newly non scratched wheels now have a very minimal, but I still know it's there scratch!!!

OMG....thats it, you might as well throw it away! you can never sell it with a small scratch on the wheel..

Mate just drive the car and enjoy it, if you get a scratch here and there who cares. Alot of people on these forums bought their cars to enjoy them, not to worry about resale values, and keeping them in showroom condition. If you want to do that keep it in storage for a year.

this post has to be a wind up ,right!!