Hi everyone! I present to you, a 2008.5 Crystal White Pearl Mazdaspeed3. This detail was rather unique for me, as I traveled 400kms round trip to do the work; first time traveling this far since I’ve started mobile services. The owner had seen my work on a forum that I sponsor, and wanted his new car prepped properly. Unfortunately something could be not be worked out with the dealer (which was located about 30kms from me), so the owner asked for me to travel to his residence to do the work after he picked it up. It was very enjoyable as I received arguably the best hospitality from any client since I started mobile jobs. With that said, a sincere thank you goes out to the owner and his wife for the hospitality, including lunch, dinner and the runs to Tim Hortons! The Mazdaspeed3 is a performanced-based version of the regular Mazda3, putting out 263hp and 280 ft. lbs of torque (at the crank) to the front wheels. Exterior-wise, very slight but strong changes were made to identify this car as a mean-machine, which in my opinion also added a nice touch of class to a car that carries so much presence. It demands to be looked at, and I’m sure it demands to be driven too! My goal with this detail was to remove all defects in the paint that were taking away from its new condition. I was worried that the paint would be marred as the dealer he purchased the vehicle from does not have a good track record with detailing. This detail would give me a better idea of what clients were talking about. Needless to say, I saw where these people were coming from, which you will also see as I take you through the inspection. I also strived to achieve a very wet and glossy finish from this detail and felt that 5 coats of Opti-Seal would help me achieve this. I learned something about this product that I will share later. This write-up has lots of pictures to show the true look of the paint in different lighting conditions. I tried to get creative with some of my shots this time around so I hope you enjoy them. Inspection Upon arriving, the car was parked in the garage waiting to be pulled out in the driveway to begin the washing process. As you will see, the paint looked fairly clean and healthy. Closer inspection revealed otherwise. Wash - Heavily soiled areas as shown above were presoaked with P21S TAW. My first time using this product and definitely not my last. It has great workability, lubricity and of course, cleaning power. TAW was left to dwell for approximately 5 minutes before being lightly agitated with a Zymol Wheel Brush (brand new, and started falling apart 5 uses later) and rinsed off. - Following this, the entire vehicle was thoroughly washed with CWG Paint Cleanser using the double-bucket method & sheepskin wool mitts to ensure no further marring would be instilled into the paintwork. - Car was sheet-dried, and blotted with WW MFs to ensure all areas were dried out. Wheels & Tires The wheels and tires were in good condition, just soiled from daily driving. Cleaning was a breeze, except for the dealer-instilled slimy tire dressing. - Rims cleaned with Grime Reaper @ 8:1 using various brushes to ensure all areas of the rim were cleaned, including behind the spokes - Tires cleaned with Grime Reaper @ 4:1. Tires received 3 thorough scrubbings before the dressing was gone. - Rims dried with WW MFs. Some before pics of the rims. I do not have afters of all the rims unfortunately. Note the plastic left behind by the dealership prep. Before: After: Post-wash inspection The pics below give a good indication as to how the car was delivered to the client. I myself would not have been happy at all. It just goes to show that even new cars need a lot of attention (as indicated in the recent thread where Todd detailed that black GTR). The first picture was taken with the wrong focus mode, but it highlighted some of the defects quite clearly. On to the contamination, which was quite honestly everywhere on the car. The worst areas were on the mirrors, and the rear hatch area. I had every expectation of this given the colour and that every new vehicle usually has some level of contamination. This should be reason enough for new car buyers to have their car professionally detailed, as a dealership prep won’t even come close to addressing these issues. Following the post-wash inspection, I proceeded to clay the paintwork using Riccardo Clay and ONR lube. The tougher rust spots I misted the area with water, then sprayed P21S TAW, and clayed. This made quick work of the contamination and left zero marring behind. The areas that received TAW were thoroughly rinsed down and dried with WW MFs before being pulled into the garage to prepare for polishing. Paintwork This detail was composed of a 1-step polish. Since the defect level was moderate and the paint needed some gloss, I thought SIP on a white pad would be perfect for this relatively soft paint. SIP’s finishing characteristics made it a favourable choice as it also corrects very well. - LC CCS and Flat white pads on rotary @ 1800-1600-1400-1000rpm. A couple of shots of me polishing the hood. While polishing, I was noticing a very significant improvement in gloss. I tried to capture it in this shot, but it was very hard. This is the best I could get. Left side is done, right side is not: Engine Bay Fast forward a few hours later after every inch of the car was carefully polished, and wiped down with IPA, I started applying Optimum Opti-Seal. I applied the first coat, waited for 30 minutes, then applied the second coat. While the second coat was curing, I popped the hood and decided to give the engine bay a quick detail. Before: ONR wipedown, followed by dressing from Shining Monkey. After: The bay appeared a bit too shiny for my taste, so it was buffed shortly after with an MF. Following this, I applied 3 more coats of Opti-Seal. What I found really neat is that after applying the first 2 coats and waiting almost an hour, the paint actually looked dull. I decided to take a plush microfiber towel and buff the paint, which jacked up the shine immensely! I applied two more coats after this, buffed the paint, then applied the last coat and prepared for pictures. Right before the pictures, I buffed the paint again and performed the finishing touches - windows (IG), plastics (APC, 303), etc. By now I guess you want to see some pictures. As always, I have lots, and lots of them. Please note that the white balance is very off in these pictures, but the gloss is definitely there. This is what 5 coats of Opti-Seal looks like on white.... Afters Thanks for taking the time to look! Kaval
awesome job! did he let you drive it? ive driven my friends speed3, the clutch is tricky in those cars. but its a beast, and easily chrips 2nd and 3rd Maybe this is just on the canadian model. but it looks like they changed the wheel color ever so slightly, to give it a shinier gun metal appearance, rather than the straight silver alloy.
You did a great job as always Kaval. You were supposed to call me before heading out to see this client so you didn't kill yourself which you obviously did! Great photos and Opti-Seal is a perfect match for pearl white. :thud:
Thanks Paul! Sorry I didn't call you, I thought you were still sick! Thanks! I did not 'drive' it..other than pulling it out of the garage. Yes, that clutch IS tricky. I almost stalled it the first time moving it out b/c it was just sooo heavy. For this 2008.5 model, they changed the colour to a gunmetal on the rims. In my opinion, this is the smartest thing they have changed. It really adds a nice look to the car. Thanks! White cars ARE fun to work with. It's even better when the client says "wow, I didn't know white could look this good! " Thanks! Give it a shot, you won't be disappointed. I do find though that to get a really significant look, you have to add more than 2 coats.
That's a truly awesome write up and an excellent job on the speed3! What you've pointed out about dealership prep is certainly not unheard of but your photos do a very good job illustrating their complete ineptitude. BTW I love that paint! Your efforts really brought out the pearl effect and the depth is fantastic. Very nice work and great photos!
