My RX-8 (40th ann.)

[ROT8OR]

Hi guys, i purchased my RX-8 about a year ago. Have always wanted a RX-3 sedan, but opted for a newer mod.
Although i am still on the look out for that RX-3 project.
No mods to my car but as its a 40th anniversay i will probably keep it stock.
Heres a few pics.

[rxgirl]

looks extremely good :)
welcome to the forums

[Kusanagi]

Hi guys, i purchased my RX-8 about a year ago. Have always wanted a RX-3 sedan, but opted for a newer mod.
Although i am still on the look out for that RX-3 project.
No mods to my car but as its a 40th anniversay i will probably keep it stock.
Heres a few pics.


Welcome! Good to see more RX8 onboard!! Very nice and clean car, Cream interior?

Cheers,

K

[ROT8OR]

Hi guys, i purchased my RX-8 about a year ago. Have always wanted a RX-3 sedan, but opted for a newer mod.
Although i am still on the look out for that RX-3 project.
No mods to my car but as its a 40th anniversay i will probably keep it stock.
Heres a few pics.


Welcome! Good to see more RX8 onboard!! Very nice and clean car, Cream interior?

Cheers,

K



HI,
yes, black interior with cream alcantra trim. Looks nice, thought i would have trouble keeping it clean, but 18 months now and not a mark.
Wish i could say the same for the exterior, some bastard opened his door and banged it against my passager side. They just drove off and i wasnt there when it happened. I think i actually cried when i saw it!!!
Getting it repaired soon, took some paint off, but not too bad i guess.

[Kusanagi]

HI,
yes, black interior with cream alcantra trim. Looks nice, thought i would have trouble keeping it clean, but 18 months now and not a mark.
Wish i could say the same for the exterior, some bastard opened his door and banged it against my passager side. They just drove off and i wasnt there when it happened. I think i actually cried when i saw it!!!
Getting it repaired soon, took some paint off, but not too bad i guess.


That is really really sucks... I think most cases are deliberate, especially when you have such a nice car, so I use a dedicated shopping trolley, funny thing is, nothing ever happen to it.

Mine is unmarked on the outside except a few stone chips on the nose, still look brand new and hardly any swirl marks... so far (touch wood) :D

I use 3M leather cleaner, the only cleaner that works, and worked beautifully, restored an 8 years old car leather from bad condition to almost brand new!! while all other brands failed, not even Meguiars. After that use Meguiars leather conditioner to soak then wipe off.

Hope there will be a SAR cruise soon, so can get to meet people here.

K

[ROT8OR]

HI,
yes, black interior with cream alcantra trim. Looks nice, thought i would have trouble keeping it clean, but 18 months now and not a mark.
Wish i could say the same for the exterior, some bastard opened his door and banged it against my passager side. They just drove off and i wasnt there when it happened. I think i actually cried when i saw it!!!
Getting it repaired soon, took some paint off, but not too bad i guess.


That is really really sucks... I think most cases are deliberate, especially when you have such a nice car, so I use a dedicated shopping trolley, funny thing is, nothing ever happen to it.

Mine is unmarked on the outside except a few stone chips on the nose, still look brand new and hardly any swirl marks... so far (touch wood) :D

I use 3M leather cleaner, the only cleaner that works, and worked beautifully, restored an 8 years old car leather from bad condition to almost brand new!! while all other brands failed, not even Meguiars. After that use Meguiars leather conditioner to soak then wipe off.

Hope there will be a SAR cruise soon, so can get to meet people here.

K


A cruise would be awesome, i am yet to take mine on one.
What do you use to clean your 8 , as mine is black its bloody hard to keep clean and every mark shows. Everytime i wash it i am paranoid im gonna scratch it.

[Kusanagi]

A cruise would be awesome, i am yet to take mine on one.
What do you use to clean your 8 , as mine is black its bloody hard to keep clean and every mark shows. Everytime i wash it i am paranoid im gonna scratch it.


I would try avoid getting the car wet if possible, the more I wash the car the more scratches/swirls I put on, and it's inevitable.

(1) Never wash the car under the sun!! I would high pressure hose off all the rough sand and loosen the dirt, let it soak for a little while.

(2) While the car is still drippy wet, I then use Meguiars car wash shampoo, mix in a bucket of warm water and hand wash it with micro fibre cloth, (these micro fibre cloths are the softest thing I have ever come across!! I highly recommend them!! I bought them from Reject Shop Marion, one next to K-Mart, for about $6 multi-colour pack of 6 or something, I like them so much I actually bought multiple packs, in case they run out :) ) gently shampoo off the dirt, very gently... don't rub, just enough to loosen the dirt completely. I just use the gravity of the cloth soaked with shampoo to do the job.

(3) Then another round of high pressure hose to completely remove the dirt.

(4) Since I have so many of those micro fibre cloths, i just thrown a few of them on the car and gently dry the car, I thrown my $40 chamois to one side since I got the new cloths, it's no comparison when come to softness and water absorbtion.

(5) Apply Mequiars quick wax/finsiher if you must, but I usually don't.

That's it.

Try not to wax the car too often, as it can create swirl marks from the rubbings, only wax when water is no longer formed nice beads on the paint surface.

I have used a magical wax product produced by DuPont, called Teflon for automotive paint finish, it creates a layer of invisible non-stick coating film and can last up to 100 washes or up to a year!! I obtained this from my father who works at Lexus in New Zealand, where Lexus charges their customer nearly a grand for the treatment using this product.

Unfortunately, this is a Lexus only product by DuPont, not for sale (can only buy their treatment), they are absolute best, and it is just amazing!! After applying this Teflon thing, the car must be baked under the sun, the stronger the UV the better!!! when I run my finger across the paint, the paint has that very "oily" feel to it, just like running your finger across the surface of any Teflon caated non-stick fry pan, and best yet, when I wash the car, only high pressure hosing is required, dirts, grimes just come off, and help dry the car with a cloth after! Hope they're available for sale, I would be interested if anyone see this in retail shop.

Gee... what a lengthy post.

Cheers,

K

[Luke]

Nice car!! Cheers for the tips on leather upkeep to :D

[zoomz]

damn, i take a min of 5 days, approx 5 hours a day to properly detail my 8. interior takes just over a day. I use a combination of the meguiars and autoglym gear and a buffer for the polish and wax. Just about the same as kusanagi just with x-scratch over the whole car, claying (takes the longest but is so worth it) and polish. Plus all the other little bits and pieces such as the leather conditioner, metal polish and cleaning the black plastic make it take so long. the engine bay is a bit more tricky...

[ROT8OR]

A cruise would be awesome, i am yet to take mine on one.
What do you use to clean your 8 , as mine is black its bloody hard to keep clean and every mark shows. Everytime i wash it i am paranoid im gonna scratch it.


I would try avoid getting the car wet if possible, the more I wash the car the more scratches/swirls I put on, and it's inevitable.

(1) Never wash the car under the sun!! I would high pressure hose off all the rough sand and loosen the dirt, let it soak for a little while.

(2) While the car is still drippy wet, I then use Meguiars car wash shampoo, mix in a bucket of warm water and hand wash it with micro fibre cloth, (these micro fibre cloths are the softest thing I have ever come across!! I highly recommend them!! I bought them from Reject Shop Marion, one next to K-Mart, for about $6 multi-colour pack of 6 or something, I like them so much I actually bought multiple packs, in case they run out :) ) gently shampoo off the dirt, very gently... don't rub, just enough to loosen the dirt completely. I just use the gravity of the cloth soaked with shampoo to do the job.

(3) Then another round of high pressure hose to completely remove the dirt.

(4) Since I have so many of those micro fibre cloths, i just thrown a few of them on the car and gently dry the car, I thrown my $40 chamois to one side since I got the new cloths, it's no comparison when come to softness and water absorbtion.

(5) Apply Mequiars quick wax/finsiher if you must, but I usually don't.

That's it.

Try not to wax the car too often, as it can create swirl marks from the rubbings, only wax when water is no longer formed nice beads on the paint surface.

I have used a magical wax product produced by DuPont, called Teflon for automotive paint finish, it creates a layer of invisible non-stick coating film and can last up to 100 washes or up to a year!! I obtained this from my father who works at Lexus in New Zealand, where Lexus charges their customer nearly a grand for the treatment using this product.

Unfortunately, this is a Lexus only product by DuPont, not for sale (can only buy their treatment), they are absolute best, and it is just amazing!! After applying this Teflon thing, the car must be baked under the sun, the stronger the UV the better!!! when I run my finger across the paint, the paint has that very "oily" feel to it, just like running your finger across the surface of any Teflon caated non-stick fry pan, and best yet, when I wash the car, only high pressure hosing is required, dirts, grimes just come off, and help dry the car with a cloth after! Hope they're available for sale, I would be interested if anyone see this in retail shop.

Gee... what a lengthy post.

Cheers,

K


Thanks for the tips, i do something similar, but will look for those clothes, souns good. I got a free chamois with my 8 which is actually pretty good.
As for the interior, i dont have to clean it often, i have a cleaner/detergent free cloth that i just rub over the interior and the dust just sticks to it like glue, then shake it off. Brilliant. Only problem i cant remember where i got it from, and i need a new one!

Thanks again for all the helpful hints.
I guy from microcolour is coming out to fix my scratch, only $100, bargain. Just hope he does a good job.

Cheers.

[Kusanagi]

damn, i take a min of 5 days, approx 5 hours a day to properly detail my 8. interior takes just over a day. I use a combination of the meguiars and autoglym gear and a buffer for the polish and wax. Just about the same as kusanagi just with x-scratch over the whole car, claying (takes the longest but is so worth it) and polish. Plus all the other little bits and pieces such as the leather conditioner, metal polish and cleaning the black plastic make it take so long. the engine bay is a bit more tricky...


Geesus... 5 days?! that's dedication!! :D I have to do everything within a day. Since my car's paint is still in extremely good condition, and has a good coat of wax, I don't have to do some of the most tedious tasks you mentioned above.

So do you take your car out at all when it's a rainy day? Wet weather is frustrating lately, I just can't keep it clean.

K

[zoomz]

damn, i take a min of 5 days, approx 5 hours a day to properly detail my 8. interior takes just over a day. I use a combination of the meguiars and autoglym gear and a buffer for the polish and wax. Just about the same as kusanagi just with x-scratch over the whole car, claying (takes the longest but is so worth it) and polish. Plus all the other little bits and pieces such as the leather conditioner, metal polish and cleaning the black plastic make it take so long. the engine bay is a bit more tricky...


Geesus... 5 days?! that's dedication!! :D I have to do everything within a day. Since my car's paint is still in extremely good condition, and has a good coat of wax, I don't have to do some of the most tedious tasks you mentioned above.

So do you take your car out at all when it's a rainy day? Wet weather is frustrating lately, I just can't keep it clean.

K


I like cleaning it so its not a problem, whats the point in a car that ur afraid to take out because it'll get dirty? the previous owner washed it every week.

lol, 5 days is just for the worx. i do about 300km a week, drive it in all weather, very gentle in the heat though. Lately ive let it get pretty dirty, gets a fair bit of pollen exposure so i do a coat of polish/wax every 6 months.

But its not that hard to keep clean, i use a meguiars 3 step waterless wash if its not too dirty and i feel like it needs to be shiny the next day. bout a 30 min job scratch free (only downside is it wasnt meant to clean bug splats). They say nothings as good as a good old shampoo and rinse clean, but if ur car is clayed with a layer of wax on at all times, with constant use of the waterless, theres no downside.

Zoom

[Kusanagi]

I like cleaning it so its not a problem, whats the point in a car that ur afraid to take out because it'll get dirty? the previous owner washed it every week.

lol, 5 days is just for the worx. i do about 300km a week, drive it in all weather, very gentle in the heat though. Lately ive let it get pretty dirty, gets a fair bit of pollen exposure so i do a coat of polish/wax every 6 months.

But its not that hard to keep clean, i use a meguiars 3 step waterless wash if its not too dirty and i feel like it needs to be shiny the next day. bout a 30 min job scratch free (only downside is it wasnt meant to clean bug splats). They say nothings as good as a good old shampoo and rinse clean, but if ur car is clayed with a layer of wax on at all times, with constant use of the waterless, theres no downside.

Zoom


That's very true, if you don't like car, working on it would be hard work. And I do enjoy it too. I do about 80-100km per week if lucky, my work is too close to where I live, so very often I found myself just driving everywhere without a destination, last week went to Gorge wildlife park via corkscrew road, excuse to burn off some carbon. That road is outright dangerous when wet!!! Almost took out by a bus that cut into half of my lane around the bend, my car was basically about inches from it... phew! Wonder what a full size bus doing up there :/

Need to look into the waterless product next time shopping, interesting. My theory is that the more you wash the more swirl marks will be formed.

K

[zoomz]

I like cleaning it so its not a problem, whats the point in a car that ur afraid to take out because it'll get dirty? the previous owner washed it every week.

lol, 5 days is just for the worx. i do about 300km a week, drive it in all weather, very gentle in the heat though. Lately ive let it get pretty dirty, gets a fair bit of pollen exposure so i do a coat of polish/wax every 6 months.

But its not that hard to keep clean, i use a meguiars 3 step waterless wash if its not too dirty and i feel like it needs to be shiny the next day. bout a 30 min job scratch free (only downside is it wasnt meant to clean bug splats). They say nothings as good as a good old shampoo and rinse clean, but if ur car is clayed with a layer of wax on at all times, with constant use of the waterless, theres no downside.

Zoom


That's very true, if you don't like car, working on it would be hard work. And I do enjoy it too. I do about 80-100km per week if lucky, my work is too close to where I live, so very often I found myself just driving everywhere without a destination, last week went to Gorge wildlife park via corkscrew road, excuse to burn off some carbon. That road is outright dangerous when wet!!! Almost took out by a bus that cut into half of my lane around the bend, my car was basically about inches from it... phew! Wonder what a full size bus doing up there :/

Need to look into the waterless product next time shopping, interesting. My theory is that the more you wash the more swirl marks will be formed.

K


Haha, funny how whenever people start talking about hills driving, corkscrew road always comes up:P heading south is the best i think.

Ur right about the swirls, but thats what i use the x-scratch and polish on the buffer for, it all comes out so the car stays glass shiny.

Zoom

[Kusanagi]

Thanks for the tips, i do something similar, but will look for those clothes, souns good. I got a free chamois with my 8 which is actually pretty good.
As for the interior, i dont have to clean it often, i have a cleaner/detergent free cloth that i just rub over the interior and the dust just sticks to it like glue, then shake it off. Brilliant. Only problem i cant remember where i got it from, and i need a new one!

Thanks again for all the helpful hints.
I guy from microcolour is coming out to fix my scratch, only $100, bargain. Just hope he does a good job.

Cheers.


No problem mate, this is what forum is for, sharing tips! :)

May be this is too late... Would you take a before and after picture? Would love to see the result, and keep the contact if it turns out good.

Cheers,

K