From a car washing/detailing/polishing stand point, how is the paint that mitsubishi is using on these cars? I had a 05 g35 and the ridiculously soft paint would get swirl marks just by looking at it. In comparison, a 02 325ci had harder paint than the infiniti but it still swirled fairly easily.

PS yes, I know about the 2 bucket method, ONR, etc., so please no lessons on how to properly wash a car.

 

the clear coat gets swirls pretty easily from routine washing....maybe i am not careful enough but it happens. mitsu isn't known for their paint jobs

 

the top coat sucks if you ask me. Let bird crap sit on the paint for a few hours. It kills the clear coat. I've had other cars with much better paint in the past where I wouldn't worry about bird ****.

 

it's a perfect mixture of texture and quality i want to rub my ***** on....

 

Swirl marks right after the first wash and I use quality wash brushes and terry cloths for drying.

 

Guys, if you'd like to learn how to wash and dry your cars without damaging the paint, stop by the detailing forum. Too, all the major online (quality) detailing supply stores have tutorials that can show you how to take care of and protect the paint without fear of swirls and/or scratches. You'd be amazed just how easy it can be.

 

I wash my car (including wheel wells) every other weekend, two bucket method, and still no swirls. I haven't even waxed the car yet since I bought it 4 months ago. (dealership waxed it before I bought it). Water still beads. But I will be performing a full detail over the x-mas holidays, from clay bar, to probably 4 coats of Adam's Buttery Wax. I know, over-kill, but whatever.

 

Good for you!

As you probably know, Adams BW is a beauty wax with fairly poor durability. It looks gorgeous. but doesn't last for sh/t, like its contemporaries. It does do well when applied over a durable sealant and I'd strongly suggest that option, if you haven't already planned on it. FWIW, if you decide to layer BW, you may want to wait 24 hours for each layer to cure before applying another, though layering doesn't seem to improve BW's performance. Good luck. It's comforting to see folks doing thing right.

 

^ do you recommend a durable sealant? Thanks for the info on the Adam's wax, didn't know it wasn't that durable.

 

I've used pretty well every type of wax, glaze, sealant, etc. and the Klasse acrylic sealant is the best product I've ever used period. Use whatever wax you prefer and finish it with one or two coats of the Klasse sealant and I garentee your paint will repel water and keep its shine for six months to a year.

 

Before zeroing-in on a sealant, please allow me to ask a question. You mentioned doing a full detail. What is your plan of attack?

 

1. A sealant cannot be layered over a wax. One of two things happen if one tries: the sealant will either remove the wax, or the sealant smears on top of the wax without bonding. OTOH, a wax can be layered over a sealant.

2. KSG (ie. Klasse) is certainly very good. It must applied in a very thin layer, otherwise it's a bear to remove. When layered after a 24 hour cure, its durability improves as does its gloss. This said, I almost never use it. There are many other products that are MUCH easier to work with, offer similar or better durability, and that don't look as sterile and antiseptic on very reflective paint like black. FWIW, JW AJT is a product that's very similar to KSG without its drawbacks.

 

Unfortunately, the paint on all Mitsu vehicles is poor. It's soft and is not very durable. The paint chips easily (you'll notice after only a couple months of driving) and it swirls easily.

 

If you apply it very thin it's not hard to apply at all as applying it thick is a rookie mistake. I usually apply the second layer about a week after the first for best results. Honestly I can't imagine anything more durable though as it has lasted entire Canadian winters where we salt and gravel roads daily. I've never used it on black so I can't comment on that but on red, white, charcoal, metallic green I've had the best results of any other products.

 

Hard paint chips easily. Soft paint doesn't. Guys this isn't a Mitsubishi thing, it's an industry thing. 08+ Subarus are even worse as cars are rusting after six months.