John G.

Hey guys, I just recently purchased a brand new Civic LX Sedan in Atomic Blue, and am thrilled with it so far. This is my first brand-new car and I want to treat it right from the start. Any suggestions on the most important things I can do to keep my car looking and working great?

I'm wondering specifically what you guys think of the vinyl protectants, products like Scotchgard, etc. Is it going overboard to use them on a brand new car? I'm also concerned about the interior suffering from sun-damage. I live in Albuquerque, NM, and the sun is relentless here. Should I look into getting my windows tinted, would it be worth it?

I want to do what I can because there are going to be plenty of outside influences working against the car: someone dinged me today with their door in a parking lot. I don't know exactly when it happened, but now there's a sizeable chip in the paint and a bit of a dent in the panel. The car is four days old. Unbelievable. Guess that's just the way it goes sometimes.

kero

Very simple, clean it often but not to often. Once a week or every other week might suffice depending on where you live.

Wash yourself if you have the ability and don't use dish soap, use a good quality car wash soap from your local car store or walmart, etc.

Always wash from top to bottom, making sure when near the bottom, you rinse sponge in bucket often to remove any tiny particles that might scratch the car.

If you have rims, make sure you clean them often and use a mild wheel cleaner, not a cheap one, as some of the cheap ones are to strong. If you have hub caps, use soap and water, it works fine.

Every so often, clean the door jams, sills, trunk rain track and things of that nature.

Wax every year, if you use a good wax, you won't have to do it any more often unless you show your cars at shows, etc.

Don't use any harsh cleaners for the inside or dash. I use a damp paper towel or soft rag with water to simply wipe the dash etc. DON"T USE ARMOR ALL IN YOUR CAR. PERIOD. It's not worth the hassle if you ask me. It makes a mess and once you start using, you will always have to use it, same for tires.

If you can, like me, do most of your own car work, oil changes, tire rotations, tune ups, etc. Don't skimp on quality of oil filter and oil. I use a synthetic blend from mobile. Best of both worlds between cost and quality.

Rotate your tires every 5000 if you want to get max life out of them and don't take turns like a maniac or you will wear the fronts to quick.

It's pretty simple I guess, take care of it as best as you can and dont' let any one thing go to long.

Oh, always remove BIRD **** immediately, number one paint ruiner!

Everyone has different thoughts on car care but do what you would do with anything you really like, pay it some attention and don't use low quality products and you will be fine.

Oh, check your tire pressures RIGHT NOW and every month as well. I always put 1 psi higher than what sticker on car says. Don't go any higher as you will change the way the car handles, brakes, etc.

KernelG

Don't feel bad, John. I drove mine home two weeks ago. On that Friday, we were driving down the highway when I saw "it" coming.. a rock. It's one of those things you only realize you saw a split-second afterwards, but I still remember seeing it bounce off the median and fly back up to my windshield, the exact angle it came in, etc. Although it didn't chip or crack the window, it left 2 decent little scratches (must've been a devil rock). It bugged the hell out of me for about 24 hours.

I agree with everything you said, but here's an honest practicality question: How do you guys go about this? I'm afraid if I make a "clean spot" I'll end up washing the whole thing. Hehe.. Get a microfiber rag (really) dirty? Spot/spray cleaner?

kero

The key to remove bird crap or on the other hand keeping it from ruining your finish to to nuetralize the acid in the crap itself.

A guy at a high end car wash near me says to use a mix of water and baking soda and pour it on the bird crap to keep the acid at bay until you can get to the car wash or wash it yourself. (The reason why I don't do this is because baking soda is kinda rough as it's a powder)

What I do is to use warm water to soften up the crap, then pour more water on it to get it kinda wet and mushy, then I wipe it with a super wet soft rag or super wet soft paper towel and gently wipe as much off as I can.

Then when I get a chance, I run to a texas car wash (you can wash your cars yourself at this type of car wash) and use the high pressure rinse to get the nasty crap off.

I don't own a home so washing a car is a pain but the texas car wash works well for getting of bird crap.

Sorry for the long winded post, hahaha.

05blkrs

as my first act as "super moderator David"( ) i was reading through, and thought this was a very good thread so i thought i'd bring it back up to current w/ a sticky.... very nice..

CharlieLink

Congratulations to my friend, 05blkrs!

John G. Be sure you get a bottle of touch-up paint for those tiny door-edge dings. Most specifically, the ones you get when you open into a retaining wall, tree, or (gasp!) another vehicle. I didn't do it, nobody saw me do it, you can't prove a thing! (Bart Simpson)

Hilorains

You might want to check this site for car care info http://www.properautocare.com/index.html. First black car I've ever owned. Heard a lot of horror stories about black so, at least for now, I'm a fanatic. Put on 3 coats of Blackfire All Finish Protectant and use Blackfire Deep Gloss Spray almost daily to keep it clean and help prevent waterspots (rains almost daily in Hilo).

pico

Definetly tint the windows! do some homework and find a quality tint shop that uses quality product. I had Formula One brand film put on for my third time. Its lifetime warranty, scratch resistant, and will not only keep your car cooler but will keep your seat fabrics from fading. I highly recommend it. Should run you between 150 and 200 bucks.

DeeAliganga

i just got a black 06 civic sedan ex. i live in a new developement so my driveway is on a way higher level then the street. (i dont know if im making any sense, sorry hehe) so the first week i got it, i was backing out of my driveway, and i scraped the front right and left bottom of my bumper real bad. do you know of any way for me to like to try and cover it or buffer it without spending alot of money.(i lack in that hehe)

uhm if you want to see pictures of it to help me out, ask me to email it to you, sorry i dont know how to do pictures, i'm a newbie lol

kero

you might want to try some high quality touch up paint. If it's the bumper, the sracthes could be in the material itself and not just the paint.

How deep are the grooves/scratches?

DeeAliganga

i said scratch.. i shoulda said scrape. i took it back to the dealership, they said they couldnt do anything to it that wouldnt cost alot of money.

kero

A good quality touch still can hide it from view. It won't fill in the scrapes but from a distance the touch up paint will help keep it from showing to much.

05blkrs

send me pics... mazdaspeed475@hotmail.com

DeeAliganga

/\ for the most part, its hardly visible if you dont know about it. but some people can catch on to it, some people dont. depends on the lighting really and the time of day.but =( it really makes me sad




so can someone please please please offer me some advice on a cheap way to cover it/buffer it/ whatever it.

05blkrs

i'd say touch up paint.. it wont fix the gashes.. but it will amke it less visible.. no gray marks

Squally

My wife used to work with a lady whose son was a chemical engineer who said to use Woolite for washing your car. I have used it for many years with great results. I have had several black cars and have had lots of people ask how I keep them so shiny. I usually wash the car twice (you wash your hair twice, don't you?). The first time lightly, and from top to bottom as someone else suggested, the second time scrub a little more, that way the grit doesn't scratch the paint. If you are really picky change the wash water between washes. Do the wheels last but not with the same sponge/cloth/whatever you use on the paint. When you do the final rinse, take the nozzle off the hose and let the water form a sheeting action to thoroughly rinse the car. For the dash/interior surfaces use clear water, Armor All looks artificially shiny, attracts dust and probably intensifies the effects of the sun. A custom fit sunshade from anythinghondaonline really helps, too.

John G.

Hey guys, just wanted to say thanks for all the advice (and for the sticky)! 1500 miles so far, and loving every new mile that goes on it. Keep up the suggestions!

PS. I tried to "fix" that ding by globbing on a huge amount of touch-up paint and then wet-sanding it down with ultra-fine sandpaper. Still came out looking worse than if I'd just stuck a light coat over the original ding and not fretted about it anymore. Live and learn.

C-S-S

For years, I have used products on my BMWs, Range Rovers, and Volvos from Griot's (griotsgarage.com). They have an extensive line of quality chemicals, waxes, and devices to maintain your vehicle.

Hilorains

Though not cheap, rather than do an expensive repair, I'd buy the front lip to cover it up. If not, I've used touch-up paint for scrapes on my Altima. Judging by your photos, you'd probably need a lot of touch-up paint.

DeeAliganga

can you show me a website as to where i can find a front lip ? and how much it would cost. sounds like a good idea.



oh yea someone keyed my trunk too =[ but i got that buffered to look brand new.

koreth

can anyone post a little mock up list of when you should do maintenence to the engine? ie changing fluids/hoses/spark plugs? I want to make sure my baby lasts forever!

Wadely

I work for a honda dealer
every 10k the recommend having the brakes cleaned and adjusted to prevent caliper lock up and they lube the door latches and seals, rotate the tire just basics
every 30k they recommend changing all the fluids replacing the air filter and the ac filters behind passenger side dash.
no real tune up till about 110k when the plugs and stuff get changed.

C-S-S

Griot's Garage has an outstanding line of car care products. I've used them on my high end cars for over 10 years now (Volvos, Land Rovers, and BMWs), and now I use Griot's on my Civic Hybrid. See them at www.griotsgarage.com.

Wadely

Never Heard Of Griots, Where Can I Get It Store Wise?

Hilorains

As far as I know it's a mail order only company. Might also want to check out Classic Motoring Accessories - Car Care and Detailing Supplies. They also sell alot of highend car care stuff.

d3crypt

This is why you don't be lazy and you park at the bottom of the parking lot and walk a bit further to avoid people parking beside you. At least, thats what I do. No dings yet.

tamia

I am the happy owner of a new 06 Civic LX (23 Kms on delivery) in Silver. Do I need to put a coat of wax on it right away? I live here in rainy Vancouver and if I do't do it now, it will be spring before I have the chance. I'm just not sure what the dealer prep involved or it it included wax.

Hilorains

I put 3 coats of acrylic paint sealant on my wife's black 06 Civic EX Coupe the day we got it. Hilo's pretty rainy too. Think we average about 130 inches/year making it the rainiest city in the U.S. Talk about fighting waterspots, sometime I wipe down her car twice a day and put on either a fresh coat of sealant or gloss enhancer weekly. Tough to maintain a black car in Hilo.

tamia

WOW, & Thanks! I've never heard of that. Do you recommend any brands and is there any trick to it?

HappilyObsessed#44D

hadent seen this mentioned yet.. as far as what to use for scrubbin your car down in a wash... after many trials with different clothes and sponges ive concluded the sheep skin hand mits are the easiest on your clear coat. and rinse it quite often... one spec of grit in there or any type of scrubber will leave you a nice little scuff. buy a really good chamois too if youre plannin to wipe it down. hope this isnt repeating anything... didnt read the entire thread..