[CU2] OMG Finally Got One! With Pics.

[MikesVtec]

Congratulations Mike,
I got a standard Euro automatic ,my11,6 weeks ago in Buran Silver...with reverse sensors,Honda floor mats,and 2 silver Honda key rings.

I am loving it,have done 2300 kilometers allready.

It is my 7th brand new car,but my first Honda product,and actually first Japaneese vehicle.

It replaced my 3 and a half year old Volkswagen Jetta,which I would never have changed,but it got written off by our hailstorm...

Lets swop notes over the years...

I also love the Black,but had a dark car once,and swore NEVER AGAIN...so am a big fan of light metallics.

Anyhow,ENJOY,ENJOY,ENJOY,and CONGRATULATIONS.

IMHO, these are the best cars on the market ???

Congratulations to you too Antony. I just did my 1000km service today @ 960kms. And that's after a week lol. Basically finding any excuse to go for a drive. I usually only do about 15k kms annually. This is my second Honda and first new car. Massive upgrade for me from CD5 Accord to CU2 Euro. I m keeping notes (ie excel files) on fuel consumption atm and trialing different fuels for consecutive tanks etc. I wouldn't mind sharing notes at all. As for the colour, yeh I was warned about black and maintenance. But despite that I still chose it. It's just too seductive and mysterious. I would probably learn in the future to get greys or silvers as I get older.

[MikesVtec]

Just a question to other owners, how many kms of running in does it take to return the 8.9L/100kms ADR figures? I m getting 11 - 12L/100kms figures so far. As for my driving style, I was able to get ADR figures of 10L/100km in my previous Accord.

Today I filled up at BP West Ryde. I was able to fill 69.67L @ $1.409/L = $98.17 after 569kms returning 12.24L/100kms, while the onboard display shows 10.6L/100kms as average. This is really weird because I still had 26kms left when I filled up and isn't the tank supposed to be 65L? It's small service station with 4 pumps, I thought it may be a little suss with the meter and all if you know what I mean . I'll probably go to a bigger service station next time.

[Type R Positive]

Thanks for the heads up HZ. I was planning to wash it myself fortnightly. And perhaps detail it myself too maybe 4 times a year or whenever the surface stops beading water. I bought a $50 bottle of Meguiar's NXT 2.0 Wax Sealant. I was going to used it after the first wash, but water was beading fine, so I thought I'd skip it til 3 months later, when the clear coat is worn off? I bought a bulk pack fo microfibre towels and keep one in the car with a bottle of water in case of bird poops. The car is garaged every night and I intend to keep it looking 'showroom' for many years.

I'd coat it straight away, The NXT is a great cleaner wax, meaning it cleans what ever is on your paint, then seals it. This also means you cannot layer it. It is a great sealant for filling swirls, and it lasts a fair ammount of time. I was actually going to suggest you get some of this stuff, because of it's filling ability, and it is so easy to use. It also looks great!

And, you don't want to wear off your clear coat LOL! I think you ment what ever protection/wax the dealer put on your car.

[MikesVtec]

Haha oh, I thought them dealers wouldn't put anything on as I didn't pay for any paint protection etc.

I will have something to do this weekend. Damn the Sydney weather this week though!

[Type R Positive]

Just a question to other owners, how many kms of running in does it take to return the 8.9L/100kms ADR figures? I m getting 11 - 12L/100kms figures so far. As for my driving style, I was able to get ADR figures of 10L/100km in my previous Accord.

Today I filled up at BP West Ryde. I was able to fill 69.67L @ $1.409/L = $98.17 after 569kms returning 12.24L/100kms, while the onboard display shows 10.6L/100kms as average. This is really weird because I still had 26kms left when I filled up and isn't the tank supposed to be 65L? It's small service station with 4 pumps, I thought it may be a little suss with the meter and all if you know what I mean . I'll probably go to a bigger service station next time.

That does sound right with your petrol fill up. Mine are about the same with that empty of a tank. You got to remember that 65L is just a guide.

I reset the trip meter every time I fill up, this resets all the readings.

I got a manual, I getting about 750kms out of a tank lately for comparison. Buddah got an auto, he gets like 1000kms out of a tank, but he is old and must drives ike a grandpa ROFL!
Hi Buddah!

Seriously, it gets better the more you drive it.

[Type R Positive]

Haha oh, I thought them dealers wouldn't put anything on as I didn't pay for any paint protection etc.

I will have something to do this weekend. Damn the Sydney weather this week though!

Nah, they will wax it to make it look good for delivery.
What they call paint protection is completely different. This is just sealant which they charge you super rediculous price for.

[denot]

I remember when i pick my cu2 after the 1st service n the staff said that my cu2 is currently being washed. But when i get it back its still dirty! Lol!!! Then they wash it "again" but this time come out with swirl marks!!! Since then i never allow dealer touch it! Better spend money on good RO for the black colour... Really hard to maintain mate...

[MikesVtec]

Hi denot, what did you upgrade to anyway? a BMW/Merc?

And what is RO?

Yeh I cringe when I see them use pressure spray.

[Type R Positive]

ro = random orbital. It will cost you about $200 for a decent one. Google DAS-6.
I got a megs g220.

[denot]

^^^ Like what Type R said... and yeah... its a merc

[HunterZero]

Haha oh, I thought them dealers wouldn't put anything on as I didn't pay for any paint protection etc.

The 'clear coat' is clear paint. Crystal black has a clear coat of paint over the colour coat. That doesn't come off... Well, you would hope it doesn't! So when you polish the car, you are removing scratches in the clear coat, not the colour paint.

You probably would have paid a 'dealer delivery charge', and that usually involves someone with a machine buffer going over the car with a scratch/swirl remover and waxing it, and results vary depending on whether or not the person doing it on the day knows what they are doing. Sometimes the car will be delivered covered in holograms and buffer trails, sometimes not.

So if you want to re-seal it now, then you'd need to give it a rub down with alcohol wipes or a wash it a few times with a stronger detergent to remove any wax from the dealer.

With getting black to look good, paint preparation is the key. There's no point sealing the paint if it's still marred and dirty.

Paint cleaner removes bonded contaminants.

Polishing is the process of removing or filling fine scratches and swirls to reduce their appearance. Most polishes contain fine abrasives for removing scratches. Some polishes contain fillers that reduce the appearance of fine scratches, but I have not found any of these products that is able to hide them completely. It can take a LOT of work to properly polish a car by hand. Polish can remove a fine layer of 'dead' oxidised paint to reveal shiny paint, adding gloss.

Adding sealant and wax won't hide any flaws in the paint, it just adds some protection to the paint from staining, less road grime will stick, and adds gloss. Note that some sealants will appear to reduce the clarity of the paint, and the flakes in the crystal black may look fuzzy afterwards. It can also make the car look a bit like it's wrapped in cling film. Wax has a much warmer gloss to it, and some sealants you can layer with wax on top. 'Paint protection' is just a fancy overpriced paint sealant.

In the mean time, you can probably get away with just carefully washing it for a month or two, then look at re-sealing/waxing. If the car isn't parked outside a lot, a wax will be enough, but you'll have to re-apply it every couple of months.

Other option is just to pay a pro like Dr Detail to do it and apply sealant.

And +1 to don't let the dealer wash it. They'll wipe it down afterwards with the rag they've used to wipe the crud of everyeone elses' cars that they've 'washed', and that's enough to marr the paint. Car wash cafes are not good either.

- HZ

[denot]

Rules:
No dealer wash, no car wash cafe, no car wash on shopping mall, no servo station car wash.