Claybarring my new car

[csledd]

Well the dealership didn't do such a great job of prep, I think it's because I was too excited and wanted the car asap. Anyways, I have small white dots all over my new black paint. A bodyman at a different Ford dealership told me it looks just like some stuff from transportation, so I bought a claybar and cleaned a small area and it took the white dots off.

So, it looks like I need to claybar the whole car. I've never actually done this before so I was curious what the best route to go is. I don't think the dealership waxed my car before hand so should I just wash it, claybar it, then put on some wax? Any recommendations for brands? The claybar I bought is Mothers.

 

[MADGT]

Many ways to skin this cat, but you are pretty much right on. Have plenty of "lubricant" and knead the bar as you go along. The most critical thing--if you drop the bar or if it gets really dirty, switch it to a clean one. I normally break the clay bar in segments just for that purpose. Other than that, clay bar usage should be a breeze. As far as brands, I have used Maguires and Mothers with same results.

 

[Mylilpony]

invest in some zaino- awesome stuff. For now, clay it with what you have and put some meguiars wax on it.

 

[DKS]

Pretty much clay is clay. I haven't seen any that perform any different than any other one.

Wash, clay, wash, sealant or wax and you should be good to go.

It's really easy to do, just follow the directions.

And if you've got a black car you should read the thread that is linked in my signature and pay close attention to the washing section. It will save you a lot of headache with swirls in the future.

 

[Mylilpony]

I have used mothers clay before and found it to be not as good as meguiars- it seemed to be a lot softer. softer clay may be better for the job, but its a lot harder to work with. maybe it was just the bar I had, I dont know. zaino and meguiars seem to feel the same to me (just different colors).

 

[csledd]

Pretty much clay is clay. I haven't seen any that perform any different than any other one.

Wash, clay, wash, sealant or wax and you should be good to go.

It's really easy to do, just follow the directions.

And if you've got a black car you should read the thread that is linked in my signature and pay close attention to the washing section. It will save you a lot of headache with swirls in the future.

Thanks, I read your other post and I definitely need a grit guard, I will pick one up before washing it again. I've only had the car a week and only got to wash it once (raining so much here) and I used Turtle Wax Car Wash (suds seemed pretty good) and a microfiber cloth to wash it. I usually always go side to side instead of circles while washing. And I used a chamois to dry, I don't have a leaf blower

 

[06silverbullet]

wash it thoroughly before going at it with a claybar, polish it and seal it with wax. make sure you park it in the shade you want to do it when the sheet metal is cool.

if you use microfiber rags like i do and suggest make sure they don't have any tags on them if they do rip them off.

 

[csledd]

I think I am going to pick up a cheap leaf blower to dry the car for now on.

I picked up some Meguiars Ultimate Compound and some of their wax. The bottle says to use their microfiber rag or a 100% terry cloth rag to remove the stuff. Would any clean microfiber cloth work? I just don't want to clean the stuff off and scratch it with a MF cloth if that's not the best route.

 

[DKS]

You want to get the most plush ones you can find. Wal-mart has some Yellow ones that are very plush in a 2 pack for $3 something. I love them!!

 

[csledd]

I got a plush one but I think it needs to be washed first because I sit it on the car and there was lint left every where haha.

I washed it following your steps and it went pretty well. I couldn't find a grit guard anywhere but did the 2 bucket method and I got a leaf blower. I started the claybar action but it started to get too hot outside so I had to stop, I'll continue later on!

 

[csledd]

Another question.. Is it safe to use Ultimate Compound with just a microfiber pad or cloth to get small swirls out? They're not really swirls but I'm just worried they'll get worse, they're more just lines.

 

[DKS]

I'll answer that question in the Detailing sticky linked in my sig. Just to try to keep all that stuff in one place. I'll quote your post there.

 

[NastyStang113]

Read the sticky!