To Clay or not to clay????

[Stndbck]

The weather is finally turning in NJ and I am trying to decide :

First- Do I need to claybar the car?
Second- What brand of clay bar / product is the best?
Third- Whats the best wax product to use after?

Any experienced opinions on this would be appreciated!!!!!!

 

[Wyld]

Mothers clay bar kit, comes with everything you need and works good. And some micro fiber towels!

 

[Redwolf]

First- It never hurts to claybar a vehicle. Keep in mind that it will remove all contaminants you can't see with your eyes to include any wax you have on there. Waxing afterwards is mandatory.

Second- I agree with Wyld, Mothers claybar and I also use their wax. The "Reflections" line Mothers carries is very good and hard to find in my area. I get a couple bottles when I to car shows.

Third- When you use the clay bar, remember to keep the paint surface wet with the supplied spray in the kit. A straight back and forth motion moving slow and work in small areas only. Spray the paint in a 12 by 12 inch area and use the clay bar with several wipes. Use a dry microfiber towel to clean the area and move on to the next small area. It takes some time, but worth it.

 

[07ToRcH]

I used the meguiars clay bar kit, and It worked pretty well, Take your time and have a friend help you, It will be easier with Two ppl.

 

[thecarter13]

+1 to what everyone said above, the Mother's/Meguiars clay bar kits are both very good i however choose the Meguiars just cause (really don't know why, get a little more lube i think.) You can usually get them at any local auto store too so thats nice.

Second thing to save some supplies go ahead and mix half the Quick Detail with distilled/purified water and it will last twice as long, if its being used just as clay lube, if you want it as a quick detail then don't.

Also when was the last time you clay bared/washed/waxed/etc etc because a more aggressive clay may needed, look to a clay magic blue bar or one on the same level. They cost quite a bit more 25$ roughly but if a car has never been clay bared (or rarely) then sometimes the Mothers/Meguiars won't always take all of the contaminants out while that is rare it is just something to look at.

Lastly, when working with the clay like Redwolf said keep the surface well lubricated, and also make sure the paint is cool. I tend to however work a larger area roughly 2'x2' to 3'x3'. When claying try and listen because you can actually hear the clay pulling up all of the contaminants. It almost sounds like scratching (weird) best way to describe it really. Also do multiple passes and you will notice the clay will begin to get really dirty which then you should renead it and use a clean area of it. oh yeah don't drop the clay on the ground if you do toss it right away, it will pick up so many contaminants from the ground that it will actual scratch and mar the paint. i think this is the last, i use 2 micro fibers when i do clay because one will tend to become soaked up with quick detail/clay lube, so use one to dry quickly then the other to ensure a complete dry surface.

Now on to wax,

questions for you now, do you want that super shine with lots of depth or the longer lasting type? secondly do you have a machine to apply with such as a Porter Cable 7424, Cyclo, etc. Lastly how much you looking to spend. I know that is a blunt type of question there but waxes can be as cheap as 7 dollars to 1200, and all differ in depth, shine, durability, ease of use, color of car, etc etc

here are some waxes that i use on occasion (depending on client ya know) and offer good results with good durability.

Klasse High Gloss Sealant
PoorBoy's World EX-P Pure Sealant (also one with Carnuaba)
Collinate #845
Megs #26
PoorBoy's World Natty's Wax (regular for light cars, blue for dark)
S100

I could name out a ton more but those are in a moderate price range (roughly 15-25 dollars and yield very good results.)

thanks and pm or email me if you need help and what not

 

[FalconGTHO]

The weather is finally turning in NJ and I am trying to decide :

First- Do I need to claybar the car?
Second- What brand of clay bar / product is the best?
Third- Whats the best wax product to use after?

Any experienced opinions on this would be appreciated!!!!!!

Yes.

I use Mothers California Gold. Mequiars is every bit as good.

You need multiple steps, not just one.

First, wash the car with Lysol Lemon Liquid, to strip old wax and any other scuzz.

Clay bar. DONT bother to wipe the fluid residue off.

Wash again with normal car soap. I use Meguiars Deep Crystal.

Next, polish. This brings out gloss and color depth. I use Megs Number 7 Show Car Glaze.

Next, seal. I use Megs NXT 2.0.

Last, wax. I use Megs Number 26 Yellow Wax.

But, regardless of products used, you need to polish, seal and wax. Once done, you can wax as needed, eventually repeating this entire process depending on how much outside exposure your car sees.

If you need pics to see the results of these efforts, I have plenty to pick from. They speak for themsevles.

 

[SteveP]

Ive used both clay bars and I prefer the Megiuars way over mothers. You can feel the difference with the clay plus the detail spray from mothers feels like just water. You will use the mothers clay much quicker then the megiuars one.

For wax, the cleaner wax is comes with is fine but if you wanna step up and spend some time..... Megiuars just came out with 2 new products (amazing!!) Ulimate Compound and a new Stratch X. I used those instead of the cleaner wax then I used the #7 polish, then the NXT wax, and then the #27 Yellow Gloss!

you will spend ALL day but its so nice. Ill post pictures of mine and show how it looks later this week.

So the steps are:
1. Meguiars Gold Class(wash car)
2. Meguiars Clay Bar
3. Meguiars Stratch X2
4. Meguiars Ulimate Compound
5. Megiuars #7 Polish
6. Meguiars NXT Wax 2.0
7. Meguiars #26 Yellow Wax(Gloss)
8. Meguiars Ulimate Detailer Spray w/ Meguiars Microfiber towel (final wipe down)

 

[Bingo]

I have nothing to add, but just make sure you have an entire day, like SKEETER said, if you want to do it right.

 

[Mick]

I use Adams products. To each his own, they all will work. Take your time.

 

[Bingo]

So the steps are:
1. Meguiars Gold Class(wash car)
2. Meguiars Clay Bar
3. Meguiars Stratch X2
4. Meguiars Ulimate Compound
5. Megiuars #7 Polish
6. Meguiars NXT Wax 2.0
7. Meguiars #26 Yellow Wax(Gloss)
8. Meguiars Ulimate Detailer Spray w/ Meguiars Microfiber towel (final wipe down)

I did this - well some of it - this weekend. Washed it, clayed it, used ScratchX with an orbital, then I wiped on some Mother's cleaner wax. I should really get myself some plain paste wax.

I washed it Saturday and did the rest Sunday...and that was a few hours' worth of work...but at least I won't be doing it all again for a while.

 

[Steedman07]

I did this - well some of it - this weekend. Washed it, clayed it, used ScratchX with an orbital, then I wiped on some Mother's cleaner wax. I should really get myself some plain paste wax.

I washed it Saturday and did the rest Sunday...and that was a few hours' worth of work...but at least I won't be doing it all again for a while.

I did the same thing this weekend, but the paint didnt need to be clay barred this time...wash, scratch x w/ orbital, then I applied and removed by hand NXT tech wax 2.0(I LOVE this stuff) and a final spray/wipe down with Ultimate quick detailer to the whole car and all the nooks and cranny's..Took about 6 hours total, including the engine bay, interior and leather, rims/tires and wheel wells, and a few suspension components(sway bars, lca's etc They are all blue)..
I was very happy with the result..

 

[Bingo]

I did the same thing this weekend, but the paint didnt need to be clay barred this time...wash, scratch x w/ orbital, then I applied and removed by hand NXT tech wax 2.0(I LOVE this stuff) and a final spray/wipe down with Ultimate quick detailer to the whole car and all the nooks and cranny's..Took about 6 hours total, including the engine bay, interior and leather, rims/tires and wheel wells, and a few suspension components(sway bars, lca's etc They are all blue)..
I was very happy with the result..

Man, I didn't even touch the engine bay or wheels (only other thing I did was windows - I HATE dirty glass). It's a lot of work and I don't even feel like driving it when I finish...the fact that it's been raining doesn't help things.

Does the NXT leave powder after you wipe it off? This Mother's cleaner wax left powder all over the place, which was quite annoying.

 

[Steedman07]

Man, I didn't even touch the engine bay or wheels (only other thing I did was windows - I HATE dirty glass). It's a lot of work and I don't even feel like driving it when I finish...the fact that it's been raining doesn't help things.

Does the NXT leave powder after you wipe it off? This Mother's cleaner wax left powder all over the place, which was quite annoying.

No powder at all, you just have to shake the microfiber towel out a few times..It doesnt leave white crap everywhere either, like in the cracks and stuff..You can aplly it to the whole car, let it dry, then remove it all at once..using the Ultimate quick detailer on the whole car with another microfiber towel when your done really finishes it off nicely...And ya, after busting your ass for hours on it, it hurts to drive it after all that..But the compliments from people are good too

 

[Vapour Trails]

You guys have a lot of time on your hands. I'm lucky if I can get around to washing her once a week.

 

[Bingo]

You guys have a lot of time on your hands. I'm lucky if I can get around to washing her once a week.

During the cold months, I'm lucky if I can wash it once a month.

Working on Saturdays and nights and going to school during the day doesn't help much for time either. But now that the sun is out longer and it's getting warmer, I can do some stuff Saturday night and Sunday if I have time.

 

[slammed 06]

I find using maguires clay bar to last the longest but where most people use some type of spray wax to keep the area wet is where I differ.

I use simply green where it will offer a two part benifit.
1. This is a cleaning product that isn't harmful to the surface and will help clean your paint.
2. There is no lubicant that will out do keeping the suface lubricated and as above mentioned as well.
3. This will help cross contaminating waxes where as when you use a spray wax the first thing you should do is take off the excess before applying the next step. One of the biggest problems people run into is having swirls and that is usaly from crossing waxes from using the same pad to apply or removal or leaving the spray wax on and going to the next step or simply a build up.
4.When you use simply for clay baring the only thing is rinsing afterwards. The need for using a high end car wash at this point is not only a moot point but adding a form of wax that is intended for washing in between rounds of full detail just shammy the car off and begin what the people before have said.
I have used meguires and adams products and love them both.
This is a pic of my 93 sporting the original ford paint that at the time of the pic the paint was 11 years old and you could still dive into it not to metion it is a light colored paint with iluminesent lighting.

 

[Steedman07]

I find using maguires clay bar to last the longest but where most people use some type of spray wax to keep the area wet is where I differ.

I use simply green where it will offer a two part benifit.
1. This is a cleaning product that isn't harmful to the surface and will help clean your paint.
2. There is no lubicant that will out do keeping the suface lubricated and as above mentioned as well.
3. This will help cross contaminating waxes where as when you use a spray wax the first thing you should do is take off the excess before applying the next step. One of the biggest problems people run into is having swirls and that is usaly from crossing waxes from using the same pad to apply or removal or leaving the spray wax on and going to the next step or simply a build up.
4.When you use simply for clay baring the only thing is rinsing afterwards. The need for using a high end car wash at this point is not only a moot point but adding a form of wax that is intended for washing in between rounds of full detail just shammy the car off and begin what the people before have said.
I have used meguires and adams products and love them both.
This is a pic of my 93 sporting the original ford paint that at the time of the pic the paint was 11 years old and you could still dive into it not to metion it is a light colored paint with iluminesent lighting.

hmm..something to think about..Will Simple green remove everything that was on the car? I like the idea of starting from a clean slate. Is that similiar to some sort of paint cleaner? Where it would remove everything down to the clearcoat?

 

[SteveP]

I used simple green on my motor as well. Works great.

 

[SteveP]

I did this - well some of it - this weekend. Washed it, clayed it, used ScratchX with an orbital, then I wiped on some Mother's cleaner wax. I should really get myself some plain paste wax.

I washed it Saturday and did the rest Sunday...and that was a few hours' worth of work...but at least I won't be doing it all again for a while.

Good start but using the cleaner wax should go on before the scratch x.

Next time try using the compound and swirlx instead of the cleaner wax and stratch x.

 

[DusterRT]

You guys have a lot of time on your hands. I'm lucky if I can get around to washing her once a week.

+1. I haven't even waxed mine yet. I feel like DCFS is going to come after my ass soon.