I'm looking to do the first detail on my week-old MCS this weekend. My level of commitment would accept the following routine, just wondering if it sounds reasonable and prudent:

1) wash car with Meguiars car wash
2) clay bar
3) repeat step 1
4) hand-apply a coat of Meguiars NXT wax

Or, do I need a polish in between the clay bar and the wax? Since the paint is so new, I was thinking/hoping I won't need that extra step, but I'll do it if need be.

Thanks in advance.

 

I'm no detailing guru, but I thought that the clay bar was used to get contaminants out of the paint? Why take this step on new paint?

 

Seems reasonable to me (...not an expert either). There is talk of rail dust (dust from rail or other transport) as a possible contaminant even on new cars, so I'd do the clay bar. I think you're safe skipping the polish step though.

 

You definitely want to claybar your car ASAP after pickup. There are all kinds of crap (and probably your dealer's weak attempt at a "detail&quot on top of your paint right now. Do a nice wash with Dawn (probably wouldn't hurt to do TWO washes); dry; then clay bar; then use the protectant of your choice. I used to be a huge Carnauba guy, but now I'm really big on the synthetics (acrylics and whatnot: Zaino and Klasse are the big standouts). Then you might top with a glossifier (a "touch-up" style spray). That's about it.

 

Most definitely do the claying - - use plenty of lubricant and stretch and fold the clay frequently!

A good test for embedded “stuff” is to put your hand in a sandwich bag - this thin fold over kind, not a ziplock - and run your hand lightly over the paint. If you feel any bumps, then claying is called for.

As for a polish step, it depends on how many swirl marks your dealer installed during pre-delivery prep.

If you haven’t already purchased NXT, I’d suggest that you rethink your choice of wax/sealant. You may want to do a search on Autopia for NXT.

 

>>If you haven’t already purchased NXT, I’d suggest that you rethink your choice of wax/sealant. You may want to do a search on Autopia for NXT.

I just finished reading that mile long Zaino vs. NXT thread. While it seems that the Zaino system is more complete and probably "better," I'm not enough of a detailing zealot to go through the Zaino process. In light of that, the NTX sounds (by most accounts) to be a good, reasonably-priced product that probably matches up well with my level of commitment. However, I'd certainly be open to suggestions.

Thanks much for the post, glad to hear that the notion of using the clay bar right away wasn't off base.

 

The easy to use product that has given me the best results is the Platinum Ultimate Paint Cleanser (PUPC), Platinum Ultimate Paint Protection (PUPP), and Platinum Ultimate Gloss Enhancer (PUGE). This product line has recently been renamed to Four Star in place of Platinum due to trademark hassles. It’s available from AutoGeek.

Available from the same source is the Wolfgang product line. As yet I haven’t tried it, but it has received excellent reviews.

 

Check out http://www.griotsgarage.com for their great line of car car products including clay bar and wax. They also have a car care handbook that is pretty good at explaining waxing, polishing and the use of clay bars. Even if you don't use their stuff the handbook is worth the $$...............mgg

 

>>Most definitely do the claying - - use plenty of lubricant and stretch and fold the clay frequently!
>>
>>

I can't stress this enough. I scratched my S because I did not stretch and fold enough.

 

>>I can't stress this enough. I scratched my S because I did not stretch and fold enough.


Those of you who have not used a clay bar before may want to read this claying thread before your first try at claying.

Use plenty of lubricant! Don’t bother buying a dedicated lubricant - - your car wash solution is just as good, but use it very liberally. It's much less expensive than your paint!

 

Here's more information:

http://www.bettercarcare.com/articles.php?articleId=14

db

 

That’s a good article, but I take exception to one of the tips.

The author says, “Check the clay bar frequently for hard particles. When found, pick them off. Make it a habit to occasionally knead and reform the bar so that a fresh portion of the bar contacts your car's paint.”

Do check for hard particles and if found then picking them off is okay, but don’t knead and reform the clay. This will likely leave some contaminants on the surface! Think back to when you played with clay in kindergarten - - kneading and reforming soon left “stuff” on the reformed surface.

Instead of kneading stretching and folding will always give you a fresh and uncontaminated working surface. Use only one side of the clay pattie and when it has contaminants, then stretch along one axis until you have doubled the length of the bar, then fold it in half with the dirty side in, and now you will have two pristine surfaces. After several stretch/fold cycles you’ll see that after stretching there is “stuff” on the “new” side. Now it’s time to discard this piece of clay and start with a fresh piece.

David B - are you David Bynon?

 

Hi Nick,

Yep, I'm David Bynon.

I understand your issue with remolding the clay. However, I have been working with the major clay manufacturers for several years and they all agree it is the best and safe way to use their product. Remolding the clay allows you to use all of the clay possible. I have clayed hundreds of cars and have not had a single incident of scratching or micromarring of the paint surface. That's just my experience. Everyone should do what makes them feel most comfortable.

db

 

David - -

You are absolutely right about kneading allowing you to use all of the clay possible, but with the relatively low cost of clay (compared to the effort required to deal with marring) I don’t think that kneading is justified.

It’s my guess that you are much more careful than the typical amateur user (like me) when claying, and as a result you get better results. As had been said many time, the techniques used are much more important that the products used!

 

Here is a link to an excellent Detailing eBook written by DavidB. Check it out - it costs about $15, and is well worth the small cost. The first 7 chapters are (or at least used to be) free.

 

>>Here is a link to an excellent Detailing eBook written by DavidB. Check it out - it costs about $15, and is well worth the small cost. The first 7 chapters are (or at least used to be) free.
>>

Nick,

Thanks for the plug, but perhaps this community would enjoy this version a bit more:

http://www.nacarcare.com/lib/minicarcare/MINI.EXE

It was customized for NAM. Save the file to your Windows desktop and click the car icon to run. Please use the "Register" link to register you copy so I can keep you current when I make changes. My security policy regarding your email address is on the About page.

Mac users can access the information online (email me at david@autopia.org for the code).

Cheers!
db