Hey folks!

I've had my car (AB/AB MCS) for a little over a month now, and it's time to clean her up!

I can't wash my car in my apartment complex (our storm drains empty out right into the river next to us) but there's a car wash with self-service bays right in town. All I had until today was a bucket and some Windex, with absolutely no clue as to what I should use to clean my car for the first time! I took it through a car wash right after I got it, because it was absolutely plastered with bugs after the 900-mile drive from the dealership. I don't plan on using a car wash again, however. But I figured just once can't hurt. My antenna is still intact and there's no water sloshing around anywhere inside the car.

Anyway, today I went out and bought a few things from the local auto supply store. They had Meguiar's stuff, but that's about all. I picked up some Meguiar's soap, a sheepskin mitt, and some ammonia-free window wash.

I wiped down my wheels with some old cut-up cotton shirts that had seen better days, so those are looking good. LOTS of brake dust, holy cow!

The next step is to go to the car wash tomorrow and actually give it a wash. I don't have any wax, clay, or anything yet. I'm thinking of buying a couple of starter kits from Griot's and Zaino to see which I like better. But for now, what I REALLY need is just a clean car! It's pretty gritty and nasty. Ew. It makes me sad.

One question I have is this: would I benefit at all from a claying at this point? My car is only one month old, so I'm not sure how much embedded gunk could be cleaned off at this point. I read agranger's My Detailed Detailing Post to get an idea of the wash-clay-wax-spiff-up procedure and it sounds like washing every week is a good idea, but claying and waxing is only something that needs to be done every few months or so, depending on how dirty your car gets. Is this everyone's experience? How long did you wait to wax/clay/etc. your new car after you bought it? Mine's still pretty shiny.

 

according to just about the planet, you should claybar it now as their are many contaminants from "rail cars" on your paint.

If that isnt true, you still should claybar from the start. It cant hurt the paint, only help it. i couldnt imagine waxing without doing it if the car is used normally and isnt a show only car.

 

do a 'clean as glass' test with your finger tips. if you feel any bumps
on the panel, you got contamination that your clay can remove.

you may not need to do the entire car. but usually the bonnet, roof, and
boot can use it. be VERY CAREFUL when you do the boot not to catch
any sand that might still be there after a wash. sand usually traps itself
on the rear wiper blade, around the boot window trim, around license
plate area, around emblems, and around the gate opening.

if your clay catches the sand (even one sand) and you rub back and
forth... yep, swirls the paint pretty badly.

 

Cool! I'll see if there's any gunk after washing tomorrow. I'm thinking maybe I'll clay it anyway, just for the heck of it. I've never done it before, so I need the practice, right? ... Right?!

 

It can't hurt to clay now... Jango was pretty clean when I first picked him up, but I could definately feel a difference before and after claying, so something must have been there.

I don't clay every time that I layer on more Zaino... usually only once, maybe twice a year, depending on how the finish feels and how much time I've got on my hands.

I try and put a coat of Zaino on every few months, though. Jango is due for a coat right now...

 

[quote=kenchan]do a 'clean as glass' test with your finger tips. if you feel any bumps
on the panel, you got contamination that your clay can remove.quote]

A cool trick for doing the 'clean as glass' test is to put a plastic baggie over your finger tips. The baggie will increase your sensitivity to the "bumps" and you'll have a more accurate gauge of how bad the paint needs to be clayed.

This trick is also very useful while claying. As you clay, you should monitor the condition of the paint to see if you need to keep claying or if you're done. If you don't use the baggie, it's likely you'll stop claying too soon.

Just try it and you'll see exactly what I mean- try gliding your finger tips on the paint with and without the baggie. It's actually pretty cool!

-Heather

 

fingernails.

THis is the reason I am refusing to have the car detailed by my mini place. They look quite decent, BUT...

When I went by last week, I dragged fingernails accross the door lightly. I felt little flecks in it. They didnt claybar.

There is no reason not to claybar besides saving time.

 

[QUOTE=Detailers Paradise]
interesting.... is there a specific micron we need to use? or can
we use plastic wrap instead?

 

Any sandwich baggie will do... the thickness of the plastic shouldn't matter much unless it's reeeeeally thick or something. Plastic wrap would work too, but will be harder to hold on to. The baggie works best -generic, Glad, or whatever.

Just stick your hand into the baggie and glide your tips over the paint.

 

I do the same test with whatever plastic bag I can find in the garage. Usually it's a plastic grocery bag.

 

Hey there!

Check out this thread for kit availability from a bunch of vendors. I like the acrylic polish/gloss stuff myself. Low maintenance. We like helping people spend their money!

I only waited a month (scheduling) to clay and polish my new MINI. Now, I try to do the clay/wax/polish once in the spring and once in the fall. But I'm a lazy son of a gun. Folks can and do the claying, waxing, etc., whenever they want. I know a fella who does the routine nearly every month.

More importantly, have fun!