Richard2011

First of all, here's some background information on my dilemma. Last week, I was washing my car for the 2nd time, and I was washing it in the sun. After I was done, the paint was water spotted and had a gritty rough feeling. Two days ago, I took it to a new laser car wash place, and it was only slightly less gritty. So now I've decided to clay my car. It will be my first time doing this, and I just have a few questions.

Clay:
1) Wal-Mart has Turtle Wax Ice Clay and Meguiar's Smooth Clay, and Advance Auto Parts has Mother's clay (sold out last time I checked) and the Meguiar's kit previously mentioned. Which of these 3 would you recommend?

Polish:
1) Is polishing necessary between claying and waxing?

Wax:
1) I was thinking about using the Meguiar's NXT Tech Wax 2.0. Have any other recommendations?

Also, if you have any advice, please share.

bigben320e

I would ask some of the sponsors that do detailing, such as Greg DI. Those guys are pretty knowledgeable.

Here is what I would recommend, based on my experience and from others:

Clay:
1) I like the Meguiars kit the best. It comes with a supreme shine micro cloth, two clay bars with the storage container, and detail spray. The clay produced excellent results. Remember to knead and fold many times, especially if this is your first clay session. Very important to keep from debris scratching as you clay.

Outside of that, the Swissvax clay is tops as well but expensive.

Polish:
1) I have clayed, then polished and waxed the car and I get better results that way than just clay and wax.

Wax:
1) I have used the NXT 2.0 wax, and it was great but did not last very long. What worked better for me was to use the Meguiars #7 Pro glaze for polish and then follow up with the Yellow Wax #26 Meguiars, which is a mix of polymers and Carnauba. The car looked fantastic, and lasted for a few months.

I am considering trying either Pinnacle or Swissvax just to see if they are really worth it. Swissvax is supposedly made from the finest Carnauba collected by beautiful virgins in the Brazilian rain forest mountain tops, and worked by golden hands and blessed in Switzerland.

Richard2011

What parts of the car are not clayable, polishable, and/or waxable?

Arcoril

I've clayed just about every surface of my car. Glass, paint, and plastic. As long as you've got good lubrication and are using light to mild clay, go for it.

Polishing really should only be done when it's needed. If you're seeing things that need correction (swirls, holograms, etc.), go ahead and polish with the lightest type of polish that you can find gradually go more aggressive. Unless you're only polishing a small area, use a random orbital buffer and not a rotary one. It's much harder to damage your paint with a random orbital.

Remember that polishes contain abrasives and that they work by taking off clear coat. Most scratches can be easily avoided by working on a proper washing technique. Use two buckets. One dedicated to clean, soapy water and another dedicated to rinsing. Get a good microfiber mitt and use it only on your bodywork. Get another one for the wheels. Don't mix the two up and don't use the same soap/rinse buckets for that. Brake dust is metallic and will easily introduce swirls. Dry your car with a good waffle weave microfiber towel.

You may also want to consider using an acrylic paint sealant. I personally use Klasse Sealant Glaze, but there are other alternatives that work just as well. A sealant is layered on after all the surface preparation has been made. It offers very light scratch protection and lasts for 6-12 months. You can even wax over the sealant if you like the depth and shine that wax adds. However, you'll want to use a non-cleaner wax. NXT 2.0 is an example of a cleaner wax. It'll take off previously applied wax and may even cut into the sealant.

Richard2011

If polishing isn't necessary, I'd rather not do it. It's a fairly new car too, had it for 2 months so far. So I don't see a need for polishing. Could you recommend some reputable non-cleaner waxes that can be found in Advance Auto Parts or Wal-Mart?

Also, I'd like to know what surfaces I should not wax.

kickR

All your questions have already been answered in the Detailing section of this forum. You got several very qualified responses, even from Sponsors of this forum, so why do you open a new thread in a different category?

bigben320e

Check out:http://www.detailedimage.com/Auto-Detailing-Guide/

I don't clay or wax plastic area, emblems, badges, etc.

Richard2011

Thanks bigben320e and Arcoril for the info!
If anybody has anything else to add, please do.

2nice4me

Clay: I tried the Ice "clay" but found that it didn't do it for me, switched to the clay bar in the Mequires kit and have been happy with that.

Wax: I have used a range of products on this car (Ice, Zaino, Turtlewax, Nu finish) Zaino was not bad but found that dirt and rain really "clings" to it. Recently tried Mequires NXT 2 and am VERY pleased with the result. It goes on easy and comes off pretty good as well.

to keep it clean in between washes, I dust the car everyday with a microfibre "broom" (not sure what its called, $10 at walmart) and some Mequires detailer. It stays shinier then when I used Zaino and detailer. Like I mentioned, dust doesnt cling on as much now.

Just make sure you wash the microfibre OFTEN.

Richard2011

Good to know! I was planning on buying the Turtle Wax ICE clay kit because that's what my cousin uses. What about it wasn't right for you?

So you don't polish between claying and waxing?

2nice4me

The Ice Clay, as you know, is a liquid and you have to spread it over the car and then remove it. It's more work and I found that it didn't really remove the "gritty rough feeling" you describe.

Unlike the claybar which leaves no residue IF you keep the surface wet (Mequires kit comes with detailer spray to do just that). Once you use the claybar you will be amazed how smooth it feels.

Anyway, I highly recommend the NXT 2, its cheaper then Zaino and in my opinion it is works great, keep in mind that over I put three layers on the car (over a 10 day period).
Even right now I feel very little of the gritty stuff (been 6 days since washing).

boltsfan

All clay is made by the same manufacturer the same.... there is a patent by Auto Magic until 2011.

Get a plastic sandwich bag and put your hand inside and slide across the paint. If it feels gritty then the paint is contaminated and needs to be clayed. Depending on where you live and how you store your car when not driving you should only need to clay a couple of times a year as long as you keep a good coat of wax on.

Clay the whole car (everything) and use lots of detail spray. If you drop the clay bar on the ground throw it away. The tiniest piece of dust can scratch the entire car.

I use Adams Polishes products and find them to be the best.

http://www.adamspolishes.com/

mac911

Richard -

Hi there. I certainly recommend the Meguiar's clay kit.

Secondly, a polish will be more noticeable on a darker car, in my opinion, the extra oomph of polish doesn't last that long either.

For your first go, I'd just say use the clay and your NXT 2.0. Fine products. Also, practice doing the NXT 2.0 in VERY thin coats. Two VERY thin coats is better than 1 thick coat. I think you'll like the results.

Meguiarsonilne.com forum will help you out with any questions, they are great there.