I'm on vacation for 2 weeks, so I decided to detail the ride. Spent a few hours washing and clay baring. Then finished w/ NXT 2.0 sealant. If you have never took a clay bar to your car, I highly recommend that you take time to do so. You will be amazed at the amount of gunk that is in your clear coat.

I know, this thread is worthless w/o pics. So, here you go (please excuse the crappy cell pics).

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Looks good man!

awesome Job!

Those clay bars work wonders! And you would never think that all that crud was on there too. For those of you that have never used one of those kits, the next time you wash your car.............go to the hood and run your hand on the paint. If it isn't super smooth and can feel (if its really bad you can hear!) it a bit rough, those are contaminates that fall on the paint and stick to it.

Sorry to go OT, the ride came out clean!

Is there a particular brand that works best, or just any clay bar?

Is there a particular brand that works best, or just any clay bar?

Just about anyone of those kits will do the job. But some like to stick with their "preferred" brand. I've also heard that some clay bars differ in their "grit", they work much like sandpaper only on a much finer level of course. Some brands are much finer and will give you much better results as others may be a bit more harsh on the paint.

im kind of nervous when it comes to putting a clay bar to my car so idk

Looks really good, all the hard work detailing always pays off in the end when you can step back and see how good the car looks . Good choice of wax/sealant, that stuff lasts a long time on a car. A good test for seeing if a car needs to be clay barred is put a plastic bag over your hand a run it over the paint of the clean car, you will be able to feel everything. Meguiars or Mothers claybar kits both work equally well for normal conditions without being too harsh.

Thanks guys, makes the hard work worth it. Too bad you can't see much depth on a light colored car.

I used Meguiars clay bar kit but like elcompalalo said, any will work. I did it about a week after I got the car last Feb. and there was a lot of rail dust from shipping. This second time wasn't as bad. The plastic bag trick really works.

Malibu on 22's, if you're nervous, the best way is to be cautious and use a kit, but also take some early steps that will make you a bit more comfortable.

Give the car a rinse, and a complete gentle wash with car washing soap, then a complete and gentle wash with a good mixture of dawn dishwashing detergent. Make sure you stick to the paint panels with this, and it will strip off all wax, most dirt (through the two washes), and you'll be left with less to grab with the clay(mostly the stuff that the clay is NEEDED for.) With the car being as clean as possible with tools other than clay first, you make things easier on the clay and dont force it to pick up things you could have done without it. The bar will also stay clean longer, though, so you may want to toss it once it starts to get even slightly dirty (with only rail dust and true clayable contaminants, the bar will be a medieval mace on your paint before it LOOKS truly as dirty as you are used to.)

Also, keep in mind that the bar removes the imperfections but afterwards you really should also use a polish(level of agressiveness as needed, probably light to glaze) on the paint to smooth things over. At the very least, however, to fill in where the imperfections were get a layer of paste wax that you plan to upkeep and apply it by hand so that it fills things in. (Some people are not comfortable for various reasons using polishes and thats something that everyone needs to respect IMO)

The Meguiar's kit is good, affordable, and comes with two bars for when you drop the first one.... If you drop the clay bar, dont skimp on this part, throw it away! Also, like engineer said using a plastic bag to see where imperfections are is a great way to see where/how bad the contaminants are.

Just some thoughts, hopefully some help, from my experiences.

Yesterday I used a Mother's clay bar kit on my brand new LTZ, the results came out great. The only thing to be mindful of when clay barring is to lubricate the surface of the clay and then liberally lubricate the surface while you're claying, if you don't do this the clay will stick. What I did was had the clay in one hand and the spray bottle in the other and did a couple of squirts on each new area I moved to. It was pretty crazy how much surface contaminant came off the brand new paint job on that car. As the clay picks up junk, pick out any big pieces and then just keep refolding the clay to get it clean again. There are some great how-to videos on www.meguiars.com that show how to do it.

Yesterday I used a Mother's clay bar kit on my brand new LTZ, the results came out great. The only thing to be mindful of when clay barring is to lubricate the surface of the clay and then liberally lubricate the surface while you're claying, if you don't do this the clay will stick. What I did was had the clay in one hand and the spray bottle in the other and did a couple of squirts on each new area I moved to. It was pretty crazy how much surface contaminant came off the brand new paint job on that car. As the clay picks up junk, pick out any big pieces and then just keep refolding the clay to get it clean again. There are some great how-to videos on www.meguiars.com that show how to do it.

Not surprised, new cars tend to sit out in the open sun alot before purchase but it even worse when they aren't out on the lot yet. All dusty/dirty/grimy while being transported or sitting in some lot waiting for their spot on the dealer's inventory. Very important to always keep some lubrication between the paint surface and clay bar, it will make the task much easier and faster.

Very beautiful, man! I love the NXT 2.0 myself. Like some of the more knowledgeable folks here say, a good wash or two first is definately the way to go.

When I first heard about the claying idea, I was a bit skeptical. But my buddy was insistent that it was a necessary tool to a thorough clean. Once I did it, I couldn't believe the results! The same guy also told me about Nevr Dull for chrome, that others have mentioned here a few times.

Quik Detailer of Meguires and then using the clay bar tends to work best for me. I have found some inexpensive, soft, white clay bars locally that work very well for this. Thorough wash first and then the NXT after and brilliant all around! I recently did this for my father on his Fusion and he could not believe the difference from a simple wash/wax to this.

I wanna wax mine this weekend. So I should wash it, clay bar it, then wax it, right?

I wanna wax mine this weekend. So I should wash it, clay bar it, then wax it, right?

Correct. Wash to remove surface dirt, clay to get off all the bonded surface contaminants (tree sap, rail dust, etc...), wax to protect your now smooth paint.

Thanks, Boodah!.

Sorry for the noob question here, but I've never used a clay bar before. Is there a rating system like there is for sandpaper or rubbing compounds? If so, do I need just one (probably, right?) or should I have two or more different "grits"?

Any particular brand that works best?

From what I've seen around the forum, no matter what I get I should get two of the same, and if it drops on the ground I should toss it and move on. Any input on this as well?

Thanks in advance, guys! ;)

Thanks, Boodah!.

Sorry for the noob question here, but I've never used a clay bar before. Is there a rating system like there is for sandpaper or rubbing compounds? If so, do I need just one (probably, right?) or should I have two or more different "grits"?

Any particular brand that works best?

From what I've seen around the forum, no matter what I get I should get two of the same, and if it drops on the ground I should toss it and move on. Any input on this as well?

Thanks in advance, guys! ;)

Questions are really the only way I learned to do this in the first place :) Before my comments , I just wanted to real quick say thanks for the writeup on the LED install. First, that was simply amazing, and second, while I probably won't be doing the blinkers, I have been looking into changing the interior lights of the doors as well as the speakers. That post helped me in so many ways. So again, thanks and I hope my comments help you regarding the clay.

Honestly, to the rating system, I do not know, but I have used the clay bay in the Meguire's clay kit as well as trying a couple different types of pure white clay that I picked up at a local Hobby Lobby store. I have noticed no difference in the result of the work and I continue to see the little flecks and pieces of dirt the clay picks up. These are just simple blocks of white clay, much like those in the kit, but cheaper. They run me roughly $1.50 or $2 a piece depending on when I buy them. Inexpensive, really, considering what it does for the car.

I tried a 'hard' type and a 'soft' type. I prefer the soft type simply because it is more malleable in my hand and does the same job. I combine it with a latex glove (the kind you can get 100 of in a small box for five bucks at Walmart), using Meguire's Quick Detailer spray for lubrication and go through the process that way. Both clays I picked up resulted in the same glossy/smooth feel at the end of the whole process. I just like the soft for the reasons above.

In regards to dropping, yeah, I toss my clay out too if it hits the ground. Way too many small bits and pieces of miscellaneous things on the ground for me to want to use it again.

Also, when you do it for the first time, you might want to have a couple bars extra at least. I would advise trying it out on either the hood or the trunk first. Do one half of lets just say the hood, wipe it off (I like using microfiber cloths during the claying and waxing process) and then run your hands on each half at the same time. You should feel a difference.

When you make a couple swipes with the clay, take a look at the side you just used and compare it to one of the other clay bars you have to see what you've picked up. My first time through shocked the crap out of me. I used up both bars in the clay kit the initial time. Subsequent times have not even used up one bar each time. One of the things I do, and others I know of have done, is to use your hand and kind of press it, stretch it and press it again to reveal a new clean surface of clay. However, when that process no longer results in a clean surface, it's time for a new bar, imho. Once it starts looking grey, I toss it. I hope this helps!

Hey, wow, thanks for the kudos! Glad my stuff helped you. And thanks for the real nice write up above. So long as the weather cooperates Sunday I'll be working on my finish. And you know I'll be running in and out checking your instructions to be sure I do it right! Thanks for taking the time!

Great info Emmexx, but for you DrivenDaily I would get a kit first so you can see what the clay bar looks like and it comes with the detailer you need for lubrication. Now after you have seen the clay bar you can go out and find a cheaper alternative like Emmexx. Another tip is to work in 2x2 squares so you don't get ahead of your self.

Like Emmexx said, do half and check your results. This will give you inspiration to do the rest just as thorough as the first little bit. You will know you did it right when you try to set the detailing bottle on a complete panel and it slides right off.

Just be warned, once you clay bar a ride, you will do it to all your rides. The result is life changing.

Great info Emmexx, but for you DrivenDaily I would get a kit first so you can see what the clay bar looks like and it comes with the detailer you need for lubrication. Now after you have seen the clay bar you can go out and find a cheaper alternative like Emmexx. Another tip is to work in 2x2 squares so you don't get ahead of your self.

Like Emmexx said, do half and check your results. This will give you inspiration to do the rest just as thorough as the first little bit. You will know you did it right when you try to set the detailing bottle on a complete panel and it slides right off.

Cool, thanks a bunch! I'm going to AutoZone tonight and get the kit!

*chokes back tears* This site rocks!

Hey, wow, thanks for the kudos! Glad my stuff helped you. And thanks for the real nice write up above. So long as the weather cooperates Sunday I'll be working on my finish. And you know I'll be running in and out checking your instructions to be sure I do it right! Thanks for taking the time!

Welcome :)

Great info Emmexx, but for you DrivenDaily I would get a kit first so you can see what the clay bar looks like and it comes with the detailer you need for lubrication. Now after you have seen the clay bar you can go out and find a cheaper alternative like Emmexx.

Thanks, engineer25 :) I should have said that the kit was vital to start. Don't know how I missed that, but yeah, lol oops! Sorry about that, Driven!

Just be warned, once you clay bar a ride, you will do it to all your rides. The result is life changing.

100% agree. This is one of those things I looked at after doing it and wondered how I could ever not do it again preceding a wax. I've turned it on to several friends over the past year with near similar resulting viewpoints.

Cool, thanks a bunch! I'm going to AutoZone tonight and get the kit!

*chokes back tears* This site rocks!

Good luck to you on your Sunday clean :) And yeah, this is a great site with some seriously knowledgeable, helpful and enthusiastic people. Props to all of you making it that way.

I also agree that starting off with a kit the first time is the right way to go, that way you get everything in one shot. I bought the Mother's kit, the Meguiar's kit is also a good one; both come with detailing spray, 2 clay bars, a microfiber towel and, in the case of the Meguiar's kit, a small bottle of wax (I didn't care about that, I use NXT and not the wax included in the Meguiar's kit). Another important tip is to never use the entire bar at once. What I do is break it up into smaller pieces (thirds or fourths), that way if you drop the piece you can chuck it out without dumping an entire bar. Other than that just follow the instructions on the box and don't be surprised that the entire process is far easier than you may think. Just go by feel, when the clay is sliding smoothly your surface is good and it's time to move to a new area.

Also, if you do the 50/50 trick, take a cheap plastic grocery bag and feel through that (put your hand in the bag). This will eliminate some friction and make it even more profound and easy to tell if anything is left behind.

Also, dont be afraid to over lube the area you are claying. It is really important that the clay has a smooth ride to prevent marring especially as the bar is being kneaded and a few contaminants begin to surface. This is tough, especially on the doors(they are vertical) but yeah once you clay then you feel like you must have ruined all your other cars and start yearning for a new one so you can start it off the right way. Luckily for most in here that's what they're doing with the Bu'!

Good Luck all.

I got the stuff (Mother's kit) but was too busy over the weekend. I tried it on a small area of the hood and did the whole trunk lid's horizontal surface. (Hey, it's small all by itself! ;)) Feels real good.

Next, I have a few small scratches and will need to do a little buffing to remove them. Any recommendations on product, such as brand, grit, or how? Remember, I'm a noob to caring for car finishes, and I don't have a motorized buffer. (Prolly don't need it since there are only 3-4 scratches.)

Thanks so far, and thanks in advance! I'm looking forward to a really slick car, especially with all your input!

I got the stuff (Mother's kit) but was too busy over the weekend. I tried it on a small area of the hood and did the whole trunk lid's horizontal surface. (Hey, it's small all by itself! ;)) Feels real good.

Next, I have a few small scratches and will need to do a little buffing to remove them. Any recommendations on product, such as brand, grit, or how? Remember, I'm a noob to caring for car finishes, and I don't have a motorized buffer. (Prolly don't need it since there are only 3-4 scratches.)

Thanks so far, and thanks in advance! I'm looking forward to a really slick car, especially with all your input!

Meguiar's ScratchX worked really well for me. Here's a link to some how-to videos on Meguiar's website for dealing with the different types of scratches and swirls...

http://www.meguiars.com/video/

Very informative. Thanks! I'm gonna look for all three products, SwirlX, ScratchX 2.0, and Ultimate Compound this weekend.

Very informative. Thanks! I'm gonna look for all three products, SwirlX, ScratchX 2.0, and Ultimate Compound this weekend.

ScratchX 2.0 works great Driven. I used it on my wives old car before we traded it in.