[v_therussian]

So I bought a Meguiar's claying kit, gave the car a nice wash and went to work on it this morning...

1st, let me tell you: if you don't clay your car, you can't really claim your car's clean. I saw so much crap get lifted from my paint - it was ridiculous. Unfortunately, I couldn't really take any before and after close-ups, but I took a couple of pics of the car after I was done. I'm including a pic of my car that I took a couple of weeks ago, as a "before" shot here:

"Before":

 009.JPG (317.63K)
Number of downloads: 6

After:

 detailed_02.jpg (1.06MB)
Number of downloads: 7

Note how the trunk surface is much more reflective after the claying.

Lessons learned:

1. It takes time
2. The amount of quick detailer supplied by the claying kit is severely insufficient - good thing I happened to have a couple of extra bottles.
3. Better to do it in the afternoon, when shade is much more manageable, as opposed to morning, when the Sun moves upwards and can catch you in the middle of a coat of wax.
4. The result is WELL WORTH the elbow grease!

Parting shot:
 detailed_01.jpg (1.03MB)
Number of downloads: 7

[craigm1841]

+1 for the clay bar.
+1 for needing more quick detailer or showtime (i use mothers)

[v_therussian]

craigm1841, on May 25 2009, 06:54 PM, said:

+1 for the clay bar.
+1 for needing more quick detailer or showtime (i use mothers)

I never really used Mother's products at all, except for the carnuba wax that I have, which is actually excellent. My next car will be black, so that will be the real challenge - I'm actually pondering ordering up some Zaino products from the inet for that one...

[DRANGED]

Thank God this thread wasn't about Clay Aiken.

[lorinzo]

DRANGED, on May 25 2009, 04:05 PM, said:

Thank God this thread wasn't about Clay Aiken.

I was worried there for a moment...

[v_therussian]

DRANGED, on May 25 2009, 07:05 PM, said:

Thank God this thread wasn't about Clay Aiken.

Who the f*ck is Clay Aiken anyway?

EDIT: hahaha so that's what you guys think when you read about "gettin' clayed"? well, not that there's anything wrong with that LMAO

[craigm1841]

v_therussian, on May 25 2009, 07:01 PM, said:

I never really used Mother's products at all, except for the carnuba wax that I have, which is actually excellent. My next car will be black, so that will be the real challenge - I'm actually pondering ordering up some Zaino products from the inet for that one...

i havent purchased ziano or any of that other super high end wax. i use mothers sealer and glaze, put it on and buff it off with a microfiber towel while it is still wet. of course the car has to be cool to the touch. i do this in my garage. afterwards i pull the car out of the garage into the sun and give it the ten minute walk around with damp microfiber rag (damp with showtime) in one hand and dry microfiber rag in the other getting any polish inperfections off the paint (smears and what not) this process takes about an hour to an hour and a half, i do it once a week and the car looks incredible and i dont spend 100 bucks on wax. because my car is garaged and do polish it once a week, i dont wax it, just polish it.

[Westcoast M5]

v_therussian, on May 25 2009, 04:01 PM, said:

I never really used Mother's products at all, except for the carnuba wax that I have, which is actually excellent. My next car will be black, so that will be the real challenge - I'm actually pondering ordering up some Zaino products from the inet for that one...

+1 on the Zaino

[525iEnjoy]

If you dont wanna use all of your Detail spray, clay the car during the rinse. then if need be you can dry then clay again and it will cut your time in half!

[Krozi]

craigm1841, on May 25 2009, 08:40 PM, said:

i havent purchased ziano or any of that other super high end wax. i use mothers sealer and glaze, put it on and buff it off with a microfiber towel while it is still wet. of course the car has to be cool to the touch. i do this in my garage. afterwards i pull the car out of the garage into the sun and give it the ten minute walk around with damp microfiber rag (damp with showtime) in one hand and dry microfiber rag in the other getting any polish inperfections off the paint (smears and what not) this process takes about an hour to an hour and a half, i do it once a week and the car looks incredible and i dont spend 100 bucks on wax. because my car is garaged and do polish it once a week, i dont wax it, just polish it.

I use Mothers aswell, and pretty much do the same routine.

[v_therussian]

craigm1841, on May 25 2009, 08:40 PM, said:

because my car is garaged and do polish it once a week, i dont wax it, just polish it.

I definitely don't detail nearly as often as you do - would you say it makes a noticable difference to a layman?
BTW, what color is your car?

525iEnjoy, on May 25 2009, 09:02 PM, said:

If you dont wanna use all of your Detail spray, clay the car during the rinse. then if need be you can dry then clay again and it will cut your time in half!

excellent idea, I'll definitely try to do it that way. This time though, my car had all the sap and crap from the entire year's worth of driving. Actually, I'm planning to clay it again in a few days, just to bring it to a proper condition before the June 6th meet

[craigm1841]

[quote name='v_therussian' date='May 26 2009, 01:04 AM' post='890132']
I definitely don't detail nearly as often as you do - would you say it makes a noticable difference to a layman?
BTW, what color is your car?


not to a layman. i detailed cars when i was younger with my father. my car is of course black. it might be phsycological, but i feel like the more polish i put on the deeper the black looks. i actually dont "polish" it weekly. spray wax it definately, polish 2-3 times a month.

it takes time, but if you can train yourself on how to polish a black car and learn tricks on how to maintain it easily (damp spray wax rag), owning a black car can be very rewarding without putting in as much work as one might think.

if i spend an hour on my car after a car wash (i take it to the self wash place with the power washers) it will look better then if i drop it off somewhere for 3 hours. this is because i have developed the right technique with decent product.

[v_therussian]

craigm1841, on May 26 2009, 01:10 AM, said:

if i spend an hour on my car after a car wash (i take it to the self wash place with the power washers) it will look better then if i drop it off somewhere for 3 hours. this is because i have developed the right technique with decent product.

I guess, I got me some skills to learn - my next ride's most likely gonna be black too. Never had a black car before, but I kinda hoped that some clay and carnuba every 2-3 months would keep it looking good - with regular washes and quick detailers in between... guess, I better start polishing my polishing skills

[525iEnjoy]

v_therussian, on May 25 2009, 10:21 PM, said:

I guess, I got me some skills to learn - my next ride's most likely gonna be black too. Never had a black car before, but I kinda hoped that some clay and carnuba every 2-3 months would keep it looking good - with regular washes and quick detailers in between... guess, I better start polishing my polishing skills

Black meaning regular washes every week, cause the car will be dirty in 2 days time! You'll love it


If your gonna was your car right, 1st get a waffle weave drying towel, a Gallon of some Chemical Guys Speed Wipe.


After you rinse your car, put some speed wipe in a spray bottle and spray your entire car then dry with your waffle drying towel and you'll get a scratch less shiny finish. Ofcourse you could clay after you sprayed the car. it will feel like glass

[Anzafin]

Great results ! Congrats!