Hey guys,

Going out to do the first real "detailing" of the season (gotta love the northeast), and I've got some of Meguire's 97 step detailing "system" which has "paint cleaner." I used it last year and it seemed decent but I thought I'd try the clay bar like the old days (not P-cars). Question is: Is it stupid to use both? Will the clay take the place of the "cleaner"? I was going to Wash, clay/clean, polish, wax. Good enough?

Also I hear awesome things about other products including Rejex but I was don't have that now and I didn't want to wait any longer. You see, I did some mods this week and I wanted to submit pics but, not with the way she looks now!
Thoughts?
Thx,
Lou

 

Just wash it well so there's no dirt or dust on it...then clay it using a clay lube...and the finish will be so smooth it feels like glass....then you polish with a good polish and finish up with a good wax as a final step. I use the Porter Cable random orbital for polishing and waxing. You don't need to use clay and the paint cleaner as well. Go do a Google search for Autopia, and on their website, they have a great step-by-step explanation of the entire process....even have some video clips. You can also go do a search on this forum for waxing and detailing...there's been all sorts of write-ups on it. To go into it now would just be reinventing everything that's already been written.

 

You can also try griotsgarage dot com for advice. They have a free downloadable detailing handbook with some good info and explanations.

 

The clay bar and "paint cleaner" are for different purposes. The clay bar helps to remove contaminants in the paint (brake dust, bird droppings, hard water stains, etc). A polish or chemical cleaner will not remove these things. I use the clay bar when I'm doing a major detail. Before I started using them, I thought it might be just a lot of BS. But I was an immediate convert the first time I did.

To determine if you need to clay the car, use the sandwich bag test. Put your fingers inside a regular sandwich bag and rub the surfaces of your car. If you feel any roughness, then it's time to clay. This technique will reveal contaminants that your bare fingers won't.

 

How do you know when its time to get a new clay bar??
After one use, when you see it getting dirty I almost feel affraid to keep useing on my car regardles of how much i squeeze it and blend it all together

 

For $10-20 for the claybar, I always just buy a new one each time.

 

While you are using it, you should stretch it and fold it into itself to expose a clean surface. I use some if the clay lubricant on the clay as I do this. A new one every time is the safest solution. And never try to use one that you've dropped on the ground. Throw it away and get a new one. That's a recipe for sandpaper.

 

Thx guys. She's done. I got no responses by the time I was ready to go outside so I used both. I thought the worse that could happen would be that my RMS would fail but, I took the chance. Luckily these cars are small. I don't have the time or energy to spend 4-5 hours like the old days. She came out great. I think a few more "polishings" and I'll be able to get the remaining swirls out. Although, most of them are gone after the polishing I did.

Again, thanks for the help. This board is really a great resource.