Clay Bar your car!
 

OK, if I'm preaching to the choir disregard this post, otherwise...

Hear me now and believe me later. If you dont clay your car before applying wax or other finish you're gonna be sorry.

Had my car for a month. Washed and waxed it as soon as I got it home. No clay.

Washed it three times since then. No clay or wax.

Today I washed the car and decided to really inspect the finish. Now I wash pretty thoroughly and thought I was doing an excellent job.. wrong! There was bug guts, tar specks, yellow paint specks (thanks DOT), and other unidentifiable gunk on the car (mainly on the nose and rocker area) that no amount of scrubbing would remove.

So I broke out the clay. Smooth skin now. And wont be trapping that stuff between the clear coat and wax.

Please do your paint a favor and clay the car before waxing. You wont be disappointed.

Val, completely agreed. Did you Zaino (Z1, Z2, Z6) the finish after the claybar? Or use wax?

I clayed mine before using NXT. My question is, it has been several months since I did the clay. How often should we go back and redue it? Every 6 months or so?

That's about right, but if you did a thorough job on the initial claybar then can go a year or more before the next claybar. If using Zaino, do another Z1 every six months....

im not gonna wait anything like a year between claying (word?). Only had my car a month and already too much crap for my liking.

I am gonna "spot clay" before waxing.

I am using NXT right now, haven't pulled the trigger on the zaino , yet. But...

My point is that if you did a thorough enough job on the first clay, then dun need to do another clay for a long while. Yet, in between coats of Z2 (forget wax), you'll need to reapply Z1 or ZFX every six months....

I was hesitant to put anything over my car brand new- so I decided to wait a few months at least. What I didnt realize is that it would be mid winter when it was time to wax.. so I think I'll just wait till spring to claybar/wax it. The clay is waiting in the trunk.

*edit: oh yes, and my car NEEDS the clay bar. the surface of the car just feels rough.

Zaino is not a wax, it's a polish. The claybar gets rid of the surface contaminants and dust...thats why it should be used as soon as you get your car new. It's amazing how the clay pulls the contaminants off the surface as u use it...flip the clay over and start again with a clean clay surface. Then apply the Z1 pre-cleaner, then the Z2 polish, then the Z6 enhancer....rinse and repeat. Get results like this....

you mean no wax? for a few months?

I've been in a similar situation. Got the car August 1, 04. Used NXT on it immediately and Mother's wax on the wheels. I've washed it regularly and used the NXT often. Last week I decided to try the baggy feel test. Yup, there were tiny zits in the finish...go figure? So I went to the local body supply shop and got a bar of blue Claymagic. Claybared the car today, once around with 3M imperial glaze and a coat of NXT. I am amazed at the difference the clay has made. The zits are gone and the finish has a remarkedly smoother feel to the touch. I've become a believer of clay as well.

Question: Around me, I can only find a cheap claybar at autozone that seems to work fine. However, it only comes with a small amount of lubricant. I can only get half my car with it. Is there something else I can use to lubricate?

*breaks out the KY* :p

I was told by the guy at the autobody supply shop to use mild soapy water in a spray bottle. I mixed up a tablespoon of meguires car was soap with water in a spay bottle an it worked fine. Keep the surface wet. I believe that it's important to use the bar in a back and forth motion rather than in a circular motion to avoid possible swirls. No need to press hard either. It's interesting how you can feel the clay get some occasioanl grit in it from a freshly washed finish. Important to keep kneeding the clay to trap the particles it picks up.

Question: Can one practically replaces polishing with just claying?
I find polishing kind of time consuming and tedious. Whereas claying is so much easier and faster. So I thought of claying the car maybe 3 times a year and with waxing in between thus totally skipping the process of polishing!

cheers

Hi M-ster. Interesting idea. I noticed after claying my car that it certainly held a decent shine after I washed/dryed it to prep for the polish. So if you clay and then wax, should do just fine. However, I have to say that once I got the Z1, Z2, Z6 treatment on the car....the shine is WAY better than with clay alone.

Actually I find the opposite to you....claying for me is time consuming and tedious, but applying polish is relatively easier. In fact, I put another coat of Z2, Z6 on the car today in less than an hour. The key with the polish is to use a very thin amount then it goes on so quickly and buffs off easily too once it's dry.

I also did my interior today with Z10 Leather in a Bottle....awesome stuff, highly recommended! Much much much better than armor all. It's not greasy, easy to apply and smells good too :)

You really like that Zaino stuff, huh, Genesis? Do I smell a rep? ;)

hehe :) No rep here mate. Maybe I have been espousing the virtues of Zaino products with a bit too much zeal, but man the stuff works!

nah, not a prob. I am hearing nothing but great stuff about their products... now, where's my credit card?

Definitely not a rep. Do a search here for Zaino and your computer will start smoking out of the top :D It's highly regarded here :cool:

Ever use ZFX vs. Z-1? Went to their site and it says that ZFX replaces (?) Z-1. Your thoughts?

Haven't tried the ZFX...it's twice the cost of a bottle of Z1, but when applied in replace of Z1 it's said to increase the "durability" of the (Z2) polish (and some say it leads to a better shine). That's probably better if you live where the weather can be harsh on your car, or where other environmental factors are hard on the car's painted surface. But in Singapore, no such problems so I opted to save a few $$$ and use Z1.

However, having said that, next time I'm going to buy the ZFX...why? Because you mix a few drops of it directly into a separate bottle containing two ounces of Z2. So after you clay, you can save an application step by not having to Z1 first before the Z2....you just jump right into the mixed ZFX/Z2 step. After spending hours during my first set of applications, the time/effort saved would be worth it, IMO :)

Does the claybar remove wax too?

EDIT: This was my 100th post! :)

So how should I apply the clay bar. Wash, Clay when car is wet, then wipe off and wax?

Yes, the claybar definitely removes old wax, in addition to the other "nasties" as discussed here :)

How do you apply the clay? Wash your car thoroughly the night before and let it dry completely. In the morning, get a spray bottle and fill it with water, add half a capful of Z7 wash concentrate. I used the whole claybar for my treatment, but my friend Manwe split his clay in half and used that, saving the fresh piece for later.....a good idea IMO.

Spray the water lightly to a small area of the car and then rub the clay in an up and down motion...not circles. Don't put too much water on or else the clay just rides on the water. You'll get what I mean when you try it, the clay should be sticky but not too sticky else it adheres to the surface. Do a small area and then move onto the next small area, "flipping" the clay to get a clean clay surface each time. As you progress, will have to knead the clay to get a clean clay surface before continuing. Just don't drop it on the ground...you'll pick up small particles that could scratch your paint.

Clay everything...paint, glass, trim....they all benefit. After you're done, the surface will be extremely smooth, ready for either wax or polish.

Cool! But it's not about the count, it's about the content ;)

Thanks for the info. I'll try it soon.