First time claying/detailing my car

[ReppinTheSouth]

Well I usually hang out in the "Exterior Modifications" section of the forum but after hearing a lot about clay bars and realizing it was probably time to detail my car, I came to this section. I had never clayed my car before so I did A LOT of research about claying it and what to do afterwards as far as polishing and waxing. I love this forum because it's getting to the point that if you look hard enough, you can find the info you want and don't even have to make a thread so I want to say thanks for people who posted experiences and "How to" threads. Also if you're like me and aren't sure what to do as far as polishing, protecting, sealing, waxing, etc your car, you should check out this link.

meguiars.com: FAQ - What's the difference between polish and wax? (Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle)

Meguiar's (no I'm not on their payroll) website had a lot of good info. I wasn't sure what order to do everything in or what products to use so I basically followed their 5 step plan.

Enough of that. I want to write about my experience and some of the things I learned and mistakes I made so it will hopefully help out other members in the future.

I went to Advanced Auto Parts and basically picked up everything from interior products to chrome cleaner for about $70.

I started out by washing and drying my car. No biggie. I think we all have done that.

Next I clayed my car. It was really amazing to see how much the surface changed to the touch throughout the process. I would do a section at a time and then dry it. I don't know if that made a big difference but that's how I did it. Make sure to use plenty of lubrication. I went through 3 clay bars (actually I broke up one bar into thirds) because I dropped the clay either from being clumsy or getting ahead of myself and not lubing the car enough. I had read somewhere that doing horizontal services (doors, back of the trunk) weren't that important because particles usually don't bond their. I did my doors and fascia and found that the lower I went, the dirtier it felt.

When I set out to do the whole detailing process, I really didn't want to wash the car after claying but when I saw all the residue on the car, I figured I better wash and rinse the car and I'm glad I did. I will tell you why later.

I polished the car next and then waxed it. Make sure you have enough microfiber cloths or whatever you use because you'll probably need atleast 2 dry cloths.....one to wipe the polish and one to wipe the wax.

The biggest thing I learned is after you clay the car and before you wax it, MAKE SURE THE CAR IS DANG NEAR SPOTLESS. From what I've read and what I perceived while claying the car, that clay will leave your car naked as far as protectants and if there is something on that service when you go to wax it, you are going to lock it in the finish until you clay the car the next time. When I polished the car after claying it, I found something on the paint right by my sunroof. At that point, I could scratch it and probably could've got it off but I didn't. After I waxed the car, I tried to scratch it and I couldn't touch it at all because the wax had sealed it in. I don't know if the same holds true for water spots, but I had 2 small ones on my trunk that I noticed after I got done waxing and I couldn't touch those 2 either. If I would've tried to wax that car without washing it after I clayed it, I would be in a world of hurt.

By the time I finished it was dark, but the car looked great from what I could see. I have a brilliant black 300c and I put a flashlight on it just to see how much it sparkled and you could see gold specs EVERYWHERE. It was beautiful. It almost made me cry.

Overall, it was a good experience but long and a bit tedious. I'm glad I did it and will do it again probably towards the end of summer or in the fall. This forum is great. I've detailed my car, installed halo headlights, LED tails, and did the interior LED bulb change all based off of info I received on this forum. I love you.........man.

I'm no expert but if you have questions or comments, post em up!!!!!!!!! Sorry no pics. Maybe later.

[goherd90]

nice job....after all that work and no pics?

[frankieo]

Let us enjoy it with you need to post some pics!

[oldmac1]

Would like to see a picture of how it turned out. Debating if I should clay mine or not and want to see some end results.

[ReppinTheSouth]

These are from a cell phone so sorry if the quality is bad

Mercedes Black pillars coming soon. I'm starting to hate the chrome ones



I don't know why the rims look cartoonish



This is probably my favorite due to the reflection in the paint.


There's a few pics. I had one question. What is a good tire dressing to use? I want something that will leave my tires looking shiny/wet but won't attract dirt. It's hard to use sprays because of the low profile tires. Any suggestions?

[silverider]

dang looks good from what i can tell, i also have been contemplating claying my car but have no idea where to start or what to do, so i might be like you and do a ton of research before i decide to go for it

[ReppinTheSouth]

Originally Posted by silverider

dang looks good from what i can tell, i also have been contemplating claying my car but have no idea where to start or what to do, so i might be like you and do a ton of research before i decide to go for it

Thanks!!!!!!!!!

If you don't know where to start, I really would recommend the Meguiars link. It'll atleast tell what steps to follow. There's a good write up on here about how to clay a car. Everything else is pretty simple as far as polishing and waxing. Let me know if I can help. Good luck!!!!!!!

[goherd90]

I bought this spray??? I think its maquiars...not sure. It's the best that I've used because since being a spray its not real heavy/oily and DOES NOT SLING all over the side of my doors.

the really slick part is that the nozzle is adjustable for your tire size..so you can turn it for low profile....

PM me if want the info and I when I get home I'll find out exactly what it is. I know I got it from Auto Zone

By the way the car looks great...even from the cell pics

[bigsnake]

Meguiar's has a clay kit that includes everything you need, including instructions.
So easy a cave man can do it!