I am going to have the car hand waxed a second time next month....

[gossame1]

Hello Gang,

Several questions here..First question: I am going to have the car hand waxed for the second time next month. I was wondering, should I have the car "Clayed"? I know a few people have mentioned the use of clay on the boards, and I didn't know if this should be done on a regular basis, or when the car is hand waxed/detailed, once a year etc.? What effect on the paint will this have, especially on a new paint finish on a car that will be 6 months old on 6/6?

Should I have my detail guy at the local carwash do anything special to protect the paint at this stage? I have been using a soft cloth car wash so far, with excellent results. As everyone knows here, I have a Cool Vanilla 300. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again for taking the time to answer my questions. I look foreward to be hearing from the group soon.

Sincerely yours,

Brian T. Carotenuto

[marlinspike]

First off, I'm going to admit, there is a school of thought that you should never use a clay bar except if you are 1 step away from 1-800-new-paint, and I happen to be a member of that school. So having given that discalimer...
I think even if you are a member of the use clay bars school, this is too soon. I would say every 2 years IF you like clay bars, that being said...
My 20 year old paint looks like
and I never use a clay (and neither did my dad)

My personal recommendations.
If parked inside
wax every 4 months, every other wax-job use a non-abrasive good quality paint cleaner (like P21S gloss enhancing paintwork cleanser) before waxing. If you have swirl marks, use a fine abrasive like 3M Imperial Hand Glaze
If parked outside do everything twice as often.

[Lancer]

that mercedes looks like it belonged to my great-grandfather!

[mvpatriot]

ignore Lancer, he's just a hater! This guy is the king troll.

[Rambit]

ditto that.

Rambit

[mvpatriot]

Good lookin pup you got there Rambit!

[Rambit]

Originally Posted by mvpatriot

Good lookin pup you got there Rambit!

Thanks. That's my Emma!

Rambit

[C-Man]

I have clayed my car 3 times since I bought it in July. There are different grades of automobile clay. A mild claybar will not harm the paint if done properly with plenty of lubrication. There are other types of harsher claybars used for things like paint overspray that would not be appropriate for a new car. I would recommend a claying especially if it has not been done since you purchased it.

[turbomangt]

Read my post on how to clay, consider using a synthtic sealant rather than wax, it will last 6 times longer. Gary

[marlinspike]

Originally Posted by mvpatriot

ignore Lancer, he's just a hater! This guy is the king troll.

Heh, I thought he was giving me a compliment. It is a 26 year old design (1979-1991, dad bought it in 1985)...I like that it looks old.

I'm surprised that the clayers say to already clay, thoguh I guess if you are ever going to clay it, it's better to listen to them than to me since I'm an anti-clayer.