mother's clay bar

[Rocket]

i just picked one up today.. i'm gonna clay her once the streets are cleaned up aroudn here. But i've got a couple questions..

do i need to buy the sealer and glaze?? and do i need to use mothers wax?? or can i just use the eagle one polish and wax that i already have??

keep in mind.. if it does the job, and there is minimal difference between the eagle one wax/polish and the mothers.. i'd rather save money..

thanks all

[bme107]

You don't have to buy all the same brand name for each component. To do it correctly you will need both polish and wax, no matter what brand. (excluding zaino and zymol, they are totally different systems) I have never used Eagle 1, but if you are happy with the results then stick with it. The clay bar will only clean the paint, whatever you do after is up to you.

[Rocket]

ok.. so do i have the steps correct??

1) wash car with dishwashing soap
2) clay entire car
3) wash with car washer(eagle one... etc..)
4) polish car
5) wax car

is that rite??

[bme107]

You don't have to use dishwashing soap in step 1. You can, but don't use it in the future unless you are going to go through the whole polish wax process again. It strips away the wax and leaves the car's finish unprotected.

You don't have to wash the car again after the clay bar. It is a 'cleaner' and the only thing that may be left on the paint is the excess quick detailer spray, which is fine to polish over.

[Rocket]

hey thanks bme.. but a couple more questions here

i have a small waterspot on my bumper.. shouldn't i TRY to take off all the wax/polish from before to try to get this off?? and.. will claying a waterspot even do anythign?? thanks!

[ghostface]

water spots wontr damage it if you are claybaring your car...just wash it and dry it as good as u can and then they clay bar will take opff all the embedded dirt out of your finish...its ok to clay bar over a tiny bit of dust and stuff ..just make sure u follow the directions carefully and use alot of the quick detailer(lube) that they give you...

oh BTW how many companies make the clay bar and which is the best if ther eis a few ?

Ghost

[Rocket]

well i just know of 3..

zaino, mothers, and meguires.

its debatable which ones better but from all i've read they're best to worst listed in that order...

[Rocket]

so i don't have to wash it with dishwashing soap?? cuz this is my first time claying. i just thought it'd give it a fresh start type thing with new layers of wax but i'm guessing you guys don't think its neceessary??

[oldster]

I would definitely wash it with dishwashing soap first. Get rid of all the old wax before you even start clay barring. It has to be washed first anyway so what's the big deal?

[Rocket]

will do! i read on the zaino website that they recommend people wash their cars first with dishwashing soap too..

i guess its something to be done once in a whiel and is actually good for the paint??

thanks for the answers guys!

[bme107]

You don't have to use the dish soap but you can. The clay will remove the old wax. Zaino recommends Dawn if I remember correctly.

Other clay on the market:

Griot's Garagehttp://www.griotsgarage.com/images/products/md/11153_MD.jpg
See http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp?L1=L1_1000&L2=L2_1004&SKU=11145 for more info.

Clay Magic at Goodspeed Motoring http://www.goodspeedmotoring.com/images/cm2200.jpg
See http://www.goodspeedmotoring.com/subcat.php?get_category=2&get_subcategory=Paint%20Pre%20Cleaners for more info.

The clay is measured by the gram. For reference Mother's 80gr. bar will do 2 Celica's easily. Don't forget that you have to buy the quick detailer (lube) spray if the clay package doesn't already come with it.

[bunnylust]

Rocket / Bme:

That is incorrect. You SHOULD dawn wash your car first. It will help strip off additional components. Not dawn washing is inproper prep and your results will not be as good or last as long.

Laurence

[bunnylust]

Oh but to add to that (sorry), you only dawn wash every once in a while. Depending on how anal you are, basically, you will dawn wash every 6-12 months. The dawn will strip off all the wax, everything, so absolutely do not do this all the time.

You want to dawn wash only whenver you want to start off with a clean slate as it will take off pretty much everything. After you dawn wash you clay, polish, seal, wax, in that order. And from there just maintain the wax until you feel you need to redo everything which is the only point you go back to step a (dawn wash).

Laurence

[ghostface]

hey BUNNYLUST i see that u said that after u polish your car u should use a sealer..one question..isnt the sealer the wax at the end or is ther somthign else u can use right before the wax? let me know what is good to seal after a good polish..thanx

Ghost

[bunnylust]

Lots of people use carnuba based waxes after they polish, yes. But carnuba waxes realistically only provide a few weeks of protection at best. What you want to do if you are really serious about it is inbetween the polish and carnuba wax step is you use a polymer sealant. A good sealant when applied in multiple layers can last 6-12 months. Sealants should be polymer based, not carnuba based.

By doing this you have basically 3 main levels versus just 2. You will have better results and it will last longer.

Here is some info on the differences between normal carnuba wax (Turtle Wax, Zymol, etc) and polymers (Zaino, Blackfire, Klasse):
http://store.yahoo.com/classic-motoring/whichwaxisbest.html

Personally on a red vehicle I am planning on polishing with Klasse AIO ($20), then sealing with Klasse SG ($20). Then using a carnuba wax topped on top of that... probably Blitz ($15) or something else... then there is Souveran Pinnacle ($70 for about 8oz of carnuba wax)...

Noticed your car is a Spectra blue... you could go either the Zaino or Klasse route depending on your tastes... Or if you like to polish/wax your car monthly you could go with Blackfire...

Or if you didnt want to spend as much money on upkeep are less fanatical than me you could just get Meguires #20 poly sealant. That has good durability, not as great shine. And if you wanted less steps you could just stop there. A good poly sealant alone is better than a good wax alone in terms of protection.

Laurence

[RIPPA]

i know this is an old thread but after doing all the steps listed above...................what do you guys do the next time you wash your car...do you just rinse it off then dry it with the absorber or do you wash it with a car wash soap then use a spray detailing mist to bring back the luster....

[bme107]

Wash
Dry
Quick Detailer

[bunnylust]

Using quick detailer like that is sort of a waste. Its more meant for quickly cleaning garage parked cars a day or three after its been washed. The bonus you are getting from the QD is just some silicon and carnuba. May as well use the quick wax if you are using QD. Makes more sense...

Laurence

[BlackGTS2002]

me,......wash, then dry, then Z-6! Bling...mirrors back!

You should wash it after the clay bar too...to make sure any clay residue is gone...