[digital01]

So i'm in the process of doing an all out detail to my car. Today, I took care of the initial step, claybar. The claybar took me roughly 2-3 hours, as this was the first time doing so since purchase of the car. The car has 44,000 miles on it. I ended up using the Meguiars Clay Kit, broke one of the clays down into 10 pieces and worked from top down.

End results: Paint as smooth as a babies bottom!

Prior to claybar, I washed using the 2 bucket method (Meguiars Gold Class soap) and some plush microfiber towels to scrub the car with. Took off the sprayer and hosed down car to sheet off water, then dried (dabbed) with a microfiber towel.

I also took care of the de-badge that I wanted to do for a while now. I decided to do it at the same time as the claybar, as the claybar worked wonders in removing any residue left over from removing the lettering. I used satin dental floss to remove the letters, then peeled the tape off with my nails, and finally, ran clay over the last bit. Here are the results.


I must say, the Jet Black paint is way too soft. I made a few extra scratches just from the claybar rubbing back and forth, and this is with me kneading after each pass and switching out the clay very often.

Next up: Swirl and scratch removal/polish/Seal/Wax in that order. Will be posting details later this week.

[jopa489]

Looking great so far! Welcome to the world of JB detailing; it's always an adventure.

[gizmo335i]

Just removes any and all wax/residue/etc from the paint from what I've read....

[MuttGrunt]

Originally Posted by jacobg06

<---New guy here, so what does claying actually do for your car? How often do you have to and are there any downsides?

Thanks!

Welcome! Make sure to read the stickies which will provide a lot of valuable information on what to use and why.

Clay removes contamination from your paint that normal washing won't. There's all types of debris that sticks and embeds itself into your clear-coat. This can easily be felt after you wash your car: your paint should be smoother than glass, but chances are you'll feel a lot of tiny little bumps and areas that aren't (especially behind the wheels and on the rear-end of the car where aerodynamics kick up dirt and on horizontal panels in which things in the air naturally fall and settle onto your finish).

[jopa489]

Just to adding to MuttGrunt's always excellent posts.. you can also put your hand inside a plastic bag and gently run your fingers over the paint (after washing it, of course). If it feels bumpy, you should consider claying. As said above, the paint should be smoother than glass.

Even brand new cars need to be clayed. You would be amazed how much contamination is stuck on the paint of a brand new car.

[MetsFan]

Nice job! This is getting me motivated to detail my BSM soon. What are you going to be using to polish? I really have no room to do a whole PC set up so I will be doing the polishing by hand.