Well, a detail for my own personal vehicle was long overdue, so last week i made a commitment to spend the day beautifying my girl (99' Mercury Mountaineer, 5.0liter V8).

Anyhow, i decided to Clay my car prior to applying the Meguiars wax, being as i've heard many great advantages of clay barring your car.

Also, i did a bit of research that brought forth some convincing facts about the benefits of clay barring.

So...i went out and purchased the small box set of Clay-Magic, curious of the results that is claims to deliver.

Note: My truck has NEVER been clayed before, although, i do wash it regularly and try to keep it neat.

So, after the preliminary wash and dry, i took out the Clay Lube (LoL, i chuckled everytime i read the label on that little damn bottle....Lube...hehe) and applied the lube to sectioned panels of my truck, and then proceeded with the clay.
With the lube on the surface of your paint (and with using medium to light pressure on the clay bar) the clay bar glided easily to and fro.....impressively eliminating clearcoat/paint contaminants that the regular wash failed to remove.

After a certain section was finished being clayed, the excess lube was wiped off, and the process was repeated again until the whole vehicle has been treated.

I was a little skeptical when i bought this product (primarily b/c of the flashy exterior box with alot of marketing mumbo jumbo) but the results spoke for themselves.

After a certain section of the car was clayed, you can actually observe the minute debris and contaminants that the clay bar removed. Once the bar became slightly filthy, i just re kneaded the clay bar until a fresh surface was exposed.

To conclude, after claying and drying the car once more the surface felt like freshly blown glass (maybe a little exageration, but IMPRESSIVELY smooth).

Keep in mind, i have yet to apply the wax.

After the claying was complete i finished off with a single coat of Meguiars Gold class wax....and the final result was sweet!

My truck had an amazing depth, lustor and shine to it (the clay did a great job removing small contaminants from the paint surface...allowing the wax to seep in and do a more efficient job).

So all in all, im basically sold on this 'Clay' product.

So much so that i am going to be adding it as an optional package for my Detailing business.

I recommend everyone to Clay their cars before applying wax the next time, and then tell me what you think of the results!



:thumbsup: :D <-----Happy Camper

Oh, and i took some pics too, i will be posting them as soon as i get a chance to scan them in.

Thanks for the info, i'l have to give'it a try.

Just finished developing a roll of film.....


This is my truck after a Wash, then Claybar Treatement, then one coat of Gold Class Wax (Meguiars).

Whadya think?

3/4 shot

I fixed the hatch baby!

Once again, these low quality pics don't do it justice.


But i'll say this, after the claybar and wax....my mountaineer looked like an Edible candy apple.



mmm mmm good.



:thumbsup: :D

The benefits of clay barring are no stranger to me. I make sure to clay bar before I wax EVERY time now. It makes the paint like new again.

And yes, even though it's a Mountaineer :D you can tell that the paint is very shiny.

Its a 99' too, so she's got some years on her.

:D

Mike, does that sh!t help to remove swirls too?

Well, Claybar was designed to remove deeply imbedded particles (anywhere from dirt, pollen, dust, grime, mineral deposits etc...) from the clear coat of the car. And might i add, it does a damn good job of that.

Because of the fact that Claybar treating your car removes all those foreign particles, it allows waxes/sealants that you apply after it to absorb better (further helping to minimize the appearance of swirl marks).

So to answer your question Anthony, yes......but in an indirect sort of way.


Im not sure if that makes sense to you, so ill clarify further if needed.


:thumbsup:

No, I get it! Looks like I've got some clay/wax work to do this spring...

Hey Da3bous, whadya think about making a 'Detailing' section in the forums?


(We were talkin about it earlier)



:D :thumbsup:

is there a huge difference between meguiar's gold class and zaino?

Originally posted by shawn0279
is there a huge difference between meguiar's gold class and zaino?


Shawn, i did a small search b/c i answered this question in a previous thread.

So here it is.

*****as posted by Me (BaDm0theR) in a previous thread*******

There are hundreds of car detailing products / waxes from many different companies that essentially all do the same thing (given, some are higher quality than others...and some remain natural while others synthetic).

I have been using Meguir's products myself for over two years now with no complaints and fantastic results.

But in regards to your question, i must say that there is a point where too much waxing renders itself useless....not harmfull, but just unecessary.

Carnauba wax is an organic/natural material that brings out a wet shine and luster from your paint, while helping protect from the elements and light debris that may attach or be imbedded in/on your paint.
If you thoroughly wash and dry your car (the reason why so many people emphasize claying before waxing is because it does a fantastic job of removing blemishes, imperfections and light debris from your cars clear coat/paint) then applying a couple coats of Carnauba wax will not hurt it at all.

Keep in mind Carnauba only lasts so long, and only works so well when only used by itself.
Meguir's makes Deep crystal cleansing wax's and polishing wax's that can be applied before and then The Carnauba is used as the final touch, the natural sealant.

If done properly, and when using non-synthetic waxes, after you detail your car it should last a good 1-3 months (depending on if you garage your car, what kind of climate you live in and the area in which you live in).

Synthetic Sealants such as Zaino and Klasse last significntly longer due to polymers that do not exhist naturally within Carnauba based waxes. I must caution you though, when applying Synthetic waxes, i'd pay particular attention on ensuring that your car has been thoroughly washed and clayed to ensure that no foreign material is on the paint. This will also help ensure that finest quality shine for a longer duration of time.

Hope this helps....GoodLUck!!

-Mike















Here's the link to that thread btw.
http://216.118.86.224/m3forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=18730&perpage=15&pagenumber=1

If you are talking about waxes, yes there is. Meg's is just a wax and although it is good there are better waxes out there such as P21S. Zaino is a synthetic polymer that bonds to the paint and seals it. Lasts a lot longer and each layer gives an additive level of protection and shine. Blackfire and Klasse have similar products.

Guys,

Good posts. Mike, the Mountaineer looks great! :thumbsup:

I've found that clay is an incredible product. In fact, I had some paint work done to my trunk (the clearcoat bubbled for some reason, so I had them repaint the damn thing). Well, the body shop left overspray on the flat panels adjacent to the trunk (you know, like where our convertible antennae stick out) and th clay removed it after a few passes. VERY IMPRESSED.

About the way, I am on the same page about the longevity of the project. However, given the newness of the car, coupled with the fact that it's garaged ALL the time (and stored winters), I've elected to keep to the Meguairs Mirror Glaze line (Paint Cleaner, Show Car Glaze polish, followed by High Tech Yellow wax) and have been extremely happy. I think Mike said it well when he was like "Extra waxing becomes unnecessary." It's the law of diminishing returns gentleman - your investment of time will inevitably yield incremental results. I have yet to purchase an Zaino products (Personally, I think their mail-order system is extremely archaic and I am a more progressive person) but I will entertain them once the opportunity presents itself. Nothing against them, I just have great luck with my Meguiars. Granted, I have to reapply about every 2 months, but I really don't mind - the buffer makes it go quick and it's a good mental health exercise (I get to escape for a while when I schedule my "Car Days.")

Just my $.02. Good posts guys. Take care! :beer:

Raj

Raj, awesome post man, very well said.

Raj/Mike are on the same page.




Consensus is, Claybar works!




If any of you have comments or other feedback feel free to dabble your thoughts into this thread....im always on the lookout for better and more effective solutions.


:thumbsup: