Waxing and Clay Bar
 

Quick question, I'm about to clay bar the car after I wash it today and then wax it after that. I'm doing it all by hand. When I clay bar it, do I go in a back and forth motion or circular? I know I have to keep it lubricated with something like Meguiars Quick detail spray. When I wax the car do I apply it in a circular motion or back and forth again? Same thing when removing it? What, if you do it by hand also, do you apply the wax with and what do you remove it with? I was going to remove it with microfiber towels, but I wasn't sure what I should apply it with? I'm going to either use Zaino or Meguiars gold wax, and I'm going to use the Meguiars clay bar. I'm getting this all at Autozone. Hopefully I'll get some replies in the next half hour. Thanks

from what I've read..back and forth.not circular

whats clay bar?

Never do circular motions, always back and forth. Do up and down motions on vertical parts such as doors and do left and right motions on horizontal parts, pretty much do it in the direction the water will flow off the car.

Imo car wash soap and water is a better mixture then detail spray as it provides more lubrication and it's cheaper. When I do my car I usually go though half of a 16oz bottle so that cost really adds up.

Apply it with a 100% cotton applicator and remove it with 100% cotton towels, don't use the towels you can buy at Walmart, they are actually made with polyester backing and will scratch the car. Imo Microfiber towels are strictly interior use only and should NEVER be used on the paint of the car.

back and forth . Make sure you spray your bar as well as the paint before rubbing it.. Also, be sure to check the bar often as you may have some grit on it that may hurt your paint. good luck

I just clay bar'd the car and it looks amazing. I'm going to wax it tomorrow after I get back home from Baton Rouge. Do you think I need to clay it again tomorrow or will a simple wash & dry be sufficient before I wax it?

Watch this:
http://www.adamspolishes.com/t-Videos_DVD5_16.aspx

If your driving more then 40 miles I would clay again.. if not.. save your back for extra coats of POLISH. I just finished my 3rd and 4th coat of Zaino polish, car looks wet! :drinking:

seems we have to go over this every month...!

It really doesn't matter how you rub it.......but here's a tip!

USE SMALL PIECES OF THE CLAY BECAUSE..."WHEN" you drop it on the ground it's game over..throw it away...
The lubricant you use will make things slippery and you will drop it...trust me!

using smaller pieces gives you a back up pieces to use!

Have fun and get some good tunes to listen to while your our in the sun with your baby!

If you're driving it, I would do it again. If you're driving something else it should be fine with a wash and dry.

Why? The clay bar is gliding over the paint with whatever solution you are using, so why is back and forth preferable to circular motions? If you pick-up any contaminants in the clay bar, back and forth vs. circular will not matter as you will still scratch the paint. Mike Phillips says it really does not matter one way or the other as the clay bar is non-abrasive. Personally, when I use a clay bar, I go over the car back and forth in the orientation that the wind would be traveling over the panels.

Regardless, this is nice instructional video.

I'm completly new to this clay thing. I watched the video and read the comments above and I think I have it down now. Only question is, how far will a single clay bar go? For example, the size of the one in the hand from the video. Could he keep using that same piece he started with, or would he move on to a new piece for every section of the car?

As it gets dirty you moosh it around until you find a clean spot, no more clean spots means new cay piece. There is enough in the can to do the Camaro 2 to 4 times, depending on how dirty it is and how many you drop on the ground! :laugh::laugh: