New car...when to wax?

[2LTRS]

Originally Posted by IndyDave

Do not wax the stripes with a Carnuba wax. If the wax lists Carnuba as an ingredient, DO NOT put on the stripes. You can put car polish on the stripes though. Like Zaino, it will not dull the stripes.

If you call my CGM stripes dull your crazy! My stripes shine as good as the clearcoat. Proof is in the pictures. This is after almost 6 mo. of constant waxing with sealants and carnuaba waxes. Sorry but I'm calling on NO WAX on the stripes. I would not advise wax on matte stripes however.

Now a polish is generally abrasive unless you live in the crazy Zaino world. If you decide to use Zaino products, read their instructions on use and decide if it works for you (its pretty intense). If you go to pep boys and get some "polish" your going to destroy your stripes - however the Zaino "polish" is a wax/sealant. So IndyDave is essentially telling you its ok to wax the stripes.

Here comes the zaino-ite flame

[Junkman2008]

Your stripes are the shiniest that I have seen. Interesting that you've been waxing them and they haven't turned white. I haven't had any stripes that I could play with so I've yet to recommend anything. I'll have to try that at Camaro5 Fest. Very nice results.

[2LTRS]

Originally Posted by Junkman2008

Your stripes are the shiniest that I have seen. Interesting that you've been waxing them and they haven't turned white. I haven't had any stripes that I could play with so I've yet to recommend anything. I'll have to try that at Camaro5 Fest. Very nice results.

The stripes have a glossy film (almost like a 2stage paint) on the top. I havent experienced any hazing at all. I have used just about every wax under the sun on them too, nxt 2.0, turtle ice, buttery, msw, americana. I have yet to have any issue with them. I treat them almost like I would the clear coat, minus polish. But I have even clay barred them with great results.

[AlmondRocca]

i clay barred my rear bumper today, and it was pretty gross.... much better now tho

[Junkman2008]

Originally Posted by AlmondRocca

i clay barred my rear bumper today, and it was pretty gross.... much better now tho

You would have never thought it was that bad, huh!

[pkauf]

Originally Posted by Junkman2008

OH NO YOU DIDN'T SEE THAT IN MY VIDEOS!!!

I distinctly make it a point to show folks in my video posted below that the only thing that claying your finish removes is contaminants in the clear coat! Claying does absolutely, positively NOTHING for scratches. As a matter of fact, claying removes all of the dirt out of the scratches and makes them show up even more!

Checking the Results of Claying

Another thing that was posted that is incorrect was the statement that clay will not remove wax. Claying absolutely will remove EVERYTHING that is on the paint. Wax, polish, whatever, claying will strip it all off.

As for the OP's original question, you need to wax your car right away. But as someone else pointed out, you need to clay it first. If you do the baggie test, you will feel all kinds of grit in your paint. I will bet money on it. You do not have to wait for any paint to cure on a factory car. The panels of that car were painted and baked at temperatures that cured the paint before the car was assembled. You have absolutely nothing to worry about.

OK, I've never used clay before, so I'm way paranoid about something that will remove "everything". So help me a bit . . . What prevents you from scratching the crap out of your car with all the stuff that is removed from one area, flipped around in the clay, and becoming a scratching device on another part of the car? I'm in no way saying i think this is a bad idea, I just have never done this before, so I don't want to hose my paint job up by doing it wrong. I've read the "how to" links, but don't want to be missing some important info and screw up my paint. Thanks!!!!

[2010 SSRS]

looks good

[Junkman2008]

Originally Posted by pkauf

OK, I've never used clay before, so I'm way paranoid about something that will remove "everything". So help me a bit . . . What prevents you from scratching the crap out of your car with all the stuff that is removed from one area, flipped around in the clay, and becoming a scratching device on another part of the car? I'm in no way saying i think this is a bad idea, I just have never done this before, so I don't want to hose my paint job up by doing it wrong. I've read the "how to" links, but don't want to be missing some important info and screw up my paint. Thanks!!!!

An extremely good post! I love it when folks question the why behind something I tell them to do. That tells me that they are thinking this "detailing stuff" through, and not just blindly following directions that they may or may not understand. Well allow me to answer your question!

Hopefully, you have watched my videos and are up to speed on preparing your car for claying. The car needs to be clean (not necessarily dry), before you start. The reason being, you do not want to put unnecessary dirt into the clay because the clay will only last so long.

The particles that you are removing from the clay are EXTREMELY small. They will quickly disappear into the clay as you are flipping it. The amount of clay that Adam's sells is significantly larger than pretty much anything else that you will find on the market, thus, it goes quite a distance. You will keep your eye on the clay during the claying process to ensure that every time you flip it, a new clean spot is found. It is when you cannot find a clean spot on the clay after flipping it that your piece of clay is finished! At that point, you need to get some more clay.

How long a bar of clay will last totally depends on the condition of the cars you use it on. I can tell you that on a car as new as the Camaro that have not been abused by years of neglect, a bar of Adam's clay will do quite a few Camaro's. You still need to be cognizant of your clay as you use it, ensuring that you are constantly finding a new clean area as you flip it.

Under no circumstances whatsoever, do you want to use a piece of clay if it has been DROPPED!!! Once that clay hits the ground, IT IS WORTHLESS. The size of the dirt particles that it will pick up can do major damage to your paint. It is NOT worth chancing the damage. Throw that piece of clay away!

Most folks split the clay that Adam's sells in half because it is so big. This is their ace in the hole in case they drop it. I suggest you do the same. Follow these rules and always clay a CLEAN car and not only will you not have issues, but the clay will last much longer. Also, some minor marring may occur while claying, especially if you don't keep the area lubricated. This damage is very minimal, and can be easily fixed using the Fine Machine Polish.

Purchase a gallon of detail spray if you have never clayed your car. If you don't, you will quickly find out that a 16 ounce bottle is definitely NOT enough.

[garcmol]

Stretch, Fold. Stretch, Fold. Stretch, Fold. Clay. *repeat*