hey all, i've reading up on past threads on polishing/waxing/clay barring....

but all just say, after you clay bar your car, start with a polish and polish the car... etc...

but is it all necessary? Can i just clay bar the car and then proceed to wax the car?

I ask cause i beleive i only have a clay bar and a wax at home.

it's the mother clay bar kit... comes with a small bottle a spary and a bar. i believe the small bottle is only a wax.

also, the clay bar is used to remove the swirl marks and light scratches right?

all the threads on waxing, clay baring and stuff... ugh leave me kinda confused.

Thanks guys

 

It is fine to use only wax, you just won't get as brilliant of a shine. And yes the clay bar is used to remove swirl marks, debris, and hide scratches.
-Cyrus

 

Clay bar won't remove swirl marks or scratches. Debris yes. You can remove the swirl marks and scratch with polish or rubbing compound. You can hide them using glaze.

 

hmm curious, what exactly is the clay bar used for then?

i guess i should make it worth it and get some polish then too...

 

Dish soap will take old wax off.

Car wash soap will loosen up dirt.

Clay removes fallout, metal, dirt, that's imbedded in the paint.

Polish brings out the shine in the paint

Glaze hides swirls

Wax just protects everything.

The condition of the car depends on what you need to do. If you haven't taken care of the paint correctly you should , Wash with dish soap to strip the wax, clay, polish/glaze, wax.

 

The clay bar is only for removing contaminates from the paint, if you have swirls or scratches you need a light abrasive (i.e. polish) to get rid of them. I was going to say that you can go straight from clay to wax, but I just thought of something: the lubricant spray you use with the clay bar might interfere with the wax...so I would say it would be best to give it a quick hit with the polish to remove everything from the paint before you wax. I bet that the wax you have is cleaner wax, which means it has a little polish built in to it, but I would still use a separate polish if you want to get good results. You might also consider a chemical cleaner like Zymol HD cleanse which removes contaminates, but does not have any abrasive in it.

The thing is, you don't need to polish every time you wax...so it's usually worth doing a thourough job when you DO polish.Once you get rid of the swirls and stuff you can just keep waxing it and build up a nice coat.

 

Damn, what a long process. I have a box of the Mothers Clay bar kit sittin at home w/ a brand new zymol wax bottle... I think i better attempt this but i've been using the automated gas station carwashes every week because i feel as if i get alot of dust on my car from driving on the highway alot and when its parked in the garage at night... Hmm. You think if i were to do the whole cleaning process, and just get a duster would it last longer?? Like at least a whole month lol. So what kinda duster should i get... I know they all are probably the same but i'm just curious

 

the many thank yous for teh simple explanation



and for the other post, yeah i'm positive it's a cleaner wax also.
i will look into getting a polish then... hmm
now to find a good brand name...I guess anything meguirs or mothers?

 

Pretty much. I suggest Meguiar's The Professional #7 Showcar Glaze.
-Cyrus

 

I just tried dish soap gto get some old wax off and it wouldn't work .. doesnt seem to want to go away ..

 

Mix up a strong solution of Dawn dish soap in a bucket of water, then use this as a lubricant for a clay bar. Then rinse the car with regular car wash soap. The combination of the dawn detergent and the rubbing from the clay bar should take the wax off.

 

ok one person said glaze will remove the swirls, and the other said polish. well... which one? i never heard of glaze before. i really hate those swirls on my car, plus claying is so fuking hard and strenuous!! i just did my trunk and that's about it i gave up and threw away the clay.

 

ok just wanna get somethign straight, you need to wet the surface area with that spray they give you first right? and then rub like there's no tomorrow? just wondering if i was doing it right. i had to rub one specific area numerous times to just get the embedded dirt off damn! so much work but in the end it's worth it, i guess for around 5 hours??

 

you need to use alot of the lubrication that came with the clay. But you don't have to rub like there 's no tomorrow. Just glide the bar across the area a couple times.