Ok, the last time I waxed a car, we didn't have the term "Detail" in use as a verb, and no one had heard of a "Clay Bar" other than the kind the rototiller would hit in the garden (oh, wait - no one knows what a garden is anymore, either - should I go into that?) Anyway, it was 1979 and my Yellow CJ5 sure looked nice when I got done with it.

Then came marriage, kids, divorce (the first one) and life in general.

So, I bought the Roadster in July of 2009. By the fall, it was time to think about detailing it... but *something* or *someone* else came into my life and .... well, divorce (the second one) came here recently. So...... for various reasons, this weekend was my first detail job on the Roadster.

I started off with Mequiar's Gold Car Shampoo - which is all I use anyway. I use the "Two bucket - two mitt" method. But this time, I also went over all the surfaces down low (in the path of the debris the tires kick up) using extra effort and care to clean these areas very well in preparation for a wax job. In some places, I used Turtle Wax's Bug and Tar Remover. Not all that impressed with this stuff. It sure leaves behind a GREASY surface that is somewhat a challenge to clean up - but it DID remove some tar-oil crap from the rear bumper.

Then, I grabbed my Mequiar's ClayBar kit, wondering just WHAT I was about to do with IT.

 

LOOK OUT.....I see a flock of geese flying overhead and they look like there about to unload......!!!

 

Detail that!

 

I never detailed or clay barred (?) before until I got the Crossfires.
Since then I have bought a $300+ buffer/polisher and swear by the clay bar.
Have introduce a few friends to the clay bar and they were amazed at the difference it made.
If you don't have one, you NEED to get one.
Makes a BIG difference!

Just ask Mike!

 

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Looks like the crapiest car I've ever seen , and it looks like you'll need an air chiesel to remove the top layer then a FEW clay bars, bet he wished he had given that car a GOOD WAXING, then maybe all of it would of slid off, but hay atleast they did not have to pay to park there. Of course some people still just get the crap parking spots no matter where they park, and some people just get the $hit all the time.

 

That right there is wrong on so many levels

 

Well, after clay bar, Ultimate Compound and two coats of NXT 2.0 wax - I can honestly say the car looks as good as the day I brought it home. The dealer had detailed it and done SUCH a good job that they felt comfortable tacking $300 on for "dealer prep" (dealer prep of a USED vehicle???)

Now, they also steam cleaned under the hood - but we wont be bathing the electronics under the hood with steam, that is for sure.

Anyway, I now understand the use of, and belief in, the Clay Bar.

 

I was worried about this as well, but i took out my battery and covered the two fuse boxes with plastic bags and used the Green wheel/engine cleaner from my local car wash. Only cost me $3.00. Once over with the engine cleaner, then once over with the rinse. Then i just wiped everything down with a clean rag to get the last bit of grime up and the engine bay looked so much better afterwards. Only complaint was Aluminum/magnesium manifolds and supercharger had some slight oxidation(Looks blochy and dull) that didn't go away with the wash.

AFter i was done i put the battery back in an pulled off the bags over the fuse boxes and drove away with no issues. we wont say what i did to make the engine bay so dirty to deserve the power wash...

 

I am going to laugh when my daily driver's engine compartment is cleaner than yours that LIVES in the garage

 

I dumped on a friend who purchased a Peugeot but not like this.

 

Not gonna happen John - I didn't say it was IN NEED of steam cleaning!

I wipe the entire compartment down quite often (ok, way too damn often).

 

You know, you almost sound like an ad for our products. Almost........
It's Meguiar's dammit, with a G!!!!

Glad it all worked out so well for you, and thanks for the props.

 

Well Mike,I too used all of the above this past weekend. Only diff was mine was that "MeGuiar's" stuff. And the only reason I used this name brand? Because a fellow member on this board works for that outfit.

At review time tell your boss to give you a BIG raise because you're sell'n so much product on this board!

BTW my Blaze Red Crossfire is a Blaze'n!

 

Not to jump your thread, but...

I stayed up late last night researching a new wax. I had been using Meguiar's cleaner wax, but wanted something to make the most out of a light colored car (06 ssb). After reading through some of the threads, and some allegedly impartial internet reviews, I settled on the NXT 2.0 paste wax. I had read that polymers will give a brighter shine, supposedly better for lighter colors.

I still don't have the depth that the darker colors do ( acrispy1, mrphotoman, etc...) but I have to say I was happy with the results. And there really wasn't any residue left on nearby trim work. I still may get a sample of some super high end $200 wax just to try, but I guess realistically my next step would be to buy a DA and try machine polishing.

Anyway, thanks for all the great info.

 

I've been using Meguiar's since about May of this year, clay bar - detailer - and cleaner wax and really couldn't be happier with the results and the price also. I find that they are easy to use for me. Also a forum member working for the company ( Mike-in-Orange ) was a factor in trying that product.

 

I had the same religious experience with claybarring. My roadster has always been covered and garaged, and is baby smooth. The other two were bought used and you could feel the imperfections and roughness. I claybarred the SRT6 two summers ago and it still is smooth and shines. It's a great product but a lot of work. Perfect for a warm summer afternoon, a couple cold craft beers, and a fine cigar.

 

Like most here, I started swearing by it after using it on the xfire.

My dad was cleaning his airplane one day and called up to ask what to get some stubborn stuff off with. I told him to go get a claybar and try it out. He said it worked great, and did his entire airplane with it before waxing it. So there you go mike, it works on airplanes as well!

 

Can you get a beer at this clay bar ????? LOL !!!!!

 

Check me off as another firm believer in the 'bar'.

Once you've given the car a good all-over clay-barring, you should be good to go for a long, long time. A slippery finish right down to the clear coat. Sweet!

But between washings and waxings (actually, I use polish) I'll usually just hit the horizontal surfaces to maintain that slippery shine. In just a few minutes I'll hit the hood, the 'hips' and the trunk of my roadster.

 

Much like others, I'm a believer in the clay bar treatment on a car's finish. But unlike pizzaguy's process (which I thought was really good), I still follow essentially a 3-step process using Meguiar's Professional series of car care products. If I'm really serious about prepping the car (like for a car show), I'll do the following:

Step 1: I wash & thoroughly dry the car.
Step 2: I wipe down the entire car with Prep-Sol. Removes all road grime, bugs, and old polish/wax.
Step 3: I use the clay bar.
Step 4: I wipe down the car again using Prep-Sol.
Step 5: I use Meguiar's Professional 'Mirror Glaze' Fine Cut Cleaner #2 (very mild abrasive/compound)
Step 6: Wipe car finish down with Prep-Sol again.
Step 7: Apply polish using Meguiar's Professional 'Mirro Glaze' Machine Glaze #3 (w/buffer) or 'Mirror Glaze' Show Car Glaze #7 (by hand; doesn't dry white)
Step 8: Apply Meguiar's Professional 'Mirror Glaze' High Tech Yellow Wax #26 (carnauba) or 'Mirror Glaze' Polymer Sealant #20

Whole process consumes an entire weekend.