1. Did a quick wash in the driveway, paying particular attention to the wheels.
2. Microfiber towel drying. (I've heard a leaf blower is a great alternative to the manual method.)
3. Clay barred the hood and trunk, the roof, and the top of the front fenders.
4. Considered clay barring the rest, but I decided to save the time required to do the vertical surfaces since they didn't seem to need it as much as the horizontal ones.
5. Used the Meguiar's NXT Tech Wax 2.0 for the first time. I absolutely LOVE it. It's easy-on-easy-off and it leaves a great shine. The next time I wash it I'm planning to try the Meguiar's Yellow Wax (#26).*
6. Sprayed the wheels with the Armour All Wheel Protectant. Pretty nice finish. Hope it works.
And here are the results. The lighting wasn't intense, since it was almost 9:00 p.m. when I took these, but you can definitely see a nice shine on the car. Okay, it's a brand new car with new paint, but it didn't shine like this before the wax was applied.
If you're a dealer or distributor, of if perhaps you're the owner of Meguiar's, send me a can of that Yellow Wax #26 so I can give it a try. After all, I've given you great press on your NXT product. Right? Right.
And if you're a Zaino dealer or distributor, I'd love to try that product, too, and tell my readers what I think of it. So, package up a Porter Cable buffer and the pads I'll need, along with some product and some instructions, and I'll give it a go. I'd be happy to make a video.
And for those car lovers out there who have their own favorites, leave a comment and tell us what you like. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Did you use some kind of lubricant with the clay bar? I'd love to try that on my car but am a little fearful...
ReplyDeleteDena K.
Yes, you need to use a lubricant. But have no fear.Clay barring is truly a totally easy and error-free procedure. I typically use Meguiar's Quick Detailer as the lubricant. It's a liquid, obviously, that comes in a spray bottle. The secret to using a clay bar is to keep the paint surface wet. You can't use too much lubricant.
ReplyDeleteI usually squirt three or four sprays and start moving the clay bar. This will usually allow you to do an area 10 to 12 inches square. Then spray again and move to another area. The liquid stays on the paint, so once you get going, the surface stays pretty wet. If it's not wet enough, the clay will stick. That's not a big deal except that when you wipe the lubricating liquid off, you'll need to rub a bit to remove that little bit of clay that stuck to the paint. Not a issue, really, and there's no way you can mess it up.
If your paint has a lot of contaminants on it, you should knead the clay every few minutes to make sure you're using a clean area. Before you start, just lightly glide your fingers over the paint. You should be able to feel a lot of things that shouldn't be there. It will feel like grains of sand embedded in the paint. All of this will come off with the clay bar and your paint will be so slick a fly will slide off it it lands on your hood. Seriously. It's that smooth when you get done. Then throw a coat of wax on it and you won't be able to put anything on the car without it sliding off. Try it. You'll love it.
Not only will clay bar + wax make your car so slick it will be unable to hold objects (hilarious when your dumb brother-in-law sets his camera on the fender!), but the air molecules will slip by it so smoothly that your mileage will increase 53%!
ReplyDelete