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Thanks for the clay bar tips
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Posted by: Orange SS

I did it, I clay barred my car today. I did the cellophane trick before the clay and after, just to feel the diff. When I finished claying I was a little disappointed in the results, but then I used the cleaner wax and the wow factor came into play. It really looks good now.

My car is silver, I picked the color because it doesn't show dirt, but when it's clean it's not wow either. Over all I am happy with the way it looks.

I think my expectations were too high, escpecialy after seeing the black car on the clay bar web site. The paint on that black car looked like if you put a straw to it you could suck up the paint.( PJ, do not respond to that commit)

Posted by: langod

Claying should give you slickness and depth. Depth is tough to get on silver, but the "feel" of the paint when it's well clayed and topped with a quality wax should be so smooth it almost feels oily.
If you weren't satisfied with the feel of the clayed surface, you might need to do it again. I had to do my (silver) 6 year old Nissan Maxima twice after I bought it to get it to feel right.
Also, what brand claybar did you use? Most stores have Clay Magic and Mothers. I was not impressed with the Mother's clay bar. I like the Clay Magic bar better.

PS: Try some different brands of wax to make silver "pop" more. The metallic quality can look really different with various waxes. Silver can "wow" you with the right product. So far Collonite 845 give me the best metallic sparkle on my Maxima.

Posted by: TorchRedSVT

The clay process itself will not make the car look any better. The purpose is to make whatever cleaning products you use simply look much better. The car on whatever site you were looking at probably was clayed then prepped by a professional with a buffer.

there are definitly waxes out there which respond better to different colors. For example, the reason I picked the Pinnacle Souveran wax is becuase it works really really well on Flat colored cars such as Torch red or black.

I am sure there is a wax out there that works well with silver. If you are a member of SVTperformance, there is a section called the show and shine saloon that a couple of professional detailers hang out in and give advice. If you post up with your color they make great suggestions.

Good luck and glad you were able get the car truly cleaned up.

Posted by: Dark_Cobra

My car is Metallic Silver..

I'd recommend you lay down 2 good coats of polish (I use a Meguiars Product in there 3 step line) and then a top of the line Paste Wax " 2 coats for wax as well" (again I use Meguiars Gold Class) ..

When I'm done, it has good depth and a towel won't stay on the car..

Since you already claybarred, I'd go the route of polish and then wax.. You'll get a much better depth than just a combined cleaner/wax product.. but again you will be working for it with 4 coats total.

Posted by: Orange SS

I used Meguiars clay kit, but I didn't use the detailer, instead I used Windex. Then I used the cleaner wax. The finish felt very smooth, but I kept thinking it needed more. Now that my car is filthy again from the rain, I'll stop trying till the fall. Then I will do it all over again.

I was amazed at how well the clay worked on the chrome. I think it worked better than chrome cleaner. For the windows, I think I like using 0000 steel wool better.

Thanks again it was worth all the effort.

Posted by: badass98svt

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orange SS

The paint on that black car looked like if you put a straw to it you could suck up the paint.( PJ, do not respond to that commit)

LOL

Posted by: langod

Another claybar tip -- many pro detailers recommend you use the "old" clay (after it's gotten too dirty for the paintwork) on your windows. I've done it and it's amazing how much crap it can pull out of the glass. Makes 'em a sparkly and crystal clear!

Posted by: badass98svt

Quote:

Originally Posted by langod

Another claybar tip -- many pro detailers recommend you use the "old" clay (after it's gotten too dirty for the paintwork) on your windows. I've done it and it's amazing how much crap it can pull out of the glass. Makes 'em a sparkly and crystal clear!

Is it safe on the tint too? Probably not. huh?

Posted by: langod

Isn't tint on the inside? You clay the outside. (The inside shouldn't be gettiing bugs, road grime, carbon, etc embedded in it.....

Posted by: badass98svt

Gotcha.
Yes, tint is on the inside. I figured doing the inside couldn't hurt, ya know.