To clay bar or not?

[/QUOTE] I see some leaves stuck under your wipers. Looks terrible

 

I agree on using Dawn befire clay.

And here's a washing tip:
When you wash, fill up 2 or 3 five gallon buckets with clean water only.
As you wash from another bucket, usually a 2 gallon with the soapy water...

Each time you do an area, ring out the rag...then drop it into one of those clean buckets of water.

Grab a clean rag to wash the next area. Ring it. Drop it into water bucket #2.

3rd rag...etc.

I've even rinced out my wash bucket with each new rag. And start w new soapy water.

Keeping dirty rags off your vehicle eliminated scratches and swirls that can get on finish from washing.

Toward the end of the wash. I rinse out and use the earlier rags to do less important areas like rocker panels. And inside door jambs, etc.

Also. Never use the same rag to do body panels that you have used in the past to do wheels or lower body parts/undercarriage. They hold micro particles that even a washing machine doesn't remove.

 

im ocd about my truck, but not THAT ocd lol.

 

That process comes from my Corvette days.

I've only washed my new Tacoma once since April when I got it.
I usually just give it a good squirt rince and Cadillac along.

 

i wash carefully. I got a nice lambs wool mit, dont scrub in circles, and dont apply pressure. I use only one bucketbut always make sure to only dip the mit up top, since grit will sink. I also thoroughly rinse the truck to wash away any grit before i scrub. Im careful, but its not a damn ferrari

 

Claying our truck is easy since most of the panels are flat. It also gets any nasty rail-rust spots out just like an eraser. Do it! The paint will be glass smooth once you get the wax on last. Below is my typical process:

Spot clean heavy tar areas with bug/tar remover > wash with dawn > clay w/quick detailer(soapy spray also works) > meguiars ultimate polish > meguiars rain repellant treatment > meguiars ultimate wax

I did my truck over Memorial Day weekend and I haven't had to wash it yet! The rain just beads and rolls off once you get movin.

 

Going to clay bar and wax today. Will post before/after pics.

 

STOP CLAYBARING EVERYONE!!!!!!!!! STOP IT NOW!
There's this new product ( no i am not a rep or affiliate with the company in any way shape and form), called nanoskin autoscrub. There are a variety of different pads but i got the one that fits on my porter cable polisher. Its literally 10 times faster than a clay bar and does a better job. I promise you its worth the cost and you will thank me later.

 

Do you need to use some type of lubrication too?

 

yes, purchase "glide" and that works well as lubricant only. They have a glide + wax product but I never tried it.

 

Only car I've clay bar'd I just used distilled water as a lubricant, with a hand wax and hand polish afterward. Came out beautiful.

Is there something wrong with using water these days, or is it just that better options now exist?

 

Keep going....

 

I always run over the truck with a clay bar when I wash it. It's fast and easy to keep up with it. Wash mit with auto soap it one hand, clay bar in the other. The soap will lube the clay just fine. Do one panel at a time and rinse. And don't forget the 2 bucket method.

 

Truck before

 

My clay kit

 

^ What I use too.

 

Finished washing/claying

 

Time for some good wax

 

Doesn't the clay remove the wax? You may be removing all the contaminants, but at the same time you are removing the wax. I'm not positive about this as every time I clay I then wax. Just throwing it out there.

 

Looking good