THIS is why you clay bar before polishing!!!

Uhhhh.... maybe it's different for you straight guys with women. I taught my husband to detail because my truck takes enough effing work, he can do his own LOL.

I guess guys just care more about having pretty machines. Now inside my house is another storyLOL

 

It's not really a straight vs. gay thing; it's more of a general men's priorities vs. women's priorities.


A comparison, for example, would be time spent on putting on makeup and getting dressed up vs. time spent detailing the car.
Women will judge each other by the color, quality, brand, and style of clothes and shoes they wear. Men will judge each other on the cleanliness, quality, make/model, and mods of their cars and trucks.


My wife's kinda an exception to all this in that she's a minimalist and doesn't place a lot of value on "things," whether they be shoes, makeup, or cars. She'd rather spend 5 hours on an experience that enriches or adds value to our lives, rather than spend 5 hours cleaning and polishing a car. She doesn't really care how we get there, because the experience is more important than the mode of transportation.

....me, on the other hand.....

 

Any recommendations for a specific clay brand or type of applicator?

 

I recently picked up some Mother's, and it was REALLY soft and easy to work with. However, I had to go over a few sections a couple of time, and I think it was because of how soft the clay was.

I've also used Meguiar's. It was a little stiffer to knead, but I got really good results with it. Also, it came with a black plastic container to store it in after you're done, which the Mother's didn't.

 

I love the clay bar in the Mother's kit. Too bad I can't find replacement bars, I have to rebuy the whole kit. But still not bad on price since the kit lasts me 4 uses. And the luber smells like cimmanin ^_^

 

I have used Megs, Pinnacle, and Adams clay bars. Found the Adams to work much better than the other 2.

 

After being an avid user of clay, I heard some good things about the Nanoskin and decided to give it a shot with my DA. I did the truck first as it had been neglected and I am really impressed
with how fast I got the truck done. Smooth as glass and I even applied it to the window and they are in better shape too. Over the next two days I did my car and the GF's car with excellent results.

 

I got a chance this last weekend to finally do it right, and clay barred the Jetta. The bottom-right corner is fresh clay, and the rest was a first pass on a 2x2 area on the roof. The hood was even worse, and the front bumper was so bad that I had to throw the clay bar away afterwards (thankfully I did that last).

 

I plan on claying my truck this weekend and putting a good wax on it afterwards. Truck is only a few months old and a friend kept telling me I needed to clay it first and now I see why.

 

Good choice of color, BTW

 

SWB must look extra fancy after clay and wax.

the good thing about doing all the work to clay, seal, and wax is that maintenance, if kept up, becomes much easier. just wash weekly or touch up with spray detailer. i'll add a top coat of spray wax every few weeks to try to extend the life of my sealant.

 

It really does! And a good coat of wax on top of a sealant puts so much depth to the paint that pictures will never do it justice.

 

A question...my truck is driven on a dusty gravel road EVERY TIME I go ANYWHERE. I don't wash it more then once or twice a month since it's just as dirty as it started out by the time I get home. The paint is in good shape considering that it's never in a garage, and it usually dirty. Would a good detailing, claying, polishing, and sealer help even under those conditions?? And I can't wash it here, since I'm using well water with a lot of minerals and sulfur in it...

 

tl;dr - Yes

In theory, the more layers between the environment and your paint, the longer your paint will last. Since it's not realistic to reapply clear coat all the time, adding layers of sealant and wax are the next best options. Claying helps in that process by removing the 1-2 months worth of contaminants, ensuring a nice, even coat of sealant/wax, and making sure chemicals from industrial fallout, road grime, and dust aren't trapped under the sealant/wax. Those chemicals can be corrosive and can eat away at your wax, sealant, clear coat, and eventually your paint. So the longer those chemicals stay on your paint, the more damage they can do over time. So yes, even in those conditions, detailing will help protect your paint. It'll even make future washes a little easier as well.

 

Looks like Griot's has a similar product out called the Brilliant finish synthetic clay. I won't be surprised to see more companies releasing similar products soon.

 

The purpose of a good sealer is to bond to the paint to protect it from contaminants that will harm the paint like bird poop, berries, tree sap, sun, etc.
Sealers usually provide a slicker paint surface so anything that gets on the truck doesn't stick so well so maintenance washes are easier.

It probably won't help your truck look any cleaner, but it will keep it protected and make washes simpler.

 

Quick wash, clay bar, compound, and wax

 

Pics don't do it justice lol

 

Another debadged SWB

 

I have had my truck for 18 months now and just clay barred it for the first time. I was shocked how much it was needed. Truck now looks better than when I bought it. I should have done this months ago, but glad I did it before winter.