Post by rj on Dec 5, 2008 13:17:41 GMT -5
If anyone has not tried a clay bar system on the paint of their Monte, I suggest you give it a try.
Mother's and Mequairs both sell a clay bar system and you can find them at any parts store. Even Wally World sells them.
When we first got the '03 Pace car the paint could have been better. You could see and feel it. Rough and scratchy. Some shine to it but not like it should have been.
So I purchased a Mequiars clay bar system and set about bringing the shine back to the paint like I felt it should look like.
First and foremost you want the car's paint clean. So you need to wash it if it's sat outside or sat inside but has a lot of dust on it. Dirt ground in to the paint can cause some major headaches. Even to the point you may need a re-paint of the entire car. Not good. But dirt can leave deep scratches if not removed.
Place your car where the paint can cool off if the car is too hot to leave your hand on any flat surface for more then a few seconds. You know those hot summer days you'd swear you could fry and egg on your car, it's that hot. Well that is TOO hot. Even just to wash it.
I always spray the car down first with the water hose before I begin washing. This helps to remove some of the dirt on the car plus cool it down.
Okay, so now your car is freshly washed and dried. Time to start clay barring the paint. In the kit you should find three things. A bar of clay (of course), a spray bottle of detailer, and a bottle of cleaner wax. You want to do small areas versus a large one. Spray some of the detailer on the paint and a little on the clay bar. Now go to work rubbing the paint. I use a back and forth mortion versus a circular one. But as long as you keep the surface wet it really shouldn't matter. The reason I go back and forth is we as humans are trained to see straight lines. This can work to your advantage if you leave a scratch in the clear coat of the car because even though we're trained to see straight lines it can also make us so we're not so inclinded to notice one.
But work small sections of the car till you now have the entire car clay barred.
Next you want to go back over the car and use the cleaner wax on it.
NOTE: I personally prefer to clay bar a small section, THEN use the cleaner wax. Yes it can lead to overspray on a section you just did with the detailer. But a microfiber towel can remove the overspray in short order. This way then you're done with the clay bar you're almost done with car completely. Not having to go back over it and now use the cleaner wax. It also gives you the finished product. It allows you to see just how nice your baby can look with a little elbow grease and help to motivate you to do the rest of the car.
;D
But I was very pleased with the Pace car's paint when I was done. It now looks like glass again like a new car even though it's now 6 years old.
Mother's and Mequairs both sell a clay bar system and you can find them at any parts store. Even Wally World sells them.
When we first got the '03 Pace car the paint could have been better. You could see and feel it. Rough and scratchy. Some shine to it but not like it should have been.
So I purchased a Mequiars clay bar system and set about bringing the shine back to the paint like I felt it should look like.
First and foremost you want the car's paint clean. So you need to wash it if it's sat outside or sat inside but has a lot of dust on it. Dirt ground in to the paint can cause some major headaches. Even to the point you may need a re-paint of the entire car. Not good. But dirt can leave deep scratches if not removed.
Place your car where the paint can cool off if the car is too hot to leave your hand on any flat surface for more then a few seconds. You know those hot summer days you'd swear you could fry and egg on your car, it's that hot. Well that is TOO hot. Even just to wash it.
I always spray the car down first with the water hose before I begin washing. This helps to remove some of the dirt on the car plus cool it down.
Okay, so now your car is freshly washed and dried. Time to start clay barring the paint. In the kit you should find three things. A bar of clay (of course), a spray bottle of detailer, and a bottle of cleaner wax. You want to do small areas versus a large one. Spray some of the detailer on the paint and a little on the clay bar. Now go to work rubbing the paint. I use a back and forth mortion versus a circular one. But as long as you keep the surface wet it really shouldn't matter. The reason I go back and forth is we as humans are trained to see straight lines. This can work to your advantage if you leave a scratch in the clear coat of the car because even though we're trained to see straight lines it can also make us so we're not so inclinded to notice one.
But work small sections of the car till you now have the entire car clay barred.
Next you want to go back over the car and use the cleaner wax on it.
NOTE: I personally prefer to clay bar a small section, THEN use the cleaner wax. Yes it can lead to overspray on a section you just did with the detailer. But a microfiber towel can remove the overspray in short order. This way then you're done with the clay bar you're almost done with car completely. Not having to go back over it and now use the cleaner wax. It also gives you the finished product. It allows you to see just how nice your baby can look with a little elbow grease and help to motivate you to do the rest of the car.
;D
But I was very pleased with the Pace car's paint when I was done. It now looks like glass again like a new car even though it's now 6 years old.
We just had 1 degree followed by an ice storm and then 50 degrees. WTH? Indiana weather is unpredictable.
