Wash and wax and....
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Have you noticed the smoooooothness in the paint AFTER claying it and before waxing it? did you do your glass? looks awesome man!...Good job!
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I was at Canadian Tire today and picked up the Mother's Clay bar kit to give it a try.
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That it CG...from here on in.....you're a CHANGED MAN! lol
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I took the afternoon off today and spent it washing, claying and waxing the car....I'm exhausted now LOL The car looks great though. I couldn't believe all the rust coloured spots. Maybe my other cars have had them as well and they just weren't noticeable because of the car colours but with white they really were obvious. The clay bar got rid of them all. I'm a convert now.
Popular misconception that white doesn't show dirt :smile
It shows some types more I believe.
Although my wife curses her black at times she says with white or light colored you might not see that dirt or contaminant and leave it sit on your paint longer. With black she says she can see it immediately and get it off right away :nerd
She will make any excuse. LOL
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Always loved black cars ( in a showroom) but never ever again...lol drove me beyond nuts trying to keep that colour looking good....when I had black....I never used a chammy to dry, always compressed air, stayed on top of it....in the end I just gave up and sold it,WAY too labour intensive...
Country guy; did you notice how glass smooth the paint work became after claying it?
Country guy; did you notice how glass smooth the paint work became after claying it?
I would no way in **** buy a black car which baffles my wife since everything else I buy has to be black LOL. My next car is white, maybe silver.
You should notice after claying how much easier it is to apply and remove wax. If you stay on top of claying those little specs will come off easier too. The longer/deeper those particles embed in your clear coat the harder it is to remove them. So now you are sucked into claying a few times a year but it shouldn't be as exhausting and applying and removing the wax should be less work too.
I opt to sit in the lounger chair with a Stella(beer) in hand and cheer my wife on as she clays away. God bless her.
You should notice after claying how much easier it is to apply and remove wax. If you stay on top of claying those little specs will come off easier too. The longer/deeper those particles embed in your clear coat the harder it is to remove them. So now you are sucked into claying a few times a year but it shouldn't be as exhausting and applying and removing the wax should be less work too.
I opt to sit in the lounger chair with a Stella(beer) in hand and cheer my wife on as she clays away. God bless her.
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I clay mine twice yearly,the first claying I do is usually the toughest one....it's the one that seems to have the most contaminates...mostly tree sap and atmospheric fall out; city pollution,pollen, sweet water....the stuff the clay bar picks up is just unreal....this is AFTER you washed your car!!!!!! it just goes to show you how much "crud" is left on your paint work!...after that first through claying, sealing and waxing, I find most if not all pollutants just DO NOT really stick to bright coach work, as long as a high quality sealer/ wax is used.
One tip I share tho: the first time I clay, the initial wash is done with almost hot as opposed to cold water....it completely softens the minuscule droppings of sap, and by and large, allows the shampoo to actually remove them...I find that after I washed with almost hot water, and air blown the coach work, the clay removes 99.9 of crud very easily.
As a general rule, I try to NEVER park ANY car underneath ANY tree, and any sap I find attached to the paint is quickly removed before it has time to set and harden.
As far as black paint is concerned.....never ever wash a car in circular motion EVER,it's the NO#1 way to create swirls....fine particle ambient dust that has settled on the paint is now emulsified with a thickening agent (shampoo) and water ( carrier) creating the perfect identical ultra fine cutting compound.....I know this sounds crazy,but if you use a jeweller's Lupe and take an enlarged look at what a swirl looks like ( in full sunlight) you'll suddenly notice they are ultra fine "groves that have been cut into the top layer (clear coat) which is why to fully remove them, either a polisher with ultra fine compound or a water sanding using a 5,000 cutting grit!
"Automotive Sandpaper can come in a variety of coarseness from about 40 grit which is the most abrasive up to 5,000 grit which is not much more abrasive then a regular sheet of paper in your computer printer. Each piece is exactly the same as the last that way if you are sanding down an imperfection in the clear coat you can grab a 3000 grit paper and know you won’t be cutting through the clear into the base coat.".....
I stick with the 5,000 grit because it is just sooooo fine!...I did a friends Viper last year (black) that looked completely trashed! never seen so much swirls on ANY car....lol he used to drive it through a roller car wash....we worked on that paint for 2 days straight using 2, 45 degree angle floods to highlight the severity of the swirls before we got to sealers and waxes....the end results were just incredible!....he also used to dry it with a synthetic chammy....compressed air is the only way to go, just blow the water right off it.
Black, as my general rule is my fav colour....but just too delicate for my liking.....never again! lol
One tip I share tho: the first time I clay, the initial wash is done with almost hot as opposed to cold water....it completely softens the minuscule droppings of sap, and by and large, allows the shampoo to actually remove them...I find that after I washed with almost hot water, and air blown the coach work, the clay removes 99.9 of crud very easily.
As a general rule, I try to NEVER park ANY car underneath ANY tree, and any sap I find attached to the paint is quickly removed before it has time to set and harden.
As far as black paint is concerned.....never ever wash a car in circular motion EVER,it's the NO#1 way to create swirls....fine particle ambient dust that has settled on the paint is now emulsified with a thickening agent (shampoo) and water ( carrier) creating the perfect identical ultra fine cutting compound.....I know this sounds crazy,but if you use a jeweller's Lupe and take an enlarged look at what a swirl looks like ( in full sunlight) you'll suddenly notice they are ultra fine "groves that have been cut into the top layer (clear coat) which is why to fully remove them, either a polisher with ultra fine compound or a water sanding using a 5,000 cutting grit!
"Automotive Sandpaper can come in a variety of coarseness from about 40 grit which is the most abrasive up to 5,000 grit which is not much more abrasive then a regular sheet of paper in your computer printer. Each piece is exactly the same as the last that way if you are sanding down an imperfection in the clear coat you can grab a 3000 grit paper and know you won’t be cutting through the clear into the base coat.".....
I stick with the 5,000 grit because it is just sooooo fine!...I did a friends Viper last year (black) that looked completely trashed! never seen so much swirls on ANY car....lol he used to drive it through a roller car wash....we worked on that paint for 2 days straight using 2, 45 degree angle floods to highlight the severity of the swirls before we got to sealers and waxes....the end results were just incredible!....he also used to dry it with a synthetic chammy....compressed air is the only way to go, just blow the water right off it.
Black, as my general rule is my fav colour....but just too delicate for my liking.....never again! lol
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Stella or Corona are GREAT beers.....wife loves Corona with a wedge of salted lime,I like Corona but I find it a lil too mellow....Now my Irish neighbour likes his Guinness Ale....I compare it to used engine oil,full bodied, bitter and very tart....not my kinda beer!....Stella for the win! Molson Canadian is also a great beer ( I'm biased) hehehe
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The clay bar actually showed very little dirt. The only real dirt was the little brown specs on the paint. My car is never parked under trees as at home it is always in the garage and at work it is open space. I have had 2 black cars and never again....way way too much work to keep it clean. I don't have that much free time to keep the car clean. I have also had other dark coloured cars - brown, green, navy blue - and they all show the dirt much more than light coloured cars. The colour that showed the least dirt was a champagne coloured Toyota Solara and a pale blue Lexus IS250. The more closely the colour resembles the colour of dirt, the less it shows the dirt LOL
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country guy- dirt per se, does not really become evident in the clay bar, but the small particles it lifts, sure rear their ugly head....they look like lil minuscule balls embedded in the clay,I usually knead it almost at every section I go over,(a) it keeps it supple and (b) it give you a fresh "face" to contact the paint with....My Candy Apple Paint is not as bad as a black paint...but it's still a handful to maintain, which is why I usually use a fine 100% cotton lined car cover when I am not using it....keeping it clean, sealed, and waxed stops dust from setting and covering it in a white fine powder coating....My MKC with it's light colour paint is a champ at not showing any dirt (within reason)...easy to maintain and easy to keep looking good, I also find a light grey paint colour excellent for not showing general dirt....all my trucks were Arctic grey and we loved the once a month quick wash down.
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It is crazy how smooth it is! I plan on doing all of the windows next time
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Just washed and waxed snowball 2. She looks great, but I have noticed some rust colored specks in/ on the paint.
Anyone else have this? My first thought is that is rail dust from shipping, or from living neer a rail line. Anyone else experience this before?![]()
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I had similar tiny red spots on my white Infiniti. And when you say Rail Dust, you are on the right track.
What happens is that tiny metal bits get stuck in the clearcoat and rust, leaving red spots. Those bits were originally thought to be from railcar wheels when cars were shipped by rail to dealers throughout the country. Today, cars are shipped more by truck and the cars are often wrapped in plastic wrap during shipment. Today, those metal bits originate from a variety of sources, including asphalt itself, as well as steel-belted tires.
To treat this, all you have to do is get the metal bit out of the clearcoat. A claybar might do it, or you can use your fingernail or a manicurist's Orange Stick. Follow up with a cleaner wax to remove the rust, and you'll be good.
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I know this is an MKC forum, but I wanted to share some photos of my detailed MKZ.
Briefly, this took 2 days. The first day was wash, clay body and wheels, then polymer sealant on body and wheels. Second day was interior clean and vacuum, exterior trim clean and dress, polish exhaust tips, leather and glass clean/dress, and finally dress the engine compartment.
Briefly, this took 2 days. The first day was wash, clay body and wheels, then polymer sealant on body and wheels. Second day was interior clean and vacuum, exterior trim clean and dress, polish exhaust tips, leather and glass clean/dress, and finally dress the engine compartment.
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Looks super, super clean! That looks awesome, a labour of love! and it shows.
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Good job Toady....well done!
Your car looks good. What brand of sealant did you use?
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