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Washing and clay bar

2K views 11 replies 9 participants last post by  sean 
#1 ·
well this may sound like a stupid question but since i have been away at school for the last 8 or 9 months and i will be coming back home in a couple weeks the first thing on my agenda is to get my car back to looking like its new. I know there are several different ways to clean and wax cars, but im looking for the most effective way to do so and get the best results out of it, also what products should i use and in what order. time is not an issue so it doesn't matter how demanding the task may be. I have also heard a lot of talk about using a clay bar and im curious as to how that fits in with cleaning up a car and how to do it properly. most importantly i dont want to mess up the paint or cause any undesired marks on my car when doing so. Any help would be greatly appreciated and the more detail the better!
 
#3 ·
If you read the FAQ's and take a minute to look throught the posts on this forum you'll find all the information you need.
 
#4 ·
convo about Zaino polish and clay bar.... all u need to know

FearMy320i: so what did you want to know about zaino
Schneider252: hey, what do u have to do to prep the car
FearMy320i: the way i do it is like this.....
FearMy320i: wash the entire car with orginal dawn dish soap, the blue kind, twice in a row
Schneider252: wash and dry and wash and dry again
FearMy320i: get the car as dry as you can, i usually dry my car with my chamious,
FearMy320i: no just wash it twice you don't need to dry inbetween
Schneider252: whats a chamious?
Schneider252: kk
FearMy320i: its pronounced shamy, but it is spelled the other way
Schneider252: oo i have one of those
Schneider252: so just wash it twice and then just put the suff on?
FearMy320i: ok, then after i dry the car i take an easy drive arround the block to shake out the water that hides in the seams
Schneider252: k
FearMy320i: no once you get the car totally dry you start to clay bar the all of the painted surfaces that will have zaino applied to them
Schneider252: are there different brands of the clay bar stuff or just one?
FearMy320i: the claybaring takes a long time but it makes a big difference on how the car will look when you are done
FearMy320i: there are different brands but i recomend the mothers brand or zaino brand
Schneider252: k
Schneider252: i dont wax the metal bumpers do I? how do i get htem to shine?
Schneider252: how would u wax it
FearMy320i: also, most instructions for claybaring the car will tell you to use a detailing spry as a lubricant for the clay bar but i don't like to do that, i use a regular spry bottle full of water and a small ammout of good car wash in it, use just enough so that the water only foams a little bit when you shake the bottle
Schneider252: k let me read that lol
Schneider252: oo so u spray the water/soap and then u apply the clay bar
Schneider252: sounds like it takes a while
FearMy320i: the metal parts on the car are best cleaned and polished with a good metal polish
Schneider252: k
Schneider252: i have these wax pads shoudl i use those to put the polish on?
Schneider252: and what is the best way to use it (circular motions or what?)
FearMy320i: you work in small sections when you clay bar, a clay bar will remove the small particles stuck in the paint that washing will not remove
Schneider252: o
FearMy320i: the instructions come with the clay bar and the polish
Schneider252: ok so i should follow those
Schneider252: or just watch the karate kid movie
FearMy320i: it doesn't really matter how you use the clay bar cause it will work in all directions
Schneider252: i mean the wax
FearMy320i: the zaino is more specific on how it is applied
Schneider252: the polish not the clay bar i mean
Schneider252: ya thats what i need to know
FearMy320i: after the entire car is clay bared, wash it again with the dawn and dry the car when you have finished washing it
Schneider252: dawn? is that just soap
FearMy320i: then apply a coat of zainos Z1 polish lock, all zaino polishes get applied as follows
FearMy320i: yeah, just the soap
FearMy320i: all horizontal surfaces like the hood, roof, trunk and top edges of the fenders should have a front to back motion used,
Schneider252: k
FearMy320i: all the vertical surfaces should have an up and down motin used
FearMy320i: do not go in circles it doen't work as well
Schneider252: do i have to repeat this process for each coat?
Schneider252: what are the vertical srufaces? the doors and such
FearMy320i: no, you only need to wash the car with dawn and clay bar it once
Schneider252: and then i can put as many coats as i want on
FearMy320i: yeah, basically the sides of the car
Schneider252: so i can come back a week later and just put a coat on?
FearMy320i: yep, i have 7 coats on my car right now
Schneider252: nice
Schneider252: does each coat= a bottle
FearMy320i: yeah, also you only need to put on the Z1 once
FearMy320i: NO!!!!!!!
FearMy320i: use zaino sparingly, it goes on a lot thinner than wax does
FearMy320i: if it is properly applied you can hardly tell it is on your car when it is drying
FearMy320i: the darker the car is the easier it is to tell when it is there
Schneider252: wait what is the Z1
FearMy320i: the Z1 goes on before any Z2 or Z5 gets applied
Schneider252: oo so there are steps
FearMy320i: the Z1 is like a conditioner
FearMy320i: yeah
Schneider252: how many Z are there
FearMy320i: quite a few, check out their web site it explains what they all do
Schneider252: cool but that means i'll be buying likea new bottle every week, even if im not done with it
FearMy320i: if you are starting from scratch it should go like this, wash with dawn, wash with dawn, dry, clay bar, wash with dawn, dry, apply one coat Z1, apply one coat of Z2 or Z5
FearMy320i: no, i have 7 coats on my car and i have a little more than half of a bottle left of my Z5
Schneider252: u went streight to the Z5?
Schneider252: or it dosnt matter if u use the z2 or z5
FearMy320i: yeah, the number is just the formulation of the zaino
Schneider252: oo ic
Schneider252: damn nice
Schneider252: how long does this polish last on the car
FearMy320i: Z5 helps hide small scratches and acts as a polish, Z2 is just a polish
Schneider252: i need
Schneider252: z5
Schneider252: it has a couple of dents,scratches, and chips in the paint
Schneider252: Z5 prob cost more tho but its worth it
FearMy320i: a long time cause it bonds to the paint, it doesn't sit on the pain like wax does
Schneider252: awsome
Schneider252: how would u sugest cleaning the rims
FearMy320i: http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/mercha...gory_Code=Zaino this is all the Zaino products
Schneider252: i need to get a new hubcap for one and all new badges for all of them
Schneider252: k let me cheak it out
FearMy320i: what kind of rims do you have
Schneider252: i think C type
FearMy320i: i just clean mine with car wash and a wheel brush when i wash my car
Schneider252: k
Schneider252: when im done with the Z5 should i get a different number bottle
Schneider252: like z-6 or whatever
FearMy320i: also, don't waste you money on the accelerator kit
Schneider252: what is that
FearMy320i: it lets you put more than one coat on in a day, to me it isn't worth it
Schneider252: u cant put more than one coat on in a day?
FearMy320i: zaino recomends you wait 24 hours between coats so it can fully cure and bond to the car
FearMy320i: unless you use the accelerato kit
Schneider252: are u going to try Z7 next?
FearMy320i: no, if you look on the web site it explains what the polishes do
Schneider252: ok so are u going to just be sticking with Z5?
FearMy320i: depending on how my car looks when i'm done with my bottle of Z5, i'll either stay with the Z5 or go to the Z2
 
#5 ·
The main purpose of a clay bar is to remove oxidation. After washing your car, if it appears clean but does not feel smooth--like it should--then the 'roughness' is oxidation. Using a claybar will remove that. If you do not have oxidation, then I wouldn't waste your time with clay baring it.
 
#6 ·
dont use CLEANER WAX!

Wash car thoroughly once or twice
dry
clay bar using the spray
wash again
polish
wax (1 or more coats) - use good wax but dont use a cheap cleaner wax
 
#7 ·
why should i not use a cleaner wax? and how lond do i have to wait til i apply another coat of wax after the first one, and how many should be put on
 
#8 ·
go to google and look up Griot's Garage. it will provide you with all of the goodies you need and give you a run down on what they do and how to use them. their wax highly recommend, all of the detailers i know use it.
 
#9 ·
go to google and look up Griot's Garage. it will provide you with all of the goodies you need and give you a run down on what they do and how to use them. their wax highly recommend, all of the detailers i know use it.
 
#12 ·
yah i just clay bared my car for the first time, holly shit it is so much better, i had gotten my front end a little bit damaged a year ago, then fixed, so the hood was new paint and the rest of the car was all old, and everytime i washed it you could see the rest of the car looked gold speckled and the hood just black, not to mention the rest of the car was rough and the hood was smooth, never would have guessed that all it needed was a good clay bar session. but im glad i did it, now it looks all the nice black and is softer than silk. :drool it was definitely worth all the time it took to wash, clay bar, and then wax the thing
 
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