Claybar?

[JoeliusZ28]

the absolute best way to remove swirls for a perfect shine is give it a light rotary buffing with a wool pad, and very, very, light cutting compound (if any at all, wax works too). chances are you dont have one of those laying around though, my makita was like 230 bucks. as brian said though, you can only polish so much, its best to do the preventative maintainance so you dont have to use polish/cutting compound.

[SS4Matt]

yeah if it's infact a real "polish" also know as "compound" that's not too good. you want wax...or sealer wax. any of that stuff builds up...like i'd have to say if i cut my hood in half.....there could be like a solid millimeter of wax build up LOL

[02hawk796]

I have to say I agree with practically nothing in this post.

If you're going to use wax, I wouldn't bother with a good claybar.

If you're going to use a decent Polish like Zaino, then absolutely use claybar, and stay away from waxes and other products for ever more. When using the claybar, lubricate solely with the car wash solution that Zaino produces, and don't let the paint or claybar go dry. You should have already stripped down to bare paint prior to starting the claybarring, and there should be not tar, dirt, or other garbage on your paint, or you will just mess up your paint, which is not the prupose of claybarring.
If using Zaino, the immediate next step after claybarring is to Polish Lok the first coat of Zaino Polish to the paint. After that it is easy going.

http://www.zainobros.com

that link should get you to the Zaino site, read the product info for the claybar, and look for the Tips and Tricks for Application. Also do a search for Zaino info on the net - there are usually gobs of hits for threads discussing successful application of the claybarring techique - try to be informed before messing things up.
if you correctly use claybar and Zaino, even your car (I'm referring to your color, and it's light tone) will look great, and likely your color will be diferent, too. When used correctly, Zaino and claybar are most dramatically effective on black, blue and other dark colors which can most easily show the normal flaws other products create.

If swirls were produced while claybarring, it was absolutely done wrong. Proper claybarring will help remove swirls, and Zaino also has a Swirl Remover product which can be used on top of and intermingled with it's Polish Product (use the Polish first, and the swirl remover after). after the claybarring and Polish Lok steps, a coat of Zaino for the entire car should take about 10 min, and less than a fluid oz of Polish (or swirl remover).

With Zaino, the thinner the coat of Polish, the better the shine.

If you are going to go this route, I suggest to start looking for a genuine 100% Made in the U.S. Cotton Towels. That is the hardest part to find these days, I hear. Anything else will not have 100% Cotton in it, regardless of the label, and the blended fibers will scratch and swirl your paint.

[BlackbirdWs6zzz]

I need to get a new paintjob.

[phoenix_rising]

Thanks for the tip 02Hawk796! Very good info! You have to believe this guy I mean look at that shine!

[JoeliusZ28]

I have to say I agree with practically nothing in this post.

thats odd, because I disagree with practically nothing at all in your post. Except for the removing tar and dirt part. Removing those impurities from the paint IS the purpose of the claybar, but yes you are correct, it will mess your paint up if you arent cautious for obvious reasons. Obviously you need to remove as much as you possibly can with other methods (like washing) first. But ive detailed cars that I could wash 30 times, and i wouldnt have gotten the paint clean without a claybar. Claybars are not going to remove swirls either, which is a question he asked at one point. I can tell you know the zaino process though, there arent very many people who have the patience to apply zaino correctly. props to that.

[Orange Terror]

thanks for all the info guys. Obviously, you have to be carful with claybar, cause it is clay, which is abrasive synthetic or not. While I'd like to try and get the Zaino shine, I'm not sure I have the patience. I might just wash it good, claybar it, and put a few coats of wax on. call it good. Not sure yet, to cold to worry about it right now, thanks again for the help.

[meissen]

Except for the removing tar and dirt part. Removing those impurities from the paint IS the purpose of the claybar, but yes you are correct, it will mess your paint up if you arent cautious for obvious reasons. Obviously you need to remove as much as you possibly can with other methods (like washing) first. But ive detailed cars that I could wash 30 times, and i wouldnt have gotten the paint clean without a claybar. Claybars are not going to remove swirls either, which is a question he asked at one point. I can tell you know the zaino process though, there arent very many people who have the patience to apply zaino correctly. props to that.

Agreed. A claybar takes the impurities out of the paint (overspray, tar[which can also be taken out using a bug & tar solution], etc). Swirl marks are scratches in the paint, and a claybar has nothing to do with fixing swirl marks.

Of course, everything on steps to do and what to use are all opinion based, it all depends on what works best for you.

Factually, getting a superior shine and reflection out of your car's paint is all about the prepwork and has absolutely nothing to do with the waxes, polishes, and sealants that are ontop of the paint.




These pictures were taken after freshly claybarring the surface and removing the impuraties from the paint. I washed with dawn before and after, so there's nothing left ontop of the paint as far as waxes, sealants, and polishes go. That's just 100% pure paint.

The issue is when it comes to paint protection and keeping the car clean looking, and getting that "slick" feel to the car. Some say waxes and such are also to help with beading, but truthfully I don't really believe that either as every time I wash my car after claybarring and washing with dawn, my car still beads perfectly.

So if the wax and polishes aren't truely for beading, they don't help with reflection and shine, all you're left with is protecting the paint and keeping the car looking clean for longer periods of time. Mind you, this is all from personal experience, not reading what a wax and/or polish manufacturer says, because of course they're going to tell you otherwise because they want you to buy their product. It all boils down to what you use, but it's all in how much effort you want to apply. For two years, I used Meguiar's products and I will never say a bad thing about their line of products. The ease of use, the quality of results, and the durability of how long the "slickness" lasted were all excellent on my car. I decided to start using Zaino just to see what the hype is all about, and I admit that Zaino leaves more protection on the car than Meguiar's does, but shine and such are equally the same. Now that I have Zaino, I'll use what I have, but at this point I'm definitely not a member of the cult following yet.

[JoeliusZ28]

well brian, i noticed a difference when you switched to zaino, but you know how i am lol.

and while we are posting pictures, check out my dads silvy - 4 coats of the Z-stuff

http://www.isurvivedlhn.com/images/IMG_0126.jpg

if thats not shine, i dont know what is. you see more of my old truck thats parked 30 away than you do the Z71 emblem on the truck lol

[JoeliusZ28]

i should add that that picture was taken in early august. that same zaino is still holding up through the winter weather with absolutely no maintainance (z6) at all.

[93formulalt1]

That's nice! I think I can get much better results with a claybar! I have been settling for seeing a sillhouette of myself in the paint. . . I can do better! I'm gonna buy a claybar now!

[JoeliusZ28]

if your paint is dull, chances are your going to need a light rotary buffing to bring the paint back to life. but a good clay barring is definitely the place to start.

[99SSRhodes]

i love claybars i do try to do mine twice every season

[wezeles]

i think i might try it on my car this year... the paint is intact..lol no rust through spots or anything.. i think there is like one bubble on the passenger fender which can be fixed pretty easy but my clear coat is starting to fade on the driver side... so i will try clay bar and a big wheel job on it see if i cant atleast bring it back and then wax or polish it... so it stays nice... thinking its going to need a wet sand though and a clear coat to keep it going...

[meissen]

in my opinion, it's definitely a good thing to claybar once every 6 months. it just helps get all that crap out of your paint and makes the paint nice and clean, getting a superior shine is all about getting clean paint.