I just got a '94 black Z28. The car is in good condition, but I want to make it look good for a photo shoot with a friends car. It looks like the guys did a crappy wax job on it before he sold to me. I guess i will clean that off with some Dawn. I have never used a claybar before so I want to give that a shot. Should I use warm water with it, or buy a specific lubricant?

Also, I have turtle Hardshell paste wax already. I see everyone talking about spray on, is it better?

I have never detailed a car before so I am excited to see my new car nice and shiny.

Also, I have a small area where the clear coat is chipped in the back. I think I might just try waxing it up to protect it.

I have a mothers powerball that I used to use on my rims. Are they good better for buffing off wax then a towel? Should I get a new one for doing my paint since the one I have is a bit dirty?

Are buffers like what I can buy from sears the best thing for wax?

Thanks for the help, I will put up some pics when I am done.

 

i use turtle wax all the time. requires a little more effort than spray but gives a better finish. If you really wanna make it shine but a glaze on it afterwards. I use 3M Imperial Hand Glaze

 

Mother's and Meguires make claybar kits with the clay and spray lube, I personally have only used Mothers and its a good claybar. Some hardcore detailers go for stuff with different cuts that costs much more. After the clay you need to wax it, and I've wanted to try the Turtle Wax Ice wax because it doesn't leave the white residue which in noticalbe on dark colored cars. As for using a Powerball on the paint, thats is somehing personally I would never do, even with the Powerball 4 Paint, I leave the powerball for polishing metal and plastic. When applying wax or polish or paint cleaner you can't beat a 100% cotton towel or a microfiber towel.

 

Cool. I just bought the Mothers Clay bar kit and some Ice Wax. How many coats of wax should I do?

 

I usually only do one coat of wax because I also use a paint cleaner and polish. If you have the energy and want a nice shine and sealtwo coats is sufficient. Other than that I don't really see the point in doing more than two coats.

 

What color is the clay bar in the Mother's kit. I used to use the Meguires clay kit and that was a hard white clay that would mark the paint if there was not enough lubricant. Then I had to buff like a mad man to get the clay marks off. If the Mother's kit has a soft clay you will be ok, if it is a hard white clay, get another kit. Personally I use Griot's Garage cleaners for my car and their clay is a soft clay. If you mark the paint with the clay, it is nothing to wipe it off. When wiping off wax, I have found microfiber towels to be the best. Another detail trick I learned is to use a spray wax, let it haze and then remove it with a detail spray. Leaves a very nice shine.

 

From what it sounds like, the Mother's claybar is is softer than Meguires' clay. It's a yellow color, and from what I think is pretty easy to knead.