Going to clay bar for the first time...

[Jibberific]

I just bought meguiar's smooth surface clay bar kit a couple days ago, and the next time i wash my car i'm gonna pull it in to the garage and do the clay treatment afterward. Are there any special techniques or important things that i should know before i start? On the box it just says to "rub bar on paint surface" or something, so what's the best way to do it? Should i do small circles like when i hand wax the car, or maybe parallel downward strokes? I'm not sure which would be best.

Here's a picture of my car, the paint is already in pretty good condition but of course there are some problems that i really want to address.



Thanks in advance!!

[heateris]

after i wash the car, i just give it a quick dry. it's ok if its a bit wet. just use alot of detail spray when claying, it needs to be well lubed. also, go ahead and clay the glass. after i clay the whole car, i give it a quick second wash.

[biketsai]

Try to avoid doing it in direct sunlight or else the detail spray will dry up and the clay will be rubbed on with dry contact which is bad. I normally just do it in lines back and forth about 5-10 times. Feel the car surface and see if it needs to be clayed more than other pieces. You'll know its good when it feels as smooth as glass. But make sure to keep the surface lubricated, you dont have to over do the amount of spray, but just dont have too litte

[quicksilver_S]

Try not to drop the clay!! Other than that, just keep the surface lubbed up.

[Jibberific]

thanks guys

[black99.5a4]

i have the mequires clay bar and i'm not really happy with it. if you have anything other then water spots, i've found it doesnt completely take itout as its not a hard grit or whatever. so i've been trying to find a 3m bar that is a bit harder.

[Dandrop]

Cut your clay into 3 or 4 pieces. That way if you drop one you still have backup bars. In general, if your car is in decent condition, you won't need an entire bar. You don't need to dry the car after washing to use the clay.

Use a lot of lubricant and inspect the area for debris/grit/sand to be clayed before proceeding. Look at your clay before using, it might have picked up some dirt during the process. These will scratch/swirl you car.

I usually clay in straight lines and don't use excessive force when claying. I also suggest polishing the car after claying to remove the swirls.

[Jibberific]

Alright so yesterday i did a wash, clay bar, and wax.

Damn does the car look great. The clay didn't get every single speckle out of the clear coat, but the paint looks better than i've ever seen it. It's smooth as glass, the metallic flake is standing out way better than before, and the body lines appear to be much more crisp and defined.

Plus i still have 1/2 the bottle of quick detailer and a fresh bar of clay that i didn't use, so i'll probably do it again after a couple of washes.
Here are some pictures after the clay and wax.