I just washed my car. then claybar it with just water , i used a spay bottle and wet the car as i went along the whole time trying not to let the surface dry. at the time i didn't have a lubricant as directed. is it ok they way i did it. ? it's obviously too late afterward i washed the car again and now awaiting for her to dry so i can wax her 3x times with zaino wax. to be frank i guess my car was clean to begin with or maybe i just didn't all the little rocks and specs that everyone had talked about but once i was done claybaring her. she looks the same . is it just too early to tell i would have to wax her first to really see the finishing product .

 

run your fingers across the paint to feel a difference. It should feel a lot smoother after the claybar.

 

ok thank you it does feel smoother i admitt

 

what i do is soap up the part where im going to clay, then rinse it off. then soap it up again and clay where the soap is this time. then rinse it off and wax when the car is dry. its a lot quicker to do it this way i think, and you can see where you have clayed

 

I'm a big user of Zaino too! But the paint on my Altima SE-R is a LOT smoother after claying than the Evo. I'm not sure if it's just the Mitsu paint, or the previous owner of my car didn't take very good care of it. At any rate, if you clayed it correctly there should be a very serious difference, and after a few coats of Zaino polish, you'll see a huge improvement!

 

i may try it out

 

You should claybar your car every 2 years.
I did it once, then got lazy. I almost payed 200 for it yest. I cheaped out at another place today. no clay $80, with zaino, shampoo, etc.

 

I bought my IX brand new and the paint is MUCH different than it was on my Acura. The Acura seemed to have a better quality, or I just have a "paint lemon" lol.

 

Paint on all Mitsu's sucks... you will soon see =(

 

water isnt the best w/ claybar. detail spray or light soapy solution works good. key is to let the claybar glide over the surface, picking up imbedded debris.

for test , dont use ur fingers, as it leaves micro swirls and ur finger is not sensitive enough to truely feel the grit. get a new plastic sandwich bag(trust me) and put your hand in like a glove. NOW touch your paint and be ready to be shocked at how much more you will feel.

 

Amen. The water has no lubricating properties really....the clay will just drag onto the paint, causing a nightmare of marring and in fact scratches sometimes.

If you want a cheaper alternative to an quick detailers/detail sprays, make a clay lube from car wash soap and water! You don't need much soap at all.

And as a rule of thumb, if you think you've got enough lube where you are claying....lube it some more.

 

/\ I agree with both above, Also you should hear and feel the claybar working..

 

Another thing you can do, take a plastic baggy and put you hand in it. Run your hand over say your rear bumper. That baggy will make every dirt partical stand out much more than just running your hand over it before you start claying. A local guy that sell Zaino showed me that trick a while back. Just kinda gives you a idea of what parts of the car need more attention than others I guess.

 

My car is in serious need of a claybar. I just waxed it yesterday and was suprised at how bad the paint was.

 

That was already said in post 10...