I recently bought a 2011 phantom black GSR. It now has 1500 miles on it. I'm ready to detail the hell out of it. I have clear-bra on the front bumper, fenders, mirrors and half the hood. Also did rallyarmor mudflaps. I did all this with 300 miles on the car.

I'm very meticulous when it comes to detailing / washing my cars. I never swirl, I do everything by hand, always make sure I have a clean rag. Needless to say, I do not want any swirl marks in this brand new paint.

I want to wax it with mother's carnauba wax. I have a Meguiars clay bar kit, and have meguiars polish (http://www.meguiarsdirect.com/detail/MEG+POLISH+32). I'm wondering what stage I should start at? Should I just start waxing after a really good clean? Polish then wax? Skip polish and claybar and wax?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I don't want to botch this. If it wasn't black I wouldn't be so picky.

 

I prefer Adams products. if you go to their web site they have instructional videos(using their products) but you would get the idea. they cover both hand and orbital waxing. good info.

http://www.adamspolishes.com/

 

Thanks... yah Adams is great. What I'm wondering though, is what stage to start at since it's almost a brand new car?

 

normally after winter, i clay bar then wash again. then use butter wax from adams. the polish should only be used to get rid of minor scratches or swirls. also the butter wax does not turn white when you get it on the dark colered plastic. after i wax and remove, i wash again to get any of the dried wax off then use the adams drying towel... some shammies can cause scratching. also on your micro fiber cloths ( i use a different one for each different product) there is a difference in cheap vs nice ones. when you wash them in washer, dont use any fabric softner in either the wash or the dryer. just wash on hot with detergent of choice and dry. no fabric softner. the paint on the evo x is crappy. and super thin. not what you would expect to be on a $35k plus car.

 

Ok so polish is out. Is there a need to clay bar a new car? That's really all I'm asking.

 

I would only say to clay it if you feel imperfections in the paint, if it feels super smooth to the touch then not a car that new. Keep in mind it isn't necessary but there are always contaminants it can pull out and I've never heard of it being a bad thing. Enjoy

 

Perfect. That's what I Was looking for. Wax it like normal (even though it's black)??

 

if you are that meticulous i say go for it.. i dont really think it needs to be clayed bar at 1500 miles but its you call... i should it myself i have 43,000 and never used a clay bar on it.. good luck

 

I have an auto detailing business. And with the bras on the car and being so new you shouldn't need to clay bar it, unless you have some minor imperfections. A good wash and wax should do the trick. I use all meguirers products as well and for my tb evo I use their selant instead of wax. It last longer and less rick of swirls.

 

^ I agree with most of the above, but without seeing what condition your paint is in, its hard to really say. Sometimes cars have been on the lot for quite some time and they'll get pressure washed quickly and dried with a cloth without regard to scratching the paint. The result, swirls marks all over the car. If this is the case, you'd want to definitely clay your car, and apply a mild polish to "correct" the surface of the clear coat. Then you'd want to apply a nice wax or sealant.

But if your paint is in great condition, forego the polish and just wash, clay, and seal or wax.

 

what ever happened to your GG MR Migs?

 

There is a need to clay bar a new car, clay has a super long shelf life anyway so you might as well purchase it now because you need it now and will definitely need it later.

http://rushgroupdetailing.com/faq.html

"Q - I am purchasing a new car and want to properly maintain it, when should I get my first detail?

A- Immediately! Protecting your investment should be your first concern after purchasing a new vehicle. It would be nice to believe that a new car should look immaculate but sadly, this is not the case. After transportation, storage, delivery and dealer cleanup, your brand new car will not look its best. There are many reasons why you should immediately have your vehicle detailed. 90% of cars today are delivered by rail which means that before the car is even loaded onto a truck the fresh paint surface has already been contaminated by rail dust. This contamination must be removed as soon as possible to prevent bonding. Once it has bonded to the vehicles paint it will oxidize and lead to premature surface rust. Some parts of the vehicles exterior will be covered with a protective film which after being baked on by the sun will leave a sticky residue that washing alone cannot properly remove. Most vehicles sit outside of the manufacturing plant after assembly which leads to exposure to environmental fallout from spending time in an industrial area."

 

Cool, I'll check out their sealant.

The car was on the boat when the Tsunami hit, I picked up and drove the car home with the white protection plastic the day the car hit the lot. IE, no one has touched this car except me This is exactly what I was going for. Thanks for the help everyone.

I was going to get a house, sold the car, then decided I wanted an Evo more Said screw the house and bought another.

 

OK... I'll definitely claybar then. With that being said can I keep the clay bar after I use it? Or is it a one time thing?

 

I agree. New cars these days come with dirt already in the paint. My brother in law just bought a brand new Volkswagen CC and you can feel the crap within the paint. I would skip the polish. Heres the best way to go about it. Wash it, Clay it, Wash it again, then wax it. Its what i do and has given me great results. Makes you entire car feel like glass.