ttrank

iTrader: (27)

Thanks buddy

Now I just need to come up with ~$550 for all this stuff!

Garnet Canuck

Hey, no prob Tim. Yeah, all of the supplies can be a fair amount of money when starting out, but definitely look at it as an investment.

CHI-TOWN G37

The information here is extremely helpful. I just ordered up some supplies today for my new OB G37, as I want to get started on the right foot. It's been awhile since I had a black car, but you never forget the special care that they need!

Thank you, George for the discount.

Keith

hopgo

iTrader: (1)

Several earlier posts praise Zaino products....any comments....are they as good as other high end easy-use products??

Garnet Canuck

IMO, Zaino products are top quality and I use them detailing customer's vehicles. There is a reason why so many people praise their products. They are extremely easy to use and my favorite sealants are Zaino Z2/Z5.

chocoholic

iTrader: (1)

Hi George,

I've been trying to read this entire forum from the beginning, but it's incredibly long at this point. I'm a newby to high-end care detailing and am trying to learn as much as I can. I have a 2-day-old Platinum Graphite G37. I want to take care of it properly from the beginning. What do I do first??

Some background: I travel the busy Washington DC beltway everyday with potential for rock chips, etc. I'm willing to pay for professional detailing, and my husband will help me maintain care after that (or even from the start, but we'll have to buy everything!

--I'm planning on adding a clear bra. Do I do that first or after having it professionally detialed the first time?
--Can you recommend any detailers in the DC/northern VA area??
--Does a brand new car need claybar treatment?
--Do you recommend putting leather protectant on seats in a new car?

Thank you!

finagle69

iTrader: (3)

Item 1: See the answer to Item 3.
Item 2: Sorry, can't help there.
Item 3: MOST DEFINITELY!! I can't tell you how much rail dust and misc. contaminants I clayed out of my paint. I have very good vision and could see many many redish spots in the IP paint. This also strips off dealer applied wax, thus you must apply wax/sealant afterwards. This counts as your asnwer for Item 1.
Item 4: ABSOLUTELY!! A good leather protectant (Zaino Leather in a Bottle™ or Leatherique™) have UV protection and seep into the pores of the leather assuring that it'll stay soft and supple. Definitely necessary.

Hope this helps.

Garnet Canuck

Yes, like finagle already mentioned, claybarring your G should be the FIRST thing you do. Remove all of the surface contamination from your paint before you apply any protection.

Detailed Image

iTrader: (2)

Hey guys, I finally made it over to MyG37.com . Thank you for the positive feedback so far, I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Special thanks to Garnet Canuck for providing great information to everyones questions.

George

solopresident

this weekend did a quick clay to most of the car then a quick wax using the Meguiars dual orbital buffer ( a kid could use it and not damage the paint) and some gold class paint. I would of done the whole car using a polish as well but didn't have the time. Its sad i have no garage to work in anymore.

Paint feels like Glass and is sooo soft. Infiniti definitely has soft paint.

GoofyG

A few more Newbie questions.
I washed and clayed my new 37 yesterday. I was surprised how little claying it needed , which worried me that I was doing it wrong.
I first washed and dried the car, then used my fingers to feel for rough spot, when I found them lubed the area with soapy water and clayed, then washed it off. then re washed and dried the whole car.

questions:
1) does it make sense to wash, then dry the whole car before claying or can I just clay after washing. (I did it because I didn't want water spots)
2) do I just not know what to clay or is it possible to only need it on a dozen or so spots?
3) is it necessary to wash the clay of the car immediately or can I do the whole thing then rinse/wash.
4) I tore off about 1/3 of a small bar. it doesn't see too dirty. do I reuse it, or just throw it away?

Infinite1

First of congrats on the new G37! I have to wait until my lease ends on the G35 then i'll get into one myself.

In regards to your question:

1) You can clay right after washing and final rinse. Only thing I would recommend is to use CLEAN soap and water. Oh and rinse off the mitt you washed with as well.

2) I prefer to do the whole car. Mind you claying only needs to be done twice a year or if you're a neat/clean freak like myself you can clay whenever you polish the car (which is every quarter for me).

3) I also prefer to wipe down the area with the soapy water then go over with the clay a few times till then rinse. Oh and make sure you keep the wet car if it dries you'll get water spots which is a whole other topic.

4)I usually roll mine up into a ball and store that for the next use. You'll see by the next you have to clay the bar will be much dirtier (depending of course on how often you wash your car) At that time you can decide to throw it away. For me i have about 3 to 4 uses of a clay portion then i throw it away.

Another thing which is very important. If you drop the clay on the ground THROW AWAY!!! Clay bars pick up everything. I didn't know that my first time and i added some nice swirl marks to my car..and trust me they were a B**** to get out. But all is well now...

Hope the info provided is useful and answers your questions. Let us know how you make out!

Infinite1

Detailed Image

iTrader: (2)

Infinite1 provided some great insight on the claying process, I'll see what I can add to further expand the information on properly using a clay bar.

The first thing I would decide on is what are you using for your clay lubricant? Soap and water or a quick detailer? Infinite1 said you can clay right after washing and final rinse. This is usually the case if you plan on using a mixture of water and shampoo as your clay lube. I personally do not use this method as I find it to be difficult to ensure you properly clayed every part of your vehicle. As Infinite1 mentioned, you always want to have the surface wet when using soap and water to ensure no water spots appear, so after every panel or two, you want to stop, re-rinse the car, etc. This can be very tedious if you are working outside.

I prefer to dry the vehicle after washing, then pull it into a garage ideally. I usually use a quick detailer, such as Poorboy's Spray & Wipe, and dilute it 1:1 with distilled water to maximize your value of the product. (When using it as a quick detailer to remove a light dusting, you want that additional cleaning power so I use it full strength). By using a quick detailer you can easily map out the sections you have or haven't clayed yet, ensuring your vehicle has complete even coverage. Again, as Infinite1 stated, I also will do my entire vehicle at least twice a year (Spring & Fall for me) with my longer, more thorough details.

You can spot treat with a clay bar between those more thorough details. Say you have some tar or stubborn bugs that would not come off during a normal wash and dry, you can go over those areas with a clay bar without claying your entire vehicle. Keep in mind though, when using a clay bar it does diminish the durability of your protective coats so you would want to reapply your sealant and/or wax.

Your third question about washing immediately more or less depends on what product is used as your clay lubricant. When using soap and water you are going to continuously wet the vehicle, to ensure no spotting and to remove clay lube residue. When using a quick detailer you can clay your entire vehicle and wipe off the excess clay lube with a microfiber towel since you are using a quick detailer. When you are completed, then you can give the vehicle another wash before moving onto the next step.

When using a clay bar there are a couple of ways to go about breaking up your bar. Many detailers will chop up a 200g bar into 4 - 6 pieces, and use one piece at a time until it becomes contaminated or you drop it, etc. You want to make sure you are continuously reshaping the bar so you get a fresh surface each time.

Another method is to cut the clay bar up into 15 - 20 pieces. This is more of the perfectionist way to ensure you minimize adding imperfections to the paint. You use 1 piece per panel, or for areas like the hood 2 or 3 small pieces, and throw them away when you are done.

Either way works, but always monitor the contamination on your bar to make sure you aren't adding imperfections along the way.

For further reading on using a clay bar, here are a couple good reads:
Guide to using auto detailing clay
Detailers Automotive Clay - by Jon Miller

Let me know if there's anything else I can give you a hand with.

George

GoofyG

Thanks,
good answers.

I probably need to re-clay it and do the whole car before I use my Sealant. I'm going to use Zaino on sunday.

I think I like the idea of the quick detailer vs soap and water I used. I live in Az so it is very hot, need to re wetting constantly to avoid spotting.


George, Is it possible to get a rush order to me by Sunday?
I'll go to your site and order it either way.


Nevermind, I saw on my order, for 80 more dollars, I can get it by monday.

Detailed Image

iTrader: (2)

I can get an order out for you today, but unfortunately the only way it'd get there by Sunday is by using overnight with Saturday delivery. My guess is it isn't going to be worth the additional cost as weekend delivery options from FedEx are very pricey. If you'd like me to price it up, PM me what you are interested in along with your shipping address and we'll see what they say. Sometimes we don't even have the option for Saturday delivery in some locations.

EDIT after your EDIT: Yep, my guess for Sat delivery was going to be over $100.

Talk to you soon.

George