The Car Care Thread

Did you find that the claybarring caused marring to any degree?

Nothing that's immediately visible, though I know that claybarring always mars the paint to some degree. I claybarred the hood, front fenders, doors, rear bumper and liftgate. The lighting isn't great, but here's a pic from this morning. I washed the car yesterday afternoon. I'm sure that if I looked close enough I could pick out some swirl marks.

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Using enough spray while clay barring then hitting it with a fine polish will take care of any swirl marks barring they arent deep scratches. If your paint is newer or you've been taking good care of it, stay away from any cleaning waxes, cutting polishes or what not. And as always, wax with a good wax when you're done!
 
Using enough spray while clay barring then hitting it with a fine polish will take care of any swirl marks barring they arent deep scratches. If your paint is newer or you've been taking good care of it, stay away from any cleaning waxes, cutting polishes or what not. And as always, wax with a good wax when you're done!

Great advice! I used some leftover Detailer's Pro clay bar lubricant, and when that ran out I used Meguiar's Ultimate Quik Detailer. I also made sure to turn and fold the clay frequently to keep the contact surface of the clay as clean as possible.

I may try to polish/wax the car tomorrow after work. Supposed to be really nice, but our weather is very temperamental and can be quite unpredictable. This week's forecast (in Celsius):

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13 and cloudy today, 19 and sunny tomorrow, then 2 with a chance of snow on Friday. 🤨🤨
 
This Monday coming up the weather looks good for a few days so I’ll claybar, then hit it with some CG v38. I have a few fine swirl marks from this winter I want to get out. Then I'm going to use the Turtle Wax graphene wax. I like the way it turned out on my friends car and it’s unbelievably easy to apply since you use a damp towel to wipe it. You don't end up with those dried on areas because you were working too slow. lol
 
Hi everyone, I’ve searched around, but film on windows comes up with mostly tint topics. I recently had some light body work done on my car and just noticed a weird film on the outside of my window and rain visor. They washed my car after the work was done and must have used a dirty rag on my windows and I can’t get it off.

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Windex won’t take it off...Any suggestions how to really clean it off? Thank you!!
 
Hi everyone, I’ve searched around, but film on windows comes up with mostly tint topics. I recently had some light body work done on my car and just noticed a weird film on the outside of my window and rain visor. They washed my car after the work was done and must have used a dirty rag on my windows and I can’t get it off. View attachment 298213Windex won’t take it off.. any suggestions how to really clean it off? Thank you!!
Try rubbing alcohol or steam.
 
If possible, I'd just take it back to the shop that did the body work and explain that that stain wasn't there before you dropped it off. It kind of looks like a spray on wax or sealant that wasn't wiped off.

I would first try dish soap (try not to get the soap on the paint). If that doesn't work, then I'd try rubbing alcohol as @Bigpat27 mentioned. And if that didn't work, I'd try a plastic polish (Meguiar's PlastX), or I'd try to clay bar it off.
 
Took the car through the touchless wash yesterday, then gave it a wipedown with Turtle Wax Ice Seal 'n Shine (click/tap on the pictures to see a larger version).

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Check out the swirls in the piano black trim. Mazda, stop using piano black!
 
Detailed a 2015 tacoma today that hasn't seen wax since it was bought...so never. Gobs of contaminants in the paint that was a PITA to get out. Spent plenty of time on the rims but was limited to 4 hours due to schedules.
 

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Detailed a 2015 tacoma today that hasn't seen wax since it was bought...so never. Gobs of contaminants in the paint that was a PITA to get out. Spent plenty of time on the rims but was limited to 4 hours due to schedules.

Great job!

Do you use traditional clay or do you use a clay towel/mitt?
 
Great job!

Do you use traditional clay or do you use a clay towel/mitt?
I've been using the clay towels lately and I'm loving them. I rinse them off frequently and watch the contaminants come out. I haven't has a single issue with marring or it causing fine scratches. They claim they're reusable but I'm not going that far. Keep it lubed up and I like it.
 
We had a nice weekend and a couple of sunny days to come, so I spent half of Saturday doing a minor detail. Washed the car, then clayed it. Gave it a foam bath and contact wash with some Dawn to strip any remaining protection. Applied some Blackfire One Step, which is a very mild polish that finishes down into a wax. Wiped it off, then did a coating of P&S Beadmaker for some extra gloss and slickness. I wiped the interior down with 303, and also applied a coat to the exterior plastics to darken them up a bit. The heat started to get to me at this point, so I just gave the wheels a quick wipe with a damp towel and then applied a dressing and called it.

This afternoon I'll be applying another coat of Beadmaker and possibly cleaning the floor mats (they are absolutely filthy lol).

Taped up
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All done
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Also spotted this beauty in the parking lot. 1969(?) Pontiac GTO in great condition.
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Do you drive it around on Sunday "Cruise Night"?

I wasn't sure if that still happened, lol. But no, I don't - too many other priorities now. If I spot a local meet, sometimes I'll quickly drive through just to see the cars, but I don't stick around anymore. I do miss parking on Portage Ave and watching the cars drive by though.
 
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