I hope people claybar before they polish.. otherwise you're rubbing dirt further into your paint, because a polish on a polishing pad at high speed will remove those defects and transfer them onto the pad.

Rafal

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I wash, claybar and then polish/wax

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2001 Ranger XLT SuperCab 4dr Flareside 3.0 V6

good man lol

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does it make a difference between a single stage and double stage paint job? j.c... asking becuase i had recently repainted my truck by myself in my dads garage with a single stage "Summit" Black paint.... i think it looks a little richer then the double stage... but the only downfall to this 50 dollar paint job is is that the paint is a little soft and tends to scratch easy...

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__-00-__Totally Resurected from the Dead__-00-__

1994 Ford XLT Extended Cab.
Automatic Transmission w/ a 4.0 6-Cylinder.
2" body Lift on Front & 3" Body Lift on Rear.
American Racing Lock-Out Hubs w/ an electronic 4 wheel drive selector switch.
32 x 11.50 x 15 BFG A.T. K.O.'s for my tires with American Racing Aluminum Rims.
New Engine, New Paint (Frame too), New Interior.... New Everything.

you can do it, just make sure you lube it properly... clay bar is also used for over spray on paint so it it strong enough to pull paint (very small pieces of course). just make sure you let your paint cure properly before doing any thing. Also, when in doubt, test a small area, but I don't see why it would damage paint if you wait for it cure...

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I agree with Raf, just make sure it's hardened off.

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Knowledge is often mistaken for intelligence. This is like mistaking a cup of milk for a cow.


2006 UK Ranger Wildtrak Double Cab 4x4/2x4 2.5Td, Titanium Grey, tinted windows, Blacked out Rear, rear sjs hard cover, sportz Blue bulbs, LED side lights, BFG KM2 MT - 31/10.5/15's

single stage takes more time to cure depending on temp.and the hardner additive(when I paint single stage I add a little more hardner than called for it hardens up good) if you get it in the sun as much as possible it will cure fully or leave it in the garage and heat it up!(bake)

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97 ford ranger splash 4.0,superchip,cold air intake,jacobs ignition,jba shorty headers,centerforce clutch,flowmaster true dual....... total custom shaved everything with straight bed added an 03 frontend

I think the clay bar is gonna be my bday present for me n my truck : )

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Cree Proverb

Free VIN Decoder: http://www.compnine.com/vid.php

~1994 Ford Ranger 2.3L 4-Banger 206,700+++miles~

I LOVE a good clay bar, wax and quick detail! So amazing

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Oh man I bought Meguirs Clay bar this past weekend. I went into doing this thinking it wasnt going to make a difference on my truck at all and by the time i was done i couldnt believe how amazing my truck looked and felt. The paint was so smoooth that i HIGHLY! recomend people using this!

I've never used a claybar before...so I don't actually know what to do with one. Yes, this is an annoying noob question, but, anyone want to fill me in on how to go about doing this? Is it wash, wax, then claybar?

sorry if i've missed this info somewhere else..

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1999 Single Cab Ranger. 2.5L. She's a beauty.

I hand wash, clay bar, sealant, a good wax, followed by a quick wipe down with the detail spray.

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www.1fun4rd.blogspot.com

Some info on a claybar:
A claybar is designed to remove debris from your paint that a regular hand wash cannot. There are particles of debris that get jammed into your clear coat, much like a splinter in your finger. A claybar will literally pull those particles out, much like tweezers can remove the splinter. It will also remove any protection you have on your vehicle, like wax or sealant or even a glaze.



There are different grades of claybar, from least to most aggressive. The ones commonly sold in stores are the least aggressive type and are very safe for any beginner to use. The more aggressive grades are used for removing raildust (the little orange rust looking spots on your paint), over spray, and transfer paint (if you scrape up against something and the paint of whatever you scraped gets transferred on your vehicle, the claybar will remove that).

It can be used on many different surfaces, like metal, smooth plastic/trim, and paint. I have removed numerous amounts of times, transfer paint from plastic side mirrors or molding on vehicles with a claybar. As along as the surface is smooth, you can use it.


How to use it properly:
1. Wash your vehicle thoroughly
2. Dry your vehicle
3. Rip about 1/3 of your whole claybar you got in your kit, roll it between your palms into a ball to warm it up. The smash it into a pancake.
4. Spray a 2' x 2' area of your vehicle with the quick detailing spray you got in your kit (this is important because in order for a claybar to work properly across a surface, it needs to be well lubricated).
5. With medium pressure, rub the the claybar across the sprayed area in an up/down motion, flip your "pancake" over to a clean surface and rub it in a side to side motion.
6. Take a microfiber towel and dry the area that was sprayed as you do not want a quick detailer to dry on its own on your paint.
7. Take your dirty claybar, and stretch it around, then form it into a ball between your palms again, keep doing this until you have a clean ball to make a clean pancake out of.
8. Repeat steps 4-7 over the entire vehicle
9. Step back and enjoy your work.

If you are anal about really cleaning your paint, when done with your vehicle, take a clear plastic sandwich bag, put in your hand like a glove, and run your hand across your paint gently. If it's smooth, then you removed 100% of the debris. If yoy can feel slight bumps still, you can either repeat the process all over again, or step up to a more aggressive claybar. I recommend doing this every 6 months.

It sounds complicated on writing, but it's super easy, just make sure you use a clean claybar with every area you do. If you can no longer make the claybar clean, then throw it away and rip off another 1/3 of the whole piece of clay.

Generally here's what you want to do:

-wash/dry
-claybar
-polish (if you want)
-sealant
-wax

Always claybar before you polish. Always apply a sealant before a natural wax if you are layering the 2. A sealant will not bond to a natural wax very well, and will become useless within a week.

Hope this helped a bit,

Rafal

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^^Very well written. Exactlly how I do it. I was to lazy to type all that out.

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www.1fun4rd.blogspot.com

I should just start making video's lol, a lot less work for the fingers

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