Just got my camaro painted over the winter it was done april 1st,all i have done so far is just wash it . was wondering if i should clay bar it before i wax it? how do you guys do it and what products do you use? thanks,

 

im no detailing pro but, id say dont clay it. clay bars are for removing lots of dirt and grim from paint before waxing, there also supposed to be followed by a cleaner wax too, before reg wax .. new paint- i say keep it clean and give it a nice coat of something good (mothers) or some other good wax.

 

If you got it back from the painter in April and have been driving it and washing it, I would highly recommend that you wash it with a good car wash shampoo, something like Meguiar's Gold Class, then clay it, then use a good paint cleaner and follow up with a good wax. If you're doing this all by hand rather than with a DA polisher, I would recommend the Meguiar's Deep Crystal three step process. Make sure you do NOT let the first two products dry on the paint or they'll be a pain in the butt to take off. After claying give the car a good once over with the first of the three products keeping in mind you'll need to put some muscle behind this product. The second step is more a wipe on, wipe off (before it dries) product, and the third step is a good carnauba blend.

Remember, the prep and technique is far more important than the actual products used. When you're finished your paint will be as smooth as glass and shine like crazy. You don't need to do all these steps each time you want to apply another coat of wax, just wash the car and wax it. The full process is usually a once or twice a year thing, depending on environmental conditions, number of miles driven, and how picky you are.

Make sure to buy several really good microfiber towels too, don't use terry cloth for any of the above steps.