djminfll Report post Posted July 21, 2013 I just bought the Meguiar's Clay Kit. If I ever get a day off with nice weather, I'm going to do the clay treatment. I'm not going to worry about the vehicle Protection package that I had done to the car when I first bought it. If it was working as well as the clay, wouldn't the finish feel smooth as glass after it was washed? It doesn't, so I'm gonna use the clay! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JSKershaw Report post Posted July 22, 2013 I just did this yesterday along with a wax treatment afterwards. The Ruby Red colour pops! 1 corncobs reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
djminfll Report post Posted July 22, 2013 I got to wash the car yesterday, but there were dark rainclouds overhead, so I didn't get to clay it yesterday. Hopefully, there will be no rainclouds overhead tonight after work and I will have time to do a quick wash and then clay. I have been looking forward to this for awhile! 1 acdii reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
djminfll Report post Posted July 22, 2013 I finally got to clay the car - I'm astounded at how great the car looks! Now I'm super glad I got it in Tuxedo Black, it is such a rich color. This picture was not even taken in full sunlight, it looks even better in sunlight. After watching some of the youtube videos on claying the car, I was surprised that not too much grime came off on the clay - it remained relatively clean. But I did detail the car 2 weeks ago, and that probably helped. 2 corncobs and dalesky reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeff_h Report post Posted July 23, 2013 Looks great! I did mine last week and there was also very little gunk removed... just a tiny bit. However a few months ago I did a car that was 3 years old and never had it done, now THAT had some gunk on it, I should have taken a pic. For less than 10 bucks per usage, looks like a good way to keep things from building up, that doesn't cost a lot -- and when there's not a lot of buildup, it was pretty quick to do it. 2 corncobs and djminfll reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
corncobs Report post Posted July 23, 2013 I finally got to clay the car - I'm astounded at how great the car looks! Now I'm super glad I got it in Tuxedo Black, it is such a rich color. This picture was not even taken in full sunlight, it looks even better in sunlight. After watching some of the youtube videos on claying the car, I was surprised that not too much grime came off on the clay - it remained relatively clean. But I did detail the car 2 weeks ago, and that probably helped. Nice job another mirror like FFH finish. The right detailing finish just brings these even more to life. 1 djminfll reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
djminfll Report post Posted July 23, 2013 And I didn't even get to wax the car - I'm going to get to that some time this week. I bought the Meguiar's Carnauba wax, and will do it this week for sure. 1 corncobs reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
corncobs Report post Posted July 23, 2013 Don't wait too long to put protection back on. I made this mistake with my wife's Explorer hood. I clayed it but did have the time to put the polish on top before going on our road trip and it showed, not good. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
djminfll Report post Posted July 23, 2013 Don't wait too long to put protection back on. I made this mistake with my wife's Explorer hood. I clayed it but did have the time to put the polish on top before going on our road trip and it showed, not good.If I want to do it in the next couple of days, would I just wash it first and then wax it? Or do I have to clay it again and then wax? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
corncobs Report post Posted July 23, 2013 If I want to do it in the next couple of days, would I just wash it first and then wax it? Or do I have to clay it again and then wax?I would definitely do at least a quick wash but I don't think re claying is necessary. 1 djminfll reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FusionRose Report post Posted July 23, 2013 Come up to Tampa Bay and do mine next! BlackWing is a hot mess after my roundtrip to Mobile, AL this weekend. I am going to give her a bath tomorrow but I am nervous about the clay bar and waxing. I have never done that before, I barely even washed peanut (Hyundai Accent). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
djminfll Report post Posted July 23, 2013 I would definitely do at least a quick wash but I don't think re claying is necessary. That's what I figured, but I wanted to concur :) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
djminfll Report post Posted July 23, 2013 Come up to Tampa Bay and do mine next! BlackWing is a hot mess after my roundtrip to Mobile, AL this weekend. I am going to give her a bath tomorrow but I am nervous about the clay bar and waxing. I have never done that before, I barely even washed peanut (Hyundai Accent).If I could do it, you can do it! Honestly, it only took about an hour, and is less strenuous than washing or waxing. I literally just followed the instructions on the box. Plus, there are a bunch of videos on youtube that show how it's done. If you get the Meguiar's clay kit, it comes with 2 clay bars (I only used 1/2 of one), the detailer spray, and a microfiber towel. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeff_h Report post Posted June 1, 2014 I've had my car for almost 6 months and now that the weather is nice I finally used the clay for the first time on this car. I wash my cars pretty often and had just washed well before using the clay, but even with washing regularly the gunk still collects on the surface. This is not much gunk but more than I thought there would be given how often I wash it and park indoors. So now it's time to do her car again, which I did last summer. 2 hybridbear and Sleddog reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hybridbear Report post Posted June 1, 2014 I've had my car for almost 6 months and now that the weather is nice I finally used the clay for the first time on this car. I wash my cars pretty often and had just washed well before using the clay, but even with washing regularly the gunk still collects on the surface. This is not much gunk but more than I thought there would be given how often I wash it and park indoors. So now it's time to do her car again, which I did last summer.I need to do our FFH again as well. I clayed it in mid-December. The last couple times I've washed the car I've been able to see specks of dirt/road tar/etc that I can't get off with my wash mitt. Sometime between now & winter I will clay it again and do more coats of Zaino. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vangonebuy Report post Posted June 1, 2014 Meguiar clayed the Ruby in April. Paint felt like silk.Use a lot of the Detail spray.Gorgeous results.Really gets the bug stains and water droplets off. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
inco Report post Posted June 1, 2014 Using a clay bar is a lot of work, but, the results make it so worthwhile. I use that and then finish off with Zaino and soon I'll try and do that for the FFH. One key for everyone is to make sure you never wash you car in bright sunlight. Water stains are not your friends not what you want. Some waxes tell you that and it's for a good reason. Same goes for waxing - put it on in sunlight and it cakes and becomes very hard to remove. I have a friend who does detailing on the side. It takes him five to six hours to do a car right. Lucky guy has a shop where he can also do it with lots of room. Most garages are not quite big enough. 2 hybridbear and acdii reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
acdii Report post Posted June 1, 2014 I got some Chemical Guys Blacklight that I want to try on my TB cars. I saw some photos of TB with it and it makes the metallic POP. It can be used over or under Zaino. If I get my ambition up today I think I will go detail my MKT and see. The fusion has some scratches on it, so more work is needed to get it looking HoT. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jsolan Report post Posted June 9, 2014 When I bought my car a year ago I bought the clay kit and still haven't had an opportunity to use it yet.When I do, is it recommended to use clay on windows/trim? From previous experience, wax on trim ends up causing an ugly discolorization. I wouldn't think clay would do the same, but I'm new to it so I figured I'd ask. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
acdii Report post Posted June 9, 2014 Only on smooth surfaces, it there is texture the clay can get lodged. You can do glass too with it, just keep it well lubed(and yourself if you feel like it). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LoganZ Report post Posted September 25, 2014 Just bought a 14 FFH (Dark Side)...I've had it for 5 days and after a recent road trip I have the usual bugs, dusting, etc. This is the first new car I've owned, I've never had the money to afford professional detailing, and I don't want to start off by jeopardizing the new finish by subjecting it to my detailing/auto finish ignorance . I've been researching the topic for some time and just need some quick tips on washing, wax, polish, clay bar... for the first wash and maintenance of the finish going into the winter months. I do not have a garage so the car will be exposed to the elements on a regular basis. Any input, advice, and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DeeCee Report post Posted September 26, 2014 Peruse the Appearance topic; http://fordfusionhybridforum.com/forum/70-appearance/ 2 LoganZ and GrySql reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeff_h Report post Posted March 14, 2015 Here's another good picture to illustrate "so you think you've cleaned your car?" - this is from my 2010 FFH, had never used clay bar on it (learned about the clay from the forum), and got hardly anything from the hood or roof. However I got plenty from the side doors where all the road grime (currently 198K miles) builds up -- and this is right after washing the car to get all of the dirt off of the surface - or so I thought. 4 GrySql, dalesky, hybridbear and 1 other reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
acdii Report post Posted March 15, 2015 Pretty amazing isnt it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dalesky Report post Posted March 15, 2015 I once had to bring my Mustang GT to a repair shop for a water leak into the main electronics module. They water tested it and left it outside to dry. The only way to remove the incredible amount of water drop damage was to clay bar the finish. It took a lot of time, but afterwards the car looked great. I remember being shocked at how hard the acid rain residue was to remove, but the clay worked. 1 jeff_h reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
