Claybar/polish/wax process

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

arod412

Senior Member
Joined
May 14, 2012
Posts
1,585
Reaction score
308
Location
Philadelphia
Ram Year
2012
Engine
Hemi 5.7
Good afternoon ladies and gents.

Couple of questions that you would think i would know, but i dont. Ive probly washed my black ram probly over 50 times since i got it..maybe more. i polished it last year but never applied wax afterword (im ready to get **** on for this..lol) This past fall and winter, i threw some plastidip on the bottom half of the doors due to the crazy winter here in the northeast. (See attached pic) for some protection.

So this weekend, since im a ******** i did a light layer of plastidip this past winter, im gonna have to reapply to add layers so i can remove it, but finally to my real question, which process to i start first...claybar/polish/wax?

Dont want to start a holy war with the type of material you use, but from personal experience, please let me know what products you feel works great. I know there is alot of **** out there, so i just need to be pointed to the right spot for my black truck. If you want to PM about it, that works to.





.uploadfromtaptalk1429210078192.jpg

Truck name: Rampage
2012 Dodge ram 1500 Quad Cab Big Horn 4x4
*Bilstein 2.8" front
*Bilstein shocks on rear with 1" spacer
*Pioneer AVH 4300DVD head unit
*Polk Audio Dxi350 dash speakers
*Kicker 40CSS654 6 1/2" door speakers (x4)
*fox box 2-12" speakers holder for rear seats
*2-12" alpine subs (swe -1243l
*500 watt alpine mono sub
*LED 3rd tail light smoked
*Spyder LED smokes tail lights
havent even started on the engine..lol
 

BlownGP

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2013
Posts
6,079
Reaction score
1,571
Location
Houston/Baton Rouge
Ram Year
2018 RAM Harvest New Holland Blue
Engine
5.7
You want to

1.Wash
2.Clay bar
3.Some say wash again, I usually never too.
4.Polish/seal/wax

Clay bar will remove contaminants. Polishing will remove imperfections in the paint and make the color of your paint richer and it helps to make it glossy. It also removes swirl marks if done correctly

As to what brands, yeah you're right it's as bad as a argument over chevy/dodge/ford.
I use Meguiar's for the most part, but I also have some ADAMs stuff. Honestly some of their products are awesome, but some are not any better than stuff at walmart.
 
Last edited:

Power247

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 26, 2012
Posts
5,615
Reaction score
947
Location
High Point, NC
Ram Year
2019
Engine
6.4 HEMI
^^^^Yep, what he said but I rarely polish. I also like the Meguiar's products as well.
 

dkmesa

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2014
Posts
580
Reaction score
190
Ram Year
2014
Engine
5.7
Check out Detailed Image. They have great tutorials in the Detailing Guide (tab towards the top). They filter their product selection carefully to offer only top notch stuff.

These guys are right on the order:

1) wash
2) clay bar
3) polish
4) glaze (if applicable)
5) sealant
6) wax (if applicable)

For most people, I recommend skipping the wax and just using a sealant. Modern polymers make them protect and shine almost as much as wax with much easier application (and subsequent wipe off) and much longer protection (3-6 months vs 4 or so weeks with a wax).

If you have swirl marks in your black paint, you will want to use a buffer to apply polish. Two stage polish is best (one for serious correction, one for finishing). I love Meguiar's M105 and Meguiar's M205. Or they sell a great package.

After a two-stage polish, you will want to use a sealant or wax to protect your hard work! (And reapply every couple months to keep swirls from coming back). I like Blackfire and Poorboy's World from this selection.

Happy detailing!
 

teamam

Junior Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2015
Posts
24
Reaction score
3
Location
Vancouver, WA
Ram Year
2015
Engine
6.7L Cummins
1. Wash
2. Clay bar
3. Cleaner (P21S)
4. Wax P21S

This product is the only one used by the Porsche dealers here in Portland. I have used now for a year and the cleaner is AMAZING at taking of old **** and swirls, best I have ever used.
 
OP
OP
arod412

arod412

Senior Member
Joined
May 14, 2012
Posts
1,585
Reaction score
308
Location
Philadelphia
Ram Year
2012
Engine
Hemi 5.7
Good info guys. Thanks. I would like to get some input on users that have used turtle wax, but also i hear adams, 3m, mothers, have some good products.

Again, i dont want to start ww3, just want to get feedback on different products. If it worked well on your car, i wanna hear about it.

Truck name: Rampage
2012 Dodge ram 1500 Quad Cab Big Horn 4x4
*Bilstein 2.8" front
*Bilstein shocks on rear with 1" spacer
*Pioneer AVH 4300DVD head unit
*Polk Audio Dxi350 dash speakers
*Kicker 40CSS654 6 1/2" door speakers (x4)
*fox box 2-12" speakers holder for rear seats
*2-12" alpine subs (swe -1243l
*500 watt alpine mono sub
*LED 3rd tail light smoked
*Spyder LED smokes tail lights
havent even started on the engine..lol
 

Polaris Pro

Senior Member
Joined
May 4, 2012
Posts
220
Reaction score
21
Ram Year
2012
Engine
Hemi 5.7
I used the nano skin auto scrub. I will never clay bar again. Worked as good as clay and only took me about 15 minutes to do my entire truck with my polisher. If you don't have s polisher than get the hand scrub. Just google it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

14hemiexpress

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2014
Posts
3,654
Reaction score
1,196
Location
Texas
Ram Year
2019
Engine
6.4l
Same process wash, clay, Polish, wax. I have never used sealent I probably should start. I like meguires products that's what I typically use avilable local and reasonably priced. As stated you get what you pay for more expensive products like adams should last longer never used them but that's what I would expect.
 

joelmic

Senior Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2019
Posts
547
Reaction score
482
Location
stl mo
Ram Year
2017 Ram 1500 Express Quad Cab 3.6L 4x4 20x9 Wheels
Engine
3.6
Claybar uses the lube spray... some tutorials I saw that stayed filmy after wiping... SO, wash again??? or just go ahead with the GLOSS SIO2 CERAMIC COATING???

I'm thinking I'd need to remove that LUBE residue... What's the best for that???
 

brianw0048

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 7, 2017
Posts
639
Reaction score
269
Ram Year
2016
Engine
EcoDiesel
I use water with a little dish soap to lubricate the clay bar.
 

duckman631

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2019
Posts
328
Reaction score
228
Location
New Jersey
Ram Year
2016 Big Horn Crew Cab
Engine
Hemi 5.7 K&N Cold Air Intake.
I’m going to be doing detail soon so let me know if I’m off base somewhere and let me know what I should do.. the plan is hand wash and dry. Clay bar with the lube spray. Hand wash again and dry. Spray bottle with rubbing alcohol and some water mix and wipe down whole truck with that then apply coat of nexgen ceramic coat wait 24 hours and apply second coat of nexgen. Wait 24 hours and apply 3rd coat of nexgen.

thoughts??
 

Dad_Jokes

Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2020
Posts
48
Reaction score
39
Location
Detroitish
Ram Year
2018
Engine
Hemi 5.7
Just did my ram and the wifes durango. I wash, clay bar, then apply your sealant of choice. I agree with the other who mentioned that with todays sealants waxes are not totally needed. You can do a quick rewash after claybaring, it really depends on how much lubricant you use. Once you get good at it you wont be using a ton of it and you should just be able to wipe it off with a microfiber and proceed straight to sealant. Only variance from those steps I will do is if i have some scratches then ill run the buffer on those areas real quick after the clay bar.
 

Dodge 1500 4X4

Senior Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Sep 25, 2019
Posts
2,560
Reaction score
2,221
Location
Rochester, NY
Ram Year
2019
Engine
Hemi 5.7
I use Adam's products, I wash, clay bar, wax, I use Adams detail spray with the clay bar it acts as a lubricant, go on there site they have allot of how to videos.
 

Mike Townsend

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2018
Posts
245
Reaction score
275
Location
75160
Ram Year
2014
Engine
5.7
I’m going to be doing detail soon so let me know if I’m off base somewhere and let me know what I should do.. the plan is hand wash and dry. Clay bar with the lube spray. Hand wash again and dry. Spray bottle with rubbing alcohol and some water mix and wipe down whole truck with that then apply coat of nexgen ceramic coat wait 24 hours and apply second coat of nexgen. Wait 24 hours and apply 3rd coat of nexgen.

thoughts??

Unless your paint is perfect you need to do paint correction after you clay the car. Not sure about the whole alcohol thing. If Nexgen is a true ceramic coating product once is all you need. Usually they come in tiny four ounce bottles that can do you truck twice. It does not take much and has to be put in smoothly. If you are just talking about a spray way that is tagged as ceramic than yeah more than one coat might work. I used Opticoat on my '15 SRT Charger but to get the 5 year warranty I had to have a professional do it.
 

joelmic

Senior Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2019
Posts
547
Reaction score
482
Location
stl mo
Ram Year
2017 Ram 1500 Express Quad Cab 3.6L 4x4 20x9 Wheels
Engine
3.6
I use Adam's products, I wash, clay bar, wax, I use Adams detail spray with the clay bar it acts as a lubricant, go on there site they have allot of how to videos.

THNX, ordered some... good call...
 

Dad_Jokes

Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2020
Posts
48
Reaction score
39
Location
Detroitish
Ram Year
2018
Engine
Hemi 5.7
agreed no reason to buy the special clay luber... interior detailer spray works just fine and is one less bottle i have to keep on the shelf.

Just an FYI what you are paying for with those professional X year warranties on ceramic coatings is an insurance plan. Ceramic coatings are sacrificial layers, not permanent barriers. Any claim otherwise is unfounded. Read the fine print. Its a permanent bond, but its still wears away same as the clear coat its attaching to. Now I will say that the pro stuff is a lot more robust than the DIY sprays, but still not a perm barrier. Its the same as paint protection you would buy from a dealership. Its just a gamble based on conditions the average vehicle will be exposed to vs. the deterioration rate of the product based on normal wear spread over a number of years of liability.

If you have the money and want to be a little more lax then its def the way to go. But if you stay ontop of your maintenance and dont see some sort of crazy industrial fallout then the DIY option is a pretty affordable yet more labor intensive solution as well. If you have a white vehicle I'd opt the pro job. I can tell you here in Detroit with the winters and industrial fallout I am constantly correcting rust deposits in our white Durango paint. The Ceramic does help, but its still a spot job with the claybar usually once a month. Not to say it doesnt happen on my granite Ram, but its not nearly at noticeable and i can go a few months before it needs to be done for visibility sake(again because i have that sacrificial layer of ceramic for the rust to ruin/put micro holes in)

For paint correction I have found that the Meguire's Ultimate compound with a buffer is a great combo that is easy to work with, quick to do, and likely would take care of 95% of what a newer vehicle would need correction wise. Not to say there aren't other good ones, this just happens to be the one that I stopped with.
 

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
194,926
Posts
2,864,180
Members
155,296
Latest member
VLG6963
Top