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I wouldnt use a clay bar unless the paint is heavily faded and oxidized, which wont be the case on a new vehicle. A clay bar is a big hassle as well, especially when its hot and the sun is shining.
Fwiw, clay bar is always useful, even with new vehicles that have usually spent months sitting on a lot somewhere, gathering dust. Paint is actually soft and will get grit stuck in it, and clay bars clean the paint so it is smooth again.
If you don't use a clay bar, it won't kill the paint, but its actually really easy to do - just wet the car and rub a little bit.
Also, never wash, wax, or claybar a car in direct sunlight. Its usually best to wash the car late in the day or early before you have to worry about the sun evaporating water from the paint before you can dry it.
I babied all my cars and did all of the above. With age, I am doing the minimum. For $2 in a U spray car wash I select wax and hose the car off. Streaking yes, but over-all the paint is preserved and rain rolls off.
I think my Tbird is proof positive that one doesn't need too, or should never. use soap on a vehicle, EVER.
I spend about 10 minutes every three or four days to keep the bird looking like it does.
All that is involved is taking a damp rag and wiping a section at a time, followed by a dry, soft towel to buff.
If one can't take 10 minutes out of a week to do this, then they need to take a hard, serious look at what their life is all about.
My 11 year old Dakota pickup is also proof positive that there is no reason to be using any kind of soap on any vehicle.
In all the years, none of my vehicles have been to a car wash.
People that use a car wash are either very lazy, are much to busy , or just hate doing anything themselves when it come to vehicle upkeep.
Bob.
I think my Tbird is proof positive that one doesn't need too, or should never. use soap on a vehicle, EVER.
I spend about 10 minutes every three or four days to keep the bird looking like it does.
All that is involved is taking a damp rag and wiping a section at a time, followed by a dry, soft towel to buff.
If one can't take 10 minutes out of a week to do this, then they need to take a hard, serious look at what their life is all about.
My 11 year old Dakota pickup is also proof positive that there is no reason to be using any kind of soap on any vehicle.
In all the years, none of my vehicles have been to a car wash.
People that use a car wash are either very lazy, are much to busy , or just hate doing anything themselves when it come to vehicle upkeep.
Bob.
In NJ Car Wash is a huge business. Many lazy people to do it themselves, people who rent, and it's pain the butt to get your undercarriage cleaned from all of the salt.
It is also against the law to pump your own gas in NJ so if we are lazy with that imagine washing your car.
I rent so I bring my car to a car wash that uses brushes. Hand washes are more expensive. I am generally happy, but I am not driving a high end car.
Here are some car care basics regarding paint for the "normal" car owner. These are good guidelines that are not too onerous for keeping up with but will keep your car looking great for years and years.
If the car is clean, dust it. Get a California duster and so long as the car is dry, you can dust off dirt. This greatly extends the periods between wet washes by keeping the car clean. After you have washed the car, you can keep dusting it to remove dust until you drive in the rain or get wet dirt on the car. At that point, its time for another wash.
Wash the car as needed, but use car soap. Car soap is designed not to strip wax from the paint. Dish soap like Dawn is the opposite, and is designed to strip waxy buildup from dishes. If the car is grimy, always use soap and water - soap lifts and suspends dirt so it doesn't damage the paint when you wash it. A hose, a bucket and a shammy glove are good enough to do the job well.
Wax the car 2-4 times a year. Wax is a protective coat the protects the paint, but it wears off over time. Depending on how often the wax wears off, you may need to increase how often you wax, but 3 months is usually a good starting point. You can tell if a car has wax or not because water will bead on a waxed car, and sheet on an unwaxed car. If the water isn't breaking up into small pools and rolling around, its time to wax.
Polish a car 1-2 times a year - polishing "moisturizes" the paint and helps remove slight scuffs and scratches. Polishing is important in the South because it keeps the paint from drying out and oxidizing. Once the paint is dried out, you can try to rehydrate it, but its pretty much shot.
Clay bar the car 1-2 a year - before you polish, use a clay bar to get fine grit out of the paint. This is more important in dusty and arid locations where fine grit is more common and gets stuck in the paint.
Keeping to this regime is not going to require too much work from you but will keep the car looking great for years.
Great post. this is how I treat my vehicles and all still look new. One additional note, if you can garage it on weekends, do it. Also never wax or polish in direct sunlight or if the surface of the vehicle is hot to the touch.
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Lots of Work.
