long-term exterior protection?

370zGatorman

I've always kept my cars washed but have never used a claybar or or waxed before. Friday night I washed and then did my first clay treatment and waxed and it looks better than it ever has. I used Griot's claybar (bought from amazon) and then waxed using Optimum spray wax. Yes, it's a spray wax that's as good as a paste. You spray it on and then wipe right off and can wax your car in 10 minutes. And yes, you can wax your rims, trim, headlights and tails etc with it as it doesn't damage the trim so you can apply it everywhere. I also clayed the windows and windshield and pulled off a lot of dirt.

Watch a few videos on these two procedures and you'll be looking much better and have protection for your paint. You would think your new car has flawless paint but the truth is it's filthy most likely. During transit from the factory to the dealership the car's paint gets rail dust and all sorts of contaminates in its paint which the claybar will fix and make your paint as smooth as glass. If you run your finger over your paint it probably feels rough and gritty which means you need to clay.

I watched a few videos on the claybar and waxing with Optimum spray wax and did both with ease on Friday. You only need to clay once or twice a year if that so it's not even a pain. Optimum also has a polish that I'm going to be buying that you apply before the wax but the point of all of this is you don't have to spend 6 hours to get your car looking good and protected. I washed, clayed and waxed in 3 hours on Friday. When I came out to my car in the WalMart parking lot yesterday there was a group of teens taking pics with their cellphones. I thought "mission accomplished" and smiled lol

P.S. I didn't take pics as it was dark when I got finished but did take one yesterday after installing my new
vanity plate. The paint has that mirror finish that it's never had before and looks brilliant. When people ask if my car is new and I says it's a 2009 Z they don't believe me lol That's the power of having good looking paint. Here's the pic:

Nailzs

I had less that 2000 miles on my Z and I could feel the crap on the car after washing it without the recommended plastic bag over the hand to test if the car needs claying. What surprised me was the white clay turned red after cleaning the different panels.