I am going to wash/wax my car but I was wondering if I should clay it also? the car is less than a week old and i know the guy at the dealership said NO and to just wash/wax the body for now and then clay it in the late fall. any reasoning behind this?? He said if i wanted to clay it fine but it would just be a waste of time???

 

I did. I found it helpful to not only remove admittedly very little surface contamination, but also to remove the glue from shipping and the existing wax.

 

the car is dirty but i think after i wash it the car will feel like glass again. certain parts of the car still feel like glass so...i think the guy at the dealership was worried i wouldn't clay right and cause more trouble but... maybe i'll skip the clay this time and do it before thanksgiving.

 

Yes, clay it.

 

Several reasons you should take the necessary precautions to protect your vehicle's surface:
1) How was it transported to the dealer, rail or truck?
2) How long did it sit in the lot?
3) Do you know what the dealer did or use to prep your car?

 

you need to wait before claying/waxing a brand new car or an older car after a new paint job because paint, especially factory clear coats, require a 90 day settling period. if you clay and/or wax with any wax, you will soon notice how abrasive these chemicals are.

granted this is just me, but i suggest you waiting a few months before you wax or you will see an over abundance of swirls and have no clue why they are there...

 

Well he did buy a TSX, which is made in Japan and shipped to NA. Its probably a safe bet the paint has had time to set, unless it was shipped right after being made and didnt sit on the dealer lot for any period of time. Chances are the car came with DIS anyway (dealer installed swirls). Wait a few weeks if you are worried about it.

 

i just washed and waxed and get this I found 3 chips in the paint (very small). I am going back to the dealer tomorrow to get some touch up and maybe they will apply it. but damn, where did these chips come from?

ok, i looked in the driver's side door and the month of mfg. is May 2006. That's all it says. So I just washed/waxed I will clay it next time but I don't see any swirls after but... oh well too late.

 

Claying removes all the cheap crap that the dealer applied to make your car look so nice when you first pick it up. Read on some articles about 'rail dust' and you would re-think not using the clay bar. Once you clay a small section and do the sandwich bag test, you won't want to stop.

 

Most people do not understand clay. If you want to know if you have contiminants hand wash and dry your car. Chamois is OK but The Absorber is much, much faster. A good towel works great but does NOT offer a wet on wet drying process. Much less friction.

Wash your car. With your hand feel for debries that may still be on your car. It should feel perfect. NOW. rewet part of the car and refeel the car with your hand in a plastic bag from Target or somewhere. You may or may not feel anything. If there is anything on your car you will feel it through the wet bag.

 

Since the car was probably uncovered for a majority of its transport, I'd say clay it now before particulate matter gets really imbedded in.

With new paint jobs from the factory, you typically do not have to wait 90 days before waxing, etc. Thats more of an issue with repair work, or repaints.

 

I agree. The "baggie" test will let you know whether or not you need to clay the car prior to polishing or waxing. I prefer using a glad sandwich bag versus a plastic shopping bag as the baggie glides a little bit better on the paint surface.

 

Personally, I found very little contaminants on claying a 6 month old car but what a difference it made on a 3 yr old car that never had been clayed.

I know the stories about rail dust and crap accumulating by sitting in a dealer's lot but I found that regular washing and waxing keeps a new car pretty clean.

The sandwich bag test is a good test. You'll find the most contaminant on your front bumper and hood usually.