How long should it take me to Clay and Wax my V

[Davecr-v]

Hey guys I have a big trip coming up Saturday and I figure its about time for an oil change I am a few hundred miles short of 3k but it has been more than 3 months and I would rather be careful than a cheap guy with no engine, anyways I bring the car to this hand wash lube place by my house the only issue is I get home from work around 6:30 PM, I want to use the fresh wash to use a Meguiars clay kit and NXT generation tech wax in order to keep my baby clean and shiny. I figure I run into the car by 6:30 drive like Steve McQueen in Bullitt over to the auto zone pickup the rags applicators and the two meguiars products make it to the Oil change place by 7 get out by 730-740 and I can start Waxing in the home depot parking lot. Here is my issue I want to know how much time it takes to actually clay and wax I figure claying is quick spray the detailer on both the car and the clay and rub softly on the finish kneading and respraying as I go along I am projecting 2 hours but I have only waxed with Turtle Wax Ice which is easy as hell I figure tech wax paste is going to give me trouble and I don't want to be sitting in an empty car park at 2 in the morning. Sorry for Rambling but any help would be appreciated thx.

[tcturner]

It depends on how bad your V is.Nomad posted picks of his V after going north to the 60TH and it was bad I should ask him how long it took to clean it .It usually takes me an hour and a half to two .

[Davecr-v]

It depends on how bad your V is.Nomad posted picks of his V after going north to the 60TH and it was bad I should ask him how long it took to clean it .It usually takes me an hour and a half to two .

The paint condition is not terrible I park outside on the street and I rarely wash the car (Silver always looks clean) so I am expecting a lot of contaminants from that but it isn't overly rough just what you would expect from any 4 year old car. I am pleased about the1.5-2 hour's though I don't want to get lazy and just avoid parts that need the most attention I.E. the roof.

[tcturner]

Oh yes the roof,I have a 3 step folding step ladder for that little job.

[Davecr-v]

Oh yes the roof,I have a 3 step folding step ladder for that little job.

I am hoping that my 6'3" height and sunroof help me with that but I find thats an important and overlooked part especially with sun protection, you get less scratches but more deposits.

[X-Brawn]

I never had a chance to clay my Ridgeline, but I've always been (and always will be) an advocate of doing as much work as you can with your own vehicle when it comes to maintaining the appearance.

I did clay, and wax, my Tundra though. With help, it was a two hour job to wash, clay, wash, wax, polish and detail the truck. I'd say doing it solo, it could be the same or longer to do a very thorough job including using the appropriate detail products to get the car looking better then new.

[Davecr-v]

Yeah it took a couple hours I am up in Ithaca for a wedding this weekend I was driving to a shoe shine place and saw a do it yourself car wash for a bout 5 bucks I got 8 minutes with different soaps and spray's. I did a lot of work on the roof and the wheels then we towel dried and pulled into a shady spot and started claying it was really cool and I felt it helped the finish a lot it isn't perfect but it definitely has that show room finish feel in fact the car feels much slicker than my sister's boyfriends 2 month old Altima. I used meguiars NXT generation tech wax 2.0 paste and it worked great eliminated a lot of scratches has the slick feel and glassy look and tolerates people who aren't professionals. I also found that the longer you let tech wax sit the better and deeper it looks. Here are some pic's
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/2400/cimg0875ob6.jpg
http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/1913/cimg0876pc8.jpg
http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/9553/cimg0877wk8.jpg
http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/1522/cimg0878mk8.jpg

ohh P.S. the guy in the red isn't me just bad photo timing

[X-Brawn]

Depending on which claying product, and method, you use you may need to wash after you clay. I originally used a clay bar, which left a residue. Now, there are liquid clay products (Like Turtle Wax ICE products) that I plan on using next and would love to get-'er-done before August 30th when I meet some friends.

[jeprox]

those liquid clay from turtle wax is nothing compared to the real clay bars. i have them and use them - they're great for quick washes, but the quality you get is crappy - compared to the real bars.

how long it takes to wash, clay bar all depends on how thorough you are.
for me, it takes roughly around 4hrs and up for my crv. for my van it takes around the same time. if i do it quickly, around 2 to 2.5 hrs.

[T Mac]

Agree with jeprox. To me, clay should be clay.

I usually take about 4-6 hours to do a full detail but my process involves...

wash with Dawn (really, really scrub all over to get dirt off)
clay bar
wash again with Dawn
polish process using Zaino (this can take some time)

[X-Brawn]

Agree with jeprox. To me, clay should be clay.

I usually take about 4-6 hours to do a full detail but my process involves...

wash with Dawn (really, really scrub all over to get dirt off)
clay bar
wash again with Dawn
polish process using Zaino (this can take some time)

And don't forget at the end to use Forever Black on all of the black plastic trim pieces and a good tire CLEANING kit. I've learned that those "shine" products are just that and are pointless.

[12danny21]

when you say dawn, do you mean the dish soap? i heard that dish soap is harsh on the paint. I did use dish soap the first time I ever washed my dad's car but i eventually bought some meguiar's gold class soap. Don't see the difference but I feel better knowing its car soap.

[X-Brawn]

when you say dawn, do you mean the dish soap? i heard that dish soap is harsh on the paint. I did use dish soap the first time I ever washed my dad's car but i eventually bought some meguiar's gold class soap. Don't see the difference but I feel better knowing its car soap.

If Dawn makes you nervous, get one of the Mr. Clean Autowash things. They work pretty good for an initial wash if you're doing it all at home.

[electric V]

the liquid turtle wax ICE spray is meant to be used in between waxes. So lets say that on the first of every month I wax my V. And I wash my V just about every weekend I don't want to spend 2 hrs every weekend waxing my car. so the other weekends I wash my car than I pull it in my garage to let it cool spray it with the liquid ICE let it sit then rub it in to the paint. I havent washed my V in a while because I didn't want to buy the wax and tire shine I was all out so I will wash it this saturday because my dad got the stuff.

Also I have used Wisk laundery soap to wash the car and it works like a charm you just don't want to have a large ammount of soap in the bucket just wash it normally. my V is 10yrs old and the wisk hasn'y ruined the paint and I think that it never will.

This has been cooking with electric V see you tomarrow same time same channel.

[GTCB-chris]

well not to steal your idea but...

cooking with GTCB Chris.

one part 2000 honda cr-v 4X4
one part rain
one part dirt

step wait till rain
step two take 2000 honda cr-v and mix dirt and rain
step three have fun and spin tires.

i know that way gay but oh well. im bored.and to tell you the truth, a clean four wheel drive should be one of the seven deadly sins.

[fatboyslim]

when you say dawn, do you mean the dish soap? i heard that dish soap is harsh on the paint. I did use dish soap the first time I ever washed my dad's car but i eventually bought some meguiar's gold class soap. Don't see the difference but I feel better knowing its car soap.

Washing up-liquid (dish soap) is good for cleaning so long as you're going to give your car a polish and wax
It contains astringents that will remove the wax/polish already on the paint work
Don't use it ALL the time unless you also plan polishing/waxing your car

[Davecr-v]

the liquid turtle wax ICE spray is meant to be used in between waxes. So lets say that on the first of every month I wax my V. And I wash my V just about every weekend I don't want to spend 2 hrs every weekend waxing my car. so the other weekends I wash my car than I pull it in my garage to let it cool spray it with the liquid ICE let it sit then rub it in to the paint. I havent washed my V in a while because I didn't want to buy the wax and tire shine I was all out so I will wash it this saturday because my dad got the stuff.

Also I have used Wisk laundery soap to wash the car and it works like a charm you just don't want to have a large ammount of soap in the bucket just wash it normally. my V is 10yrs old and the wisk hasn'y ruined the paint and I think that it never will.

This has been cooking with electric V see you tomarrow same time same channel.

I guess ICE can be helpful if you are really anal about your paint, I prefer putting a nice coat of wax after claying and not washing my car. I live in the NYC area and don't have a driveway so I have to take it to a car wash the hand wash by me is 10 bucks for regular was I think that covers vacuum for some reason I just don't love getting my car washed it always seems wasteful because the second you park the car a bird dumps on it. If I had a driveway I would wash my car more often I hate the car washes here there are no do it yourself ones and the others contaminate your paint even at the hand wash I go to there is some guy who whacks your rims with a brush and stick (I cringe every time he does it) . I am looking for a garage by or in my building I think when I secure that I will keep the car clean just because I won't have to worry so much about rain, birds, and just overall dirt.

[electric V]

I just love to keep my V clean 24-7. And Turte wax wet n' black tire shine works extreemly well on the plastic.

[Davecr-v]

I just love to keep my V clean 24-7. And Turte wax wet n' black tire shine works extreemly well on the plastic.

I do have to recommend black magic tire gel for tires it works brilliantly especially with the included applicator. When looking at tire products avoid stuff with a built in applicator I had some tire shine with built in foam applicator lasted almost a year but the foam ripped and I had to throw out the whole bottle. Tire shine is a actually a great thing to invest in because they rip you off at car washes the stuff they put on is so watered down it lasts a day, slings all over the place, and makes your tires look cheesy and too shiny plus they charge a crap load for it 2-4 bucks a wash. The trick with any tire shine is to apply it well then wipe down the tire with a paper towel in a smooth motion thats how you get that deep clean look plus the 7 dollar bottle I bought will probably last 2-3 years at least it's been a week and a couple rainstorms since I have applied it and my tires still look great. Also the Pirelli sidewalls look fantastic shined up when they are dirty they look **** all reddish in color and you can barley read any of the lettering.

[electric V]

Tire shine is a must Especially with the back tire exposed on the gen 1 and 2s.

[berdinkerdickle]

I hope it's okay to ask this question in the OP's thread.

I just didn't figure my question deserved it's own thread.

I don't see any issue with my idea, but I'd like your guy's thoughts.

I got my new V two or so weeks ago.
We have pretty cold winters, but I'd like to Clay and get a coat of Klasse on my V sooner than waiting until it warms up here in the Portland, Oregon area.

I haven't a Garage, but I have a Pole Barn and one of those Torpedo White Gas Heaters.

I'm thinking of just doing portions at a time.
Take a Section, Wash it really good, Dry it, Clay it, and then Klasse AIO it.

I'm just concerned about getting my V protected sooner than later.
This Spring/Summer I would most likely take a day and do the whole thing then.

Any advice/concerns/warnings that you guys think I should consider?

Thanks,
-Berd