Ok. Been reading a lot on here about claying your truck and I got a few questions. What are the benefits? What all does it entail? And how often do you do it? Also, can you recomend a brand? Thanks.

 

Well, before someone tells you to search using clay, I will take a whack at it.
I'm new to claying so I may make a mistake.

Claying removes the various crud that makes your paint feel rough. Doesn't really matter what that is, before I clayed my F-150 (04) the paint was not totally smooth. After claying, it feels like glass.
Looks A LOT better than it did on the showroom.
I used the cheapest clay kit I could find. ClayMagic from AutoZone. Worked great.

I would imagine you do it when the paint feels rough, or just doesn't seem to shine as well after you wax it.

If you park under trees, or near a cement plant, or the ocean, or near a railroad, or anywhere that crud gets on your paint this could be several times a year, easy. If you garage it, and keep it waxed and clean, probably once a year would be plenty.

on the entail, mostly dragging a piece of something like a child's clay block on your paint while keeping it lubed with the included lube.

The results on the cars / trucks I have done is remarkable. I wished I had know about this years ago.
Lots of details under claying, search for them and they will give you every possible bit of information you want.
Chris

 

No real secret to claying -- just slowly rub the clay bar back and forth over the surface of your paint while keeping it well-lubed with the supplied lubricant and/or a good-quality Quik Detail product! Keep kneading the clay to ensure you are using a clean portion of the bar on your baby! Try it once and you'll get the hang of it pretty quickly!

Claying makes a HUGE difference in the final appearance of your detailing job, and I recommend it any time you do a "full-blown" detail on your vehicle. (I do not use it before my "interim" waxes that I do every six weeks or so in between my twice-a-year, "full-blown" detail jobs.)

Go for it and make your "L" shine the way it was meant to!

 

Do not drop the clay!
If you do, start agian with a new clay bar.

 

Ditto on what was said above.

Use straight line hand motions and you will most likely need to polish afterwards, then wax. It will feel like glass.

 

I cheated. I bought a large 19x18 tarp for very little money, and park on that before claying. It's clean as can be, and not dusty. I know what a clutz I can be, and have dropped the clay four times in five jobs. But each time, the clay fell on pristine plastic. No dirt, no concrete. I do need help spreading the tarp in the garage, but it's paid for itself already. I also prefer bare foot to shoes (must be the Ozark in me) so I don't even track dirt onto the tarp.
Chris

 

Using the claybar on the paint/windows removes many surface contaminants that you may not even notice. If you run out of the spray that comes with the clay you can use any of the quick detailing sprays (Meguiars, etc). It's best to perform this in the shade. You will notice a difference after claying when you wax-it will buff off much easier and if you do the windshield, you will notice a difference in how your wipers perform-unless you rain-x it.

Lee

 

Great tip rustan...

Claying the glass is something that I always do last when claying a vehicle. Just like was mentioned, it'll make a dramatic difference in visibility (if you pay close attention) and your wipers will perform better.

Think of it like this, all the gunk that was on your paint and has been removed by clay is probably on your glass too. May as well remove it!

RP

 

Frequency-that depends on the environmental conditions and if you garage park but I generally claybar every 6 mos. When I bought a 03 Excursion new off the lot it had alot of overspray or junk on it so I made the dealer claybar the entire truck & they did. The first time I took it to them & told them it needed to be clayed they just detailed it so I had to explain to them again to use a claybar, which they did. The claybar also removes paint overspray but it may take two or more times depending on the severity.

lee