A Real Slick Vette!

Greg's son, Greg, has been at it again, this time working his magic on Charlie & Tammy Burke's beautiful red C6 coupe! After giving the Vette a careful wash to get rid of all the loose dirt and grime to prepare it for the clay bar process he used a Mequiar's clay bar kit to remove all the imbedded contamination from the paint.  The trick to using a clay bar is to start with as clean a car as possible, then use plenty of lubricant like Mequiar's detail spray so the clay glides smoothly over the paint and doesn't rub or catch. Very light pressure is desired on the clay so you reduce the chances of scratching your paint. The clay will grab and pull environmental impurities that are imbedded in the paint surface. Frequently roll the clay into a ball and then flatten into a cake to use. This takes the impurities and rolls them inside so you continue to work with clean clay. If you drop your clay, throw it away. Otherwise any material on the ground will attach itself to the clay and you may put some serious scratches in your paint. After you've used the clay bar repeatedly over a small area, dry it with a new micro fiber towel and then gently run your fingers back and forth over the area. It should be as smooth as glass. Compare it to the area you have not yet used the clay bar on and you can tell the paint feels rough and gritty. If you still feel bumps on the area you just worked, spray it heavily again with lube and repeat the clay bar process using a clean spot on your clay bar. There are several u-tube videos on line that will show you how.  Clay bar the top surfaces first, then the sides, back and front of the vehicle and only when you've done these areas go to the area close to the ground. This keeps your clay as clean as possible before you get to the dirtiest areas near the bottom of the car. Wipe up and wipe dry the lube as you move from area to area so you leave a clean and dry surface. You'll probably need to use at least 2 microfiber towels for this as the first will pick up most of the lube but the towel gets very wet and the second one is needed to dry the remaining lube.  After Greg clay barred the Vette he then went back over it with Mequiar's detail spray and a clean microfiber towel. This gives you the best possible shine to prepare for the polish and also prepares the surface for good polish adhesion. Once the Vette was returned to Charlie he said to add to the article that a Corvette will definitely be more shiny after a clay bar and polish than when it left the dealer showroom!