Hi all, I've decided to buy a clay kit for my MK7 Fiesta, and from reading the back of the box it does seem simple...ish. Is there any tips i should follow to get the best finish? I already understand basic stuff with cleaning cars etc, but i'm no pro at claying my car!

I've taken a look at the detailing topic at the top of the forum, but it dont have much info about how to clay your car.

Any advice would be great from the many wonderful detaling guys on here. If it helps, the kit i got was Meguiars Smooth Surface Clay Kit.

Many thanks in advance :)

Hi all, I've decided to buy a clay kit for my MK7 Fiesta, and from reading the back of the box it does seem simple...ish. Is there any tips i should follow to get the best finish? I already understand basic stuff with cleaning cars etc, but i'm no pro at claying my car!

I've taken a look at the detailing topic at the top of the forum, but it dont have much info about how to clay your car.

Any advice would be great from the many wonderful detaling guys on here. If it helps, the kit i got was Meguiars Smooth Surface Clay Kit.

Many thanks in advance :)

I bought the meguiars smooth surface kit a few weeks back and managed to achieve a very good finish and im no expert in car cleaning. I just followed the instructions on the box, after i had done 1 panel i was into my own little way of doing it - its very easy to do and needless to say the finish is awesome.

Only thing i would make sure for next time - to get rid of any tar spots first

It's really easy Mark. Best bit of advice I have is to cut your clay bar into smaller pieces and then flatten each piece out - you're after as much surface area as possible and using the whole bar at once means plenty of potential area is wasted.

I always wash again after claying, so don't be shy of using the lube. Use straight lines not circles and go for it.

Stef's advice regarding tar is good - you'd need a fairly abrasive clay to get rid of tar, which isn't in the Megs kit, so use something like Tardis prior to claying.

Many thanks for the advice guys. Does claying remove any old wax on the car? (such as auto glym SRP) which i put on about 2 months ago. Some people say it removes everything (including wax) but then some say it will leave the wax on the car? Confusing much?

In my experience - it'll strip it. SRP is not a wax, it's a polish - so not something you want to stay long term on your paint.