warminwisc

My 04 has been maintained washed and waxed regularly as you guys know. I am looking for stuff for my kid to do and my LS and my dads weathered 99 Deville which I want to sell for him needs attention. How well does a claybar treatment, the box kits get out oxidation and small swirls and scratches?

Or is there nothing like a good buff/polish job at a good body shop to bring even my dads 99 deville back to life?

bfg23

Clay barring will not get rid of small scratches or swirls. And I doubt it would get out any oxidation. A paint correction, followed by a polish and wax from a good detailer, or body shop will bring it back to as new condition.

tsslaporte

Claybar just removes surface contaminants. If you want to remove oxidation, or swirls. You will need to polish it out. PorterCable 7424xp or Meguiars G100 Dual Action Polishers, are extremely safe to use. You and your kid can easily use this machine and not ruin clearcoat. Read into the subject, you can DIY this pretty easily. But there will be alot of time reading up on how to do it, and lengthy processes when you get to the cars depending on their condition. My G I did a 28 hour detail, It came out fabulous.

Boomer01

I detail my car once a year because it takes so long. Start by washing the car with dawn soap which will remove the old wax and dry. Next use a clay bar and a quick detail spray to lubricate the bar. Then use a paint cleaner, polish, and wax.

All of the products I use are Meguiar's.

embolism

usually if you are doing a polish (removing clearcoat to get rid of swirls) you don't need to use a paint cleaner...

detail process is long so any step you can cut out saves back pain later on

ddm17

What do you guys think of buying a machine buffer and doing it yourself? Does this work any better?

embolism

a machine will always give you a better finish than anything you do by hand

it actually takes more skill to polish properly by hand than with a machine. That doesn't mean you can just pick up a machine and get great results with it but if you watch a few videos, educate yourself, and put in the time, I think anyone can buff their own cars.