Using clay bar on new truck?

Just bought a new Ram a few weeks ago. I have less than 600 miles on it. Do I need to use clay bar on it prior to polishing it? TIA

Sure shouldn’t hurt


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Glenn54- Welcome to Autopia!

The "whether to clay or not?" is one of those "it just depends.." sort of things. Even brand-new vehicles can be contaminated, and if the contamination is an issue for you claying might be a good solution. But I don`t see any point in doing something that`s not necessary, so first I`d consider whether it is necessary (e.g., the "baggie test").

Note that claying always involves a risk of inducing additional marring (swirls/scratches/etc.). The most gentle clays, which are less likely to do that, are often too gentle to really do much decontaminating. That`s why I tend to like/recommend Chemical Decontamination.

If your concern/issue is Ferrous Contamination ("rail dust", rust-blooms) then the chemical route would definitely be my choice/recommendation. If it`s a light-colored vehicle I`d definitely consider doing that even if it does pass the baggie test. Not a big deal, basically just washing the vehicle with the Ferrous Contamination Remover stuff.

If it`s a darker color, and you don`t notice any contamination, I myself would quite probably just go straight to polishing (after a very thorough wash). But that`s just me and saying that borders on Autopian Heresy :o since I suspect that few here would polish without first doing some kind of decontamination.

Clay bar, no, clay towel/pad...yes. Its not how many miles but how long it was parked and how it was transported. I mean if the paint feels silky smooth with the baggie test, I guess you can skip it.

Dan- Heh heh, we could always do a "clay vs. towel" debate and *really* get Glenn54 scratching his head! Just kidding, just kidding...well, sorta ;) But seriously, since he *is* planning to polish anyhow I doubt that the (right) towel/pad would really be all that riskier than the clay, and I do acknowledge that I`m much more paranoid about the towel/pad than most here.

I had a customer that bought a brand new Benz C-class sedan. He brought it over to have me do a quick polish and coating within the first week with less than 200 miles. It was one of the most contaminated cars I have ever clay barred. Turns out it had been parked in the dealer`s lot right next to the entrance coming off a very busy boulevard. So all the cars going down the road where leaving their brake dust over the front line up cars at that dealership.

Thanks guys. I think it`s time to use the clay bar. I will do the plastic bag test first and compare after doing the clay bar.

Glenn54- Some sorta-random tips follow:

-Tear the clay bar into small pieces, if only so you don`t trash the whole thing if you drop it (I know, I never drop clay either ;) But I still do this just in case :D ) The little pieces are easier to inspect/knead too
-Knead/replace your clay *VERY* frequently; the instant it picks up a bit of abrasive contamination it becomes sandpaper and will scratch your paint
-Use *lots* of good lube; the clay should float across the surface of the paint on a film of lube, bumping into contamination and shearing it off (clay *does not* "pull contamination off/out of the paint", that`s just now how it`s supposed to work)
-Don`t let clay/lube residue dry on the vehicle, it can be a pain to clean off