I've been trying to get my 2001 ready to sell and it had these odd spots that I can only describe as hard water stains all over it. Wet Paint didn't help, neither did Dawn. Finally last night I bought a clay bar system and wow... who would have thought that rubbing silly putty all over a car could remove such unsightly specks. It definitely has the power to remove them - whatever they are - although we didn't get them all off in the first go round. I probably won't do it again; it's hard to get it perfect when I'm hopefully selling it to someone tomorrow, but it's good to know how important that clay step can be. The car has a good bit of dings and flecks of paint missing on the front bumper but overall she's in decent shape. I think the interior has held up especially well. She'll be 8 in January.

Finished product. Washed, clayed, washed, wet paint. (don't know why but my server is ridiculously slow here lately. photos may take a sec to load)

http://www.stephaniediane.com/uploads/car/1.jpg

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http://www.stephaniediane.com/uploads/car/3.jpg

http://www.stephaniediane.com/uploads/car/2.jpg

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I tried Maguire's Gold leather cleaner and the smell was horrible. Gave me a terrible headache. Neighbor brought over Lexol and I liked it much better. Also used Maguire's quik interior detailer. No super power there, but decent enough. Next I want to try the Duragloss wax.

Considering that this was a thread by a female member (assumingly, based on the user-profile name), and the title was "The power of CLAY - I'm a believer.", I thought this was gonna be about mud/clay face & body-masks... :D

Indeed, detailing-clay rocks! Makes the paint-finish/surface as smooth as a baby's bottom. I just wish the stuff came in larger-sizes (like chamois' size, lolz...)! The avg. 2"x4" detailing-clay piece makes the task slightly tedious, IMHO. I guess I can simply buy 3-4 packages & amalgamate the clay-bars into one!?!

Good for you girl! You are learning, in a roundabout way, how to maintain your new car. DuraGloss wax isn't one of their best products, go with DuraGloss #105 and you will be thrilled. A quick tip.....spray some Stoner's More Shine (Pep Boy's, Wal Mart) on the tires & wheel wells of the one for sale for an instant killer look.
DO roll the bottom of the tires to the top to get 100% of the tires with the More Shine or what ever you decide to dress them with. Wet Paint did a fine job on both rides.

Gosh it's crazy how San Marino Red ages.

Is it as clear of a difference in person, as it is in the pics how faded the older Accord looks to the new one? The Red is not nearly as vibrant in these pics, and it's the exact same color (spec wise).

Was this your first time waxing the car since it was new? I'm really interested in knowing what you've previously done to maintain its appearance.

Good luck with your sale, how much are you asking, if I may ask? Miles? Orig Transmission???

Osiris - yes, I was imagining the clay to be the size of a bar of soap; I was surprised by the size.

RTexasF - the tires are the one aspect I've notoriously neglected. I will take your advice (it hasn't led me wrong yet) and try that.

Accordlover - even several years ago I would open the door and notice how vibrant the frame looked compared to the outside red. Perhaps it aged because I never really waxed the car much. Washed regularly, yes, but no protectant/wax to speak of. What can I say... I never had a decent man around to teach me these things! When I brought the new one home the 2001 wasn't nearly as "deep" next to it, but it's improved since the recent Wet Paint/claying. Granted, it's being compared to a red in it's most pristine condition, but on it's own I think it's still rather pretty and shiny. It's taken a beating just in the past year or so.

It has 125k on it. Never had any mechanical repairs done. I replaced the timing belt about 3 months ago. I know there is a broken motor mount but I don't consider that critical, especially considering what they wanted to charge to fix it because of it's "location being hard to get to." The dealer offered $4000. I was insulted, even with the exterior blemishes. I would *like* $6500.

So lessons learned... I do want to make a better effort at keeping the new girl young. I think I started off well in the beginning with the 2001 but after a few dings and scrapes I fell into the "oh well" mindset. I already have one tiny rock knick on the hood which I will fill with a paint pen asap. No more tailgating for me.

Yeah... dressing your tires would make a HUGE impact on how new your car looks. ITS A MUST!!!

Those types of base red colors fade bad.

Looks brand new!!

A machine polish would bring that back to almost new. It looks good enough to sell as it is though.

One great tip about the Clay that I think Rtexas mentioned awhile ago was to divide the bar into 3 pieces instead of working with one big piece. That way you'll be working with cleaner clay and if you drop a piece you don't have to go to the store and buy a whole new bar.

Another great use for clay is removing paint that gets on your car from bridges being painted, fresh road paint being splattered etc.

what about tar?

You like red dont ya?
Looks good! Like RTF said, a good polish with a Porter Cable DA polisher would really light it up!
If you guys ever get a chance visit the Mcquiers forums and check for a local detailing class, Mike Phillips did one here a few years ago and I learned a lot.
I was thinking of claying the Accord since the beach trip but I did the baggie test and its still smooth.
How much clay do you guys use? Those soap size bars you get with the Mothers and Mcquires kits usually last me 3 to 4 cleanings and thats on a crew cab truck.
They sell a good leather cleaner at Sams Club now, the Quick Detailer isnt a good cleaner, just good for touch ups.