Alright, so I went on a spree today buying car cleaning parts. First I followed the guide here to clean up the headlights... Oh my god it was amzing! I never thought something that simple could make the car look that much better! Absolutely amazing! Then after seeing those results I took off the third brake light in the back and did it on that too with equally amazing results. So then I got some rubbing and polishing compound and some turtle wax, but after browsing around here it looks like there are other things that are better. Well, my car's paint has quite a few chips in the hood and a couple scratches I made lately that don't look good at all, so what can I use to fill these in? I used the rubbing and polishing compound to make the scuffs disappear, and that made my day, but I got two deep scratches about an inch long or so and then some pits on the hood, so do I just get a bottle of touch-up paint? And what is this "claybar?" I saw Mother's Claybar today at autozone, is this what everyone is talking about? Hoping to make my car look good as new!

 

Glad you're getting some cleanup done -- it feels good, I know.

If you haven't done so already, you might want to use some plastic polish on your lenses to give them the finishing touch and provide some added protection.

It sounds like you've got some touch-up painting to do... if you can feel it with your fingernail or see primer, you surely need some paint. You might also check out a product called Langka (http://www.langka.com) which helps make it look a little better.

The Clay bar is an essential pre-polishing step these days as it removes stuff from the air that lands on your paint and can ultimately do damage -- and at the least, prevent your ride from looking its best. And yes, this is what everyone's talking about. I do like the Mothers clay, and they've got a little video on their website which shows just how easy it is to use (http://www.mothers.com/reelworld/mothersclay.html). If you feel bumps from contaminants, I'd clay before you wax.

Good luck!

 

Don't go too crazy with that rubbing compound, it sounds like you're still a little new to the detailing world. The compound may be abrassive enough to damage your clear coat, but I'm glad to see you've gotten good results so far.
A clay bar is exactly what it sounds like, a bar of clay. It's used to remove all surface contaminants from your paint, including, but limited to over spray.
If you want to purchase one, don't waste your money at a local auto parts store, just go to Walmart, they'll have the same product for around 5-8 dollars cheaper.
I've tried many different clay bars including Maguire's, Clay Magic, and Mother's. Personally I was not very happy with the Mother's results. The detailing spray it comes with smells like Cinnamon[:'(], and the bar just didn't give the results I wanted. It couldn't cut through the over spray like the Maguires and Clay Magic could.
You can "fill" those scratches in with Maguire's Three Step. It's three different chemicals to make your paint look new. 1) cleaner, light swirl remover 2) polish 3) wax. Just clay and follow with the three step for a nice deep finish. Be sure to give the car a good wash first.
I know I said I dislike the Mother's clay bar, but this is a pretty good video on how to use it.
http://www.mothers.com/reelworld/

 

Yeah the scratches I have on the hood are quite deep. I'd probably have to primer first and then put the paint on I'm guessing and then do the rubbing/polishing compound deal on it. I waxed the car today and it looks awesome! The only thing is that I've got those hood scratches and some nicks from rocks and such, but other than that it looks shiny new!

Oh, and some more questions. Should I be using microfiber cloths for everything? What do you guys use to put on the wax? And do you use powered buffers on your cars? Thanks for the great replies guys!

 

To apply the wax use a pads. Like the 2pack(some are blue,some are yellow)at wally world. then use the microfiber or terry cloth to buff the surface after you apply the wax. Oh, gets some pics.