I think the point of cutting it up, especially for first time users, is in the event that one drips the clay bar.

if it's not cut up, then the whole thing is wasted when dropped. I and many first timers have dropped the clay bar.

For those who have never clayed - If you drop the bar, throw it away.

The clay will pick up all this junk that will ruin your paint.

 

I clay barred my car for the first time this past fall. It will now become a semi-annual event for me - fall and spring.

I've moved back to Liquid Glass after using both Mothers and Meguiar's polishes/waxes. I will stay with Liquid Glass.

 

Speedy Surface Prep Towel, speedy prep towel, clay towel, sm arnold clay towel, clay bar towel

 

All good points I see here. I'd like to add IronX to this post. Especially for you white vehicle owners. Apply before you clay or speed towel.

Additionally, don't buy expensive spray detailer as lubricant. Save yourself a ton and buy a small bottle of Optimum NoRinse car wash. Its extremely useful. You can even add it to your usual bucket of soap to help with drying/water spotting. I also put some in my windshield washer fluid.

 

ONR is great stuff, I use it as a waterless wash for 50-75% of my washes and use the soap and bucket for the rest. I use a Chemical Guys clay lube for clay barring typically as I'm not a real fan of soap and water and the spray detailers are spendy for what you're doing. I haven't used IronX but I have used a few other iron removal products (Ferrous Dueller mostly) and they indeed make alot of difference if you live near a railway or have iron brake dust build up.

One easy way to determine if you need to claybar is the bag test: get the paint wet and put your hand in a ziploc bag, it is amazing how gritty a surface that looks clean can really be and you will feel it through the bag.

When you first get into polishing and the different products for car care I highly recommend making a DA polisher your first real tool. It's much harder to damage the paint with than a rotary and it takes alot of the elbow grease out of the process. When I first started detailing I used (and still use as a base layer) Klasse All In One and Sealant. Anyone who has used the sealant knows that it an be a massive b*tch to get off if you lay it on too thick and the DA keeps the product thickness low.

As far as the Sonax spray wax, I have used it and it is a good product, but hardly the death of the detailing wax/sealant industry as we know it. It is probably the most durable spray wax I have used, but it falls short of the wetness and depth of say dodojuice or nattys paste and it isn't as durable as many of the sealants on the market. More of a middle of the road use type of product. That said I am pretty **** about my products and methods and for a consumer who just wants something easy that can last and provide some protection/look pretty it's certainly something I would recommend.

 

I've been using a clay towel on my cars for over a yr now............much faster and easier than using clay. As far as a good D.A. buffer goes I went all in and purchased the Rupes from Chemical Guys. Great prices and living in SoCal so close to my house.