I wanted to see what all the fuss was about so I went to the auto supply store and purchased te Mothers Claiforniay Gold Clay Bar. So I tested it out on the wife's 540 wagon before putting it on my E500. Now keep in mind that I already cleaned the wax yesterday with Meguiars cleaner wax and put on a fresh coat of Blitz wax after that. So I had to wash off the new wax job to get started. I was going to use the Sonnex car wash concentrate that I usually go with, but this time I used liquid detergent because I really needed to cut through the new wax.

After I got the car clean and dry, I opened up the miniscule clay bar and grabbed the Detail spray that comes with it. I followed the instructions although I found that I was sometimes necessary to apply pressure to get off stubborn debris. I first did the hood and didn't think it was working. Then I started to understand that you need to move the bar vigorisly at times until you see the contaminants disappear. Man is this hard work. I must admit, I didn't do the roof. When I was done, the car was full of streaks and coated in a dull film. I really couldn't picture the final result.

Then I began waxing with Mequiars Gold Class (which, by the way, I don't think is any better than their standard cleaner wax) and left it to harden per the instructions. Once I started buffing it off I was blinded by the deep mirror finish and how smooth the car felt. Even the plastic bumpers that had years of bugs imprinted on them, were like a baby's bottom.

Those in doubt, should give it a try. Just put aside a whole day because that's what the entire process took this first timer.

Khari