Kellykellykelly........ (Didja ever see that episode of cheers with woody harrelson - never mind, forget it...
I believe in the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" school too. A new car shouldn't need clay unless perhaps it sat outside at some port for a few weeks without protective plastic. There IS risk of adding fine scratches when you clay, even though it is small. So don't do it if it isn't needed.
How do you know? If you wash and dry the car and then "test" by taking your finger tips and exploring paint surfaces, (some people recommend putting a baggy over your hand which will "grab" the contaminants) you CAN feel it. Other than a deep scratch, ANYTHING that your fingers notice other than baby's butt smooth gorgeous paint is an above-surface defect. It might help to feel a car that DOES need it, both before and after, to get some "hand perspective"
Find a friend who parks their at least 6 month old car outside and doesn't obsess about washing it. I promise it will have some above-surface contaminants. They are much more prominent on the horizontal surfaces than on the vertical ones - which, when you think about it, makes perfect sense, given that this stuff falls from out of the sky.) Choose a fender, wash it off and dry it. feel it carefully. Now clay the area. You should hear the clay bar go ssshhhhh ssshhhhh ssshhhhh sshhh sshh ssh sh .......................... nothing. It only take that many swipes, really.
So you can HEAR the clay bar as it does its thing. If it PULLS at all, that just means you need a little more lube. (By the way, I like the Mother's clay bar fine, but I don't care for their detail spray much - I use Meguiar's final inspection cuz its easier to buff out. But EITHER will work just fine for claying - you'll just have more wax smear to wipe off with the Mothers')
NOW - feel it again. HUGE difference, yes? Remember when we say "smooth" we really mean THAT smooth! Now you'll have objectivity when you feel your own car.
Except better looking.
