7-Oz Meguiar's C2000 Mirror Glaze Detailing Clay (Mild) Expired

That's a lot of new products that I need to add to my garage. Finally I outsourced yard work, so, have more time to take care of the rides.

Any product recos? Or diy links? Don't mind spending more on products that work well… just don't want to spend hours chasing mix product reviews.
Thx!

That's a lot of new products that I need to add to my garage. Finally I outsourced yard work, so, have more time to take care of the rides.

Any product recos? Or diy links? Don't mind spending more on products that work well… just don't want to spend hours chasing mix product reviews.
Thx!

My 10 year old car has rarely seen use and been garaged 99% of the time. Car looks brand new but the paint feels like there is a layer of sand and grit that won't come off no matter how much I wash with a sponge. Will clay really restore that smooth as dinnerware feel? What about compounding?

How many bars would you say I would need to do an entire car that has all types of grit stuck to it

I still consider myself a detailing novice with most of my knowledge about different brands coming from r/autodetailing on Reddit and watching Youtube videos, but here's what I use or would recommend:

Car Wash soap: Honestly, I don't think this matters too much which soap as long as its a car wash soap and not like dish soap lol. Meguiars Gold Class is recommended very often for being a good soap thats pretty cheap and sold everywhere. What's more important than the soap is that you always work in shade and never let the water dry on your car or else itll leave stubborn water drop marks, rinse off most of the dirt and dust before you start or else youll swirl and scratch your paint with it, and work top to bottom. Many advise a grit guard to put at the bottom of your wash bucket to scrub your wash towel/mitt on throughout the wash process. And almost everyone does the two-bucket method where you have a "dirty" bucket to clean the dirt from your wash mitt/towel and then a "clean" bucket to re-suds up during the wash. However, I've stopped doing this and started using multiple mitts instead. After a while, just change out to a fresh new one. I think this is a better method.

Iron Remover: By far, most popular is Carpros IronX. However, I hear you can use something like Meguiars Ultimate Wheel Cleaner which apparently is the same active ingredient for like half the price. They all smell really bad though, be forewarned.

Clay Bar: I hear from Reddit that apparently, all detailing clay comes from the same factory and is licensed out to different companies, so I guess this too isn't super important which brand, but I'd at least stick to a reputable brand I'm comfortable with. For a lubricant, any quick detailer will also work. If I had to choose one to recommend, I'd choose Optimum No Rinse (aka ONR) for its multiple roles. It can also work as a car wash soap that you don't have to rinse off. I've used synthetic clays much more often though than traditional clay. Nanoskin is a brand recommended often for those but Ive yet to try.

Paint Correction: Meguiars Ultimate Compound and/or ultimate polish. For my first time, I didn't know any better and thought I could do it by hand with an applicator pad but my arm felt like it was going to fall off and it probably didn't do what it was supposed to. So you should do it with a random orbital polisher. The Griot Garage G9 is a solid one highly recommended for entry-level at like $150. Rupes is like the gold standard. The polishing pads from Lake County are the ones I see most recommended

Protection: I don't have any reccs for the glaze, sealant, and waxes, but I've been really getting into consumer-level ceramic waxes (not professional stuff). I guess ceramic is a new thing within the last 5 years and all the rage. From my research, Turtle Wax's is very good in that it makes your car glossy and slick, but Griot Garage's 3-in-1 ceramic wax lasts the longest, like about 12 months, so I use the TW and then the GG once or twice a year. Very easy to apply, just spray and wipe off.

Thx!
How do you clean dirty mitts? I use few micro fiber clothes to rinse and clean the car and then throw in the wash cycle with regular detergent.

Not going to lie, I do the same thing. There may be a better way to do it but thats where I drew my line lol. I do recommend using a chenille mitt or towel instead of a microfiber towel for soaping though. Feels like it glides better and less likely to scratch. But then I go back to microfiber towels to dry. I like the yellow Costco ones but they have the annoying tags you have to rip off.

Some dipshit in a hotel parking lot left a mark on my vehicles door (probably with their door).
What's the simplest way to "buff it out"??