I need advice on car products!

[Herbicidal]

The thing about a clay bar is that it pulls the contaminants out of the paint. Kind of like a little dirt magnet. The picture of my hand holding the clay gives an idea of what is on the paint. Most of the crud came off the horizontal surfaces like the roof, trunk lid, etc. So if you don't want to spend a ton of time with a clay bar, just do the top surfaces and don't worry about the sides. Using the wash bucket with soap and water is a good idea, but I would recommend washing the car first, then get a clean bucket of soapy water so you don't get dirt particles from the dirty water back on the paint.