MINI COOPER :: North American Motoring

mini_dreams · #1 10-30-2006, 09:42 AM

i washed Grover yesterday and then started to claybar... got driver's side done but then lost the daylight (don't have a garage). I should have started earlier.

anyway, if I can work on it today, is it okay to continue claybar or do i need to go back and do a wash again? i drove it once last night and then it has been sitting overnight. I would like to clay the rest and get some wax on there pronto.

3 WIRE · #2 10-30-2006, 09:59 AM

If you haven't driven the car and don't feel like washing it again you could go over it with a microfibre towel and some quick detailer, make sure it's good and clean.

When I clayed mine I used a bucket of car wash soap for lube, so you could go that route and it would be clean. Just wash the car again to be sure then use some clean soapy water for your lube. JMO

Good Luck

ImagoX · #3 10-30-2006, 10:03 AM

Yeah just give it a quick swpie with detail spray - a day shouldn't make adifference (unless you parked under a tree with birds in it or something).

mini_dreams · #4 10-30-2006, 10:08 AM

thanks! i will feel the paint that I clayed and see how it feels. maybe that will be an indication of how much dirt is on the car.

oh, forgot to ask... is it important to wash the car again after the clay? with just water or with water and soap?

thanks!

3 WIRE · #5 10-30-2006, 10:27 AM

Myself, I would wash it again.
Your going to alot of trouble to do it right, so carry on.

Darkness · #6 10-30-2006, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mini_dreams

oh, forgot to ask... is it important to wash the car again after the clay? with just water or with water and soap?

Because I use a dawn/water mixture I always wash after I claybar to remove the residue. If you're using a clay lubricant that you buff off with a MF towel then you shouldn't need to wash again.

ImagoX · #7 10-30-2006, 10:34 AM

I never wash it again myself... I use detail spray to lube the clay, so really anything that's gonna survive claying AND wiping that way probably won't come off anyway with a simple wash.

kenchan · #8 10-30-2006, 11:53 AM

i usually don't wash the car after my clay app and move onto polish as
needed.

MiniMaybee · #9 10-30-2006, 12:13 PM

I usually wash it, but why not, what's it going to hurt? I would rather wash it than miss some stray piece of clay residue that would gum up my polish pad or that perchance was a bit dirty. Where does all your clay go when you clay, and the dirt? I get a haze on my paint from using clay and I don't wipe it off with a micro fiber so I wash it after I clay.
I doubt there is an absolute right or wrong here, just do what you want to do. If you can't spare the extra 10 minutes to wash it again, go on to the polish step.

kenchan · #10 10-30-2006, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MiniMaybee

If you can't spare the extra 10 minutes to wash it again, go on to the polish step.

for me washing it takes maybe 10 mins, but drying it completely again
from preventing water spots takes me like 30min or more... why risk
water spots when there is no wax on the paint? might end up needing
to clay that water stain again... then wash again?

but you're right, there's no right or wrong on this one.

ImagoX · #11 10-30-2006, 01:27 PM

Agree... drying is the key. I wouldn't want to risk getting water in the wax, and my car has just SO MANY crevices where lots of water is trapped...

MiniMaybee · #12 10-30-2006, 01:36 PM

You guys need a leaf blower... Ah, nothing like a 5 minute blow job to free one of those pesky build-ups. Besides your polish should remove any spotting.
Whatever works for you is the perfect solution.

Darkness · #13 10-30-2006, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MiniMaybee

You guys need a leaf blower... Ah, nothing like a 5 minute blow job to free one of those pesky build-ups. Besides your polish should remove any spotting.
Whatever works for you is the perfect solution.

Agreed. Any waterspoting while you dry/wait to polish/go to lunch/etc will come off with the lightest polish. Even the most extreme water spotting (been there; out of town for a week where it did nothing but rain at night and sunshine in the day and baked the waterspots in) will come out with more aggressive polish. Due to mine and my girlfriends garage situation right now while we wait for our house to be built, her car has waterspotted a few times, and it comes out with a finishing polish a month later.

kenchan · #14 10-30-2006, 01:39 PM

i have a cordless one and works great.

kenchan · #15 10-30-2006, 02:50 PM

I usually remove waterspots with clay, but that's just me.

Darkness · #16 10-30-2006, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenchan

I usually remove waterspots with clay, but that's just me.

I was going on about post clay water spots because it came up, but if the water spots are baked into the clear the claybar won't do anything.

I generally clay twice a year (spring and fall) and polish 4 times a year, so I normally just rely on the polish, but I'll break the clay out when needed.

kenchan · #17 10-30-2006, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darkness

I was going on about post clay water spots because it came up, but if the water spots are baked into the clear the claybar won't do anything.

I generally clay twice a year (spring and fall) and polish 4 times a year, so I normally just rely on the polish, but I'll break the clay out when needed.

interesting... cause i am able to remove water spots that have been
baked under the sun from damn neighbors turning on their sprinklers
in the summer time.

Darkness · #18 10-30-2006, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenchan

interesting... cause i am able to remove water spots that have been
baked under the sun from damn neighbors turning on their sprinklers
in the summer time.

I was in stunned silence when it happened. They came out with some great effort so I just make sure never to let anything like that happen again.

kenchan · #19 10-30-2006, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darkness

I was in stunned silence when it happened. They came out with some great effort so I just make sure never to let anything like that happen again.

i know the feeling. shivers down the spine.

it's like when you
identify a new scratch on your car.

mini_dreams · #20 10-30-2006, 08:53 PM

thanks everyone for the replies.

so, i did not wash the car again... i don't have any good drying towels right now (i'm a newbie and this was one of the pieces that i wasn't properly prepared for -- d'oh!)... so knew I wouldn't have time. I am going to order some waffle weave towels from Detailer's Paradise.

I used Meguairs Quik Detailer all over the car, then finished claying the rest of the car that hadn't been done. then put on one coat of Meguiar's NXT.

Man, i spent like 3.5 hours doing this and i'm exhausted. maybe it's becuase it is the first time i've done this type of detail work. I did not really enjoy the claying, but maybe I'm not doing it right. I used Meguiar's clay and yesterday it seemed to glide pretty easy, but today felt very tacky and kept sticking during the glide on parts of the car, which left clay marks that i had to buff out. and I was using plenty of Quik Detailer to lubricate it.

is there better clay out there? like Griot's? I've heard that all clay is pretty much the same/made by the same manufacturer.

as for the NXT wax, it was okay. very greasy feeling, but i guess they all are? also, i wasn't sure how long to let it set... the bottle didn't say

. so I basically did a side, and when I was done, buffed it off. Then did the whole bonnet and buffed it off. etc. oh yeah, i did the ImagoX blue painter's tape thing for the black trim (thanks for those pics ImagoX!!). it helped immensely in keeping the wax off the trim but is a PIA, especially around the mirror mounts and the bonnet air intakes under the windshield.

I may try Epic next since it sounds easy to apply... just pricey.

Oh yeah, there were some slight little swirly scratches on the back of my roof (in only 2 days

) -- not easy to see, but I loom over my rooftop and can see them. I didn't have time to Scratch X them, so I just put the wax on. Is this something I can go back and fix eventually with Scratch X?

I think I'm too old for this type of detailing! at least that's what my body is telling me. I would have posted pics but it was dark by the time I was done! If it's not raining like crazy tomorrow (as forecasted) I'll post some.

agranger · #21 10-30-2006, 03:34 PM

I do the dawn/water technique for claybar lube, so I can quickly rewash a body panel after claying.

I usually do a quick polish after claying, so I don't worry too much about any waterspots post-claying... they will come off easily w/ the polish.

chows4us · #22 10-30-2006, 04:01 PM

Wow ...

Thats all I can say ...

Talk about being a bit paranoid about a bit of dirt.

What ever happened to throw some soap on the car and hose it off

kenchan · #23 10-30-2006, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chows4us

Wow ...

Thats all I can say ...

Talk about being a bit paranoid about a bit of dirt.

What ever happened to throw some soap on the car and hose it off

nono, Chows, we are talking about minerals, not dirt.

kenchan · #24 10-30-2006, 09:20 PM

The NXT lasts considerably longer if you let it sit for 1hr. even so, it
will only last maybe 4 to 5 washes at most.

I recommend you try Mother's clay next time. it's easy to use. Griot's
clay is very soft and sticky. not my kind of clay.

MiniMaybee · #25 10-30-2006, 09:24 PM

Mini dreams - I lost like 30 pounds over the summer and I think most of it was due to detailing

!
If you going to get the waffle weave from DP (always sounds like a porn, never mind) be sure to get some of Imagox's favorite pant pal

- their Monster Fluffy are excellent

for buffing!
Remember if you do the ScratchX you will have to wax that part again.
I can recommend the Prima products - Amigo, Epic and Slick. They do work very well and are very easy. I don't think you will lessen the work involved with detailing (not that it is a bad thing) until you get a PCDA and let the machine do some of your work. I resisted but now I'm a convert

. Again DP has a very nice PCDA package they offer.
As for clay, I think the Meguiar's is pretty good. I've been using Sonus lately without difficulty though some don't like it. Like agranger, I too use the soap for a lube and never have any sticking problems. Once I used QD for lube but my clay just fell apart and got all sticky and grainy - so now I only use soap (usually Dawn since I'm stripping wax anyway).
How about some pictures of your efforts?