I have just detailed my MINI in the past week or so- clayed, polished, waxed. I've read up on detailing on the popular websites and it seems that the magic number for using the claybar per year is about 1-2 times, depending on where you live, and how much you drive.

I would probably fall into the 2x per year category. However, I would like to do a semi-major detail about 3-4x per year (March, July, October possibly). By this, I mean that I'd like to reEpic and polish...but should I clay each time? Is there any harm to doing this process too much? Essentially, is it clay or bust when applying Epic?

 

I clay when the paint doesn't pass the "feel" test (using a baggie.) It turns out that this is always true about the time when I need to re-Epic (about twice a year).

I guess if I was lucky enough to have the paint smooth I would skip the clay. However, I don't think it will hurt to do it more often. I never see paint coming off with the clay. My guess is that you would just be wasting money (clay isn't cheap).

But that's just me...

-Ed

 

I've been known to "cheat" on in-between detail sessions and just clay the bonnet and boot. I do the bonnet because the horizontal surfaces seem to collect more crap, and the boot because the boot on a MINI *really* collects the crap. My MINI is a convertible, or I'd probably clay the roof for the same reason as the bonnet.

Of course, since I've started using Hydro when I dry the car, I might just forgo the "in-between" sessions altogether, and just do the clay/polish/sealant thing twice a year over the whole car.

 

So am I right in thinking that clay does not take off any of your clearcoat, as does a polish (abrasive or not)? And as long as you're not seeing paint come off you're ok?

We have nasty roads here in PA during the winter, so a late fall tune-up is a must. I guess I'll wait until October to do the baggie test and see if it needs it. I'm also looking into buying a PC next spring. This should make Swirling a hell of a lot easier.

 

That's right - clay only removes contaminants from the surface of the paint. It doesn't actually remove paint.

 

The clay doesn't get used up if the car doesn't need it. It just glides over and stays clean. Feel your car before polishing and feel if it needs it.