1) I read a post by Richard (OctaneGuy) in another thread saying he clays after polishing. That confused me...so when is the proper order to clay if (a) I'm just waxing and (2) I'm also polishing? (just got a new PC and can't wait to use it...planned to order the DVD but missed getting it in before his departure)

2) Read all kinds of posts about taping but...if I have white stripes with black pinstriping, should I tape the stripe edges far enough in to cover the pin striping and polish the rest as though it were paint? I also have side stripes with color and holes (allowing the body color to show through) and think there are too many edges to risk polishing...so what should I do to clean them? They are very low and have collected tons of road grime that I have been unsuccessful at washing off.

3) Clay bar issues...when I clay I feel no friction when I spray on the lube. Folks in other threads talk (Richard et al) about rubbing lightly back and forth until it feels clean. My car feels clean with the first wipe and never feels as though it's getting better. What am I doing wrong? I know it ain't that clean...

4) What is the best way to remove serious road grime like tar (road work)?

 

1. he's removing polish residue after polishing. good thing to do if you
have residue left.

2. i'd tape about 2mm inside the line where you dont want polish on there.

3. if your finish is clean it's going to feel smooth. i only spot clay my cars
and just skip areas that are smooth. some folks do the baggie test. i
just run my fingers.

4. gasoline, rc car motor spray, wd40, googone. all works well. but
wax afterwards.

 

...man, my new notebook is hard to type on...

 

[quote=kenchan;2617949]1. he's removing polish residue after polishing. good thing to do if you
have residue left.

2. i'd tape about 2mm inside the line where you dont want polish on there.

3. if your finish is clean it's going to feel smooth. i only spot clay my cars
and just skip areas that are smooth. some folks do the baggie test. i
just run my fingers.

4. gasoline, rc car motor spray, wd40, googone. all works well. but
wax afterwards. [/quote

Yup, what he said. But another very good cleaner if used properly is Simple Green

The graphic with the holes; I would do it by hand, no PC.

Mark

 

well lotsie, we all know you're the ken of simplegreen.

 

Sin - If your side graphics are nasty you might try P21S Paintworks Cleanser or something similar. These kind of products are designed to be a pre-polish cleaner and will really help remove grime from vinyl as well as your paint. When I'm doing a particularly nasty car I will use the Paintworks Cleanser by hand after the initial wash and before clay bar. The solvents remove tar & wax in addition to tree sap. If you end up with residue on the edges of the vinyl P21S is easy to clean up with water.
As far as clay after polish, I think that was either a typo or a mis-read. Clay before polish is the proper order.
With regards to your other clay question, you may just have a clean paint so your not taking anything off or I have found that some clay lubes are too slick and don't allow the clay to work. What you really are looking for is a thin layer of liquid between the clay and the paint to allow the clay to glide over the paint with out sticking. You really don't want something that will lube the particles and decrease the cutting ability of the clay. A liquid as simple as wash water & Dawn or DP's Glide work well for me. Sonus clay lube is to slick for me and reduces the clay effectiveness.
wordy I know

 

I thought so too but I've learned to trust Richard so hence my confusion. Here's the post in question

Just took delivery of some Glide so we'll see.

Thanks

 

Oh I see. I think what he is saying is what I said with regards to nasty cars. Sometimes it is beneficial to get a layer of crud off before going at it with clay. I use the P21S for this and he was using M80. Different tools to the same end.

 

Is P21S Paintworks Cleanser safe on printed graphics?

 

I have used it when I had black pins on my white stripes without issue. I wouldn't rub real hard but the cleaners are safe (try an out of the way area first to test). Polish on the other hand when used with a PC should not be used on printed graphics as I have actually had the pin stripe printing removed doing so. It is an easy way to go from a white stripe with black pins to just a white stripe though.