so I decided to try claying today.

first, I ran the car through the touch less wash, I know, I know, terrible right? but it's cold, I wasn't going to slop around with a bucket and get all freezing!

I had about half an hour after one kid went down for a nap and before I had to go and fetch the other, so I figured I'd work on the back of the car and see if it made a difference.

It did. that's kindof impressive really. Lots of junk on my trunk.


I should have taken pictures, but I failed there. and I don't know how long it will take me to get to the other bits of Pepper, but that was certainly interesting.

fellow slackers, try claying. It's cool to see all that schmutz come off. Oh, I used a Meguire's kit with the detail spray included from Wal Mart.

 

ahh clay, a detailers best friend.

 

Clay with leave scratches, especially when the car needs it.

After claying you should do a polish, then follow up with a nice wax.

 

If you don't wash 1st, yes Clay will leave scratches, you have to get the crud off before claying and dragging the C-R-U-D on your paint.

Ps. The right way to do it is wash with Dawn to remove all waxes and polishes prior to claying.

 

night mares

 

Don't forget to wax or seal the paint after claying. The idea with claying is to remove all surface contaminents, including the protection, so the clearcoat is bare now.

Glad you're enjoying the car and becoming part of the OCD crowd

 

You must be doing something wrong then. Although clay is abrasive, it can mar the paint under certain conditions, paint is soft, clay isn't turned often enough, but it will never scratch unless you drop it on the ground and use it, clay a dirty car, or use an aggressive clay, or just have plain bad techniques.

On the MINIs, I don't find polishing necessary, though in some instances it is to remove marring from the claying process.

If that's what you meant, then remember this is a detailing forum, we can't be sloppy with our choice of words.

Richard

 

Of course it is raining today.


Thanks for the comments and thoughts. I probably overused the Quick Detailer spray a little, but a tremendous amount of schmutz was lifted just the same. The trunk has always looked grimy up close no matter how carefully I washed and I always wondered why, but now I understand that it was particles trapped in the clear layer.

 

You can't really use too much lube especially if the paint has a lot of contamination. I will often use half or 3/4 or more of a bottle of lube on a single car.

Richard

 

can never use too much lube... the wetter the better




shoulda known that was coming

 

Bigprfed22: that just sounds wrong . . .


but to modimum: congrats on the clay bar! Be warned: that smooth feeling can be so addicting . . .

 

As per Bigprfed22...

The feeling is all that counts!

 

I will disagree. Clay does in fact mar the paint. The more in the paint the more it will mar. YOU NEVER, NEVER clay a dirty car.


What is marring? It is a faint/fine scratches in the paint.

Again, clay will mar the paint. About the only time it does not is when you use a soft clay & the car is pretty clean to begin with. It can be a light as wipe marring, or as bad a real visible scratch. Any time you are wiping something over the paint, it will leave some marring. Some paints can mar removing wax with a MF towel. Even with proper technique, new clay, lots of lube, lots of needing, there will be marring & scratching left.

The severity of the damage done with clay has a lot of variables, like type of clay, use, amount of stuff in the paint, lube, etc...

MINI's don't need polishing? That is some news to me. You always clay before you polish. Mine gets polished at least once a year. It needs it when it's done, we must have very different standards for our cars. Every car will need to polished a few times in it's life. If it's being washed, or used, it will need to be polished.

Again, any time you clay, you need to polish & rewax, this is a common detailing standard. Before you clay, put the car in the sun, or under a bright light, look at how the paint is swirl & scratch wise, then clay, & look at it again, there will be more marks on the paint.

FWIW, I work part time as a pro detailer for 2 high end shops in my area. I specialize in exotics, with people who have multiple high end cars.

 

I'm glad that you have established your credibility with us. It's good to know you are a part time pro detailer for two high end shops in your area and that you specialize in exotics and high end cars. That would explain why you think all paint "scratches" with clay because exotics have notoriously soft paint.

Since you brought it up first, I am a full time pro paint polisher with my own high end shop that's the best in my area and some say in the country and further, but that's not me saying that. And I specialize in black paint of all cars, so I work with a variety of paint types from ultra soft Aston Martin paint to ultra hard Corvette or Ceramiclearered Mercedes paint. Some cars like Infiniti's mar greatly with clay and absolutely need polishing and other cars like the MINI won't mar as readily.

Are my standards different? Quite possibly. Most people don't see the way I do, so I take photographs of my process to show the improvements and I explain why things are the way they are. I try not to generalize too much because even cars that have typically soft paint can be hard. I also treat polishing paint as an art and a science.

Did I say that MINI's don't need polishing? I guess if you choose to read only fragments of my sentences, then yes, one might get that reading, but I was obviously referring to polishing after claying a MINI.


Richard

 

You may know your stuff, but you picked the wrong guy to have a detailing fight with.
Richard not only does GREAT work, he helps us simpletons keep our cars looking good.
You may want to back it down a little.

 

You chastise me for my explanation, then you do the exact same thing & get upset when called on it?

You didn't state after claying, you statement is a whole sentence & paragraph. So no context is missing. Yes, you in fact did say MINI's do not need polishing. Sorry if I took it the wrong way, but that is how you stated it, after telling me I need to watch how I state things.

I stated my experience, as you inferred I didn't know what I was doing. Then you state clay is an abrasive. Abrasives scratch/mar paint. Do you clay a clients car then not do a polish or wax after? Have you done over spray removal? How did the car look after? Have you ever used a "clay block"? Again, how did the paint look?

In my own experience, using several types of clay & lube, on many different cars, claying leaves visible marks on the paint. Therefore must be polished out. Some are very faint, some are not. Yes, there are different amounts of damage depending on a lot of things, but there is always something there.

I'm not trying to pick a fight with you. My experience, has taught me, that once you clay, the car needs some kind of polish or a filler/cleaner wax. Just about every Pro Detailer agrees. This is dealing with Pebble Beach cars to daily drivers. I know what you mean about people not seeing things right, I agree 100%. Many people think their paint is "perfect" when it fact it looks like A$$.

 

get em Rich

 

Naw, for the sake of the OP and this thread, there is no need. I guess it's a draw then, I'd rather make lube jokes.

 

 

glad that's over . . . I think we all prefer the lube jokes!

Thanks for all your help, OctaneGuy. Please keep those pics coming!