From what I've read here, it seems that you don't need to remove whatever wax is on your car (via Dawn wash) before using the claybar. Have I got that right? And do I need to apply new wax after using the claybar?

The reason I'm asking is that it will be raining all weekend here, but I want to spend some quality time with my new MINI. I figured I could wash the boot area and then try the claybar on it in my garage. There's not a lot of room to manuever in the garage, so I didn't want to do the whole car. If I need to, I could also wax just that area. If I put new wax (Epic) on only one area, would that look weird?

Thanks

 

Wow, you will get MANY repsonses to this thread from folks that know a heck of a lot more than I, but, the consensus of opinion is yes, the car is washed with Dawn to remove whatever wax is on it first. THEN using a sprayer or something with water and some car wash as a lubricant, clay the car. What this will result in is a finish without any imbedded dirty in the paint and without any wax. Some even suggest a second washing after clay with a good wash before applying first coat of wax.

There are more opinions on technique and products than you think possible. These first steps however are pretty consistant. I am sure I will be corrected if I'm wrong.

After the car is all set with clean "smooth" finish, THEN you will have to decide what to do.

I suggest reading the stickys in the detailing forum to get your head spinning.

 

I'll be curious to see what some of the pros say, but IMO, yes, you need to remove the wax before you clay.

 

i agree, you don't need to remove the wax completely just to do clay.

spot waxing shouldn't look weird if you used Epic on the other parts of
the car before. if you didn't why don't you use Epic the tail, but then coat
Hydro over the entire car until you got time to wax the entire car
next time?

 

well, I ain't got no Hydro.

I just got the Epic, so the only wax on my car is whatever it came with. I've only had my MINI a couple of weeks (woohoo!) (yes, it still makes me go woohoo!)

 

^^ well, you know what you need to get next then. hehe.

you should be fine. just make sure you buff well where the waxes
over lap.

 

Dawn wash will remove any carnuba based wax on your car. If your car was previously waxed with a synthetic polymer, Dawn isn't going to do a whole lot of good.

The clay process when done correctly will remove any bonded above surface contaminants on the clearcoat. So yes, you must wax after you clay. Think of clay as something that strips everything that's on the clearcoat, so now the paint is literally naked after a good claying.

The boot area will be the dirtiest past of the MINI, so if you're going to clay anything, yes do the boot and then protect it with Epic. Will it look weird?? Not if having a SHINYSMOOTH BUTT looks weird? No just kidding, it'll be fine.

But definitely wax over any area that you claybar.

Richard

 

you may already know this... but if you haven't used Epic before you might not:

- you don't have to use very much (my order came with a small plastic bottle, not sure the size but it's like a traveler's shampoo bottle, and DP said to fill it halfway with Epic and that would do the entire car.)
- you should let it sit on the car for at least 1 hour (i think you can go much longer) before you buff off. I only had an hour to let mine sit but even after an hour it was easy to buff off.
- don't wash the area that you've waxed over the next 24 hours. epic needs to cure a bit.
- don't get Epic on the black trim. either treat the trim with Nero first and wipe off any Epic you get on it with a damp MF towel or tape the trim off. this goes for the black bumper protector, too (if you have one). I was careless and did get some epic on the trim and bumper protector and now have some white streaks I have to figure out how to get off.

i'm sure there are other things to know, and maybe others will chime in, but these are the important things I remember of my Epic experience.

 

Mine still makes we go "woohoo" as well!

....Les

 

BMW/MINI sell some really GOOD trim cleaner. I've seen it clean up lots of white streaks before. Pop into the Lifestyle Boutique at your nearest dealer, think when I was in there it was on sale for 8.95..

 

thought you were supposed to use quik detailer (slick, if we're talking prima products) as the lubricant for claybar. At least thats what the mother's clay I use says, it comes as a package, a bottle of QD and a bar of clay. I suppose diluted car wash would work also though, if you don't have any quik detailer. . .

 

You can use water, car wash soap, QD as a lubricant, however the effectiveness of the clay will be determined by this as well. Some clays become brittle in water. If the clay comes with a QD, then use it. It really doesn't matter which brand of QD you use. Just make sure you use a lubricant when you clay. I don't use Slick for claying. It's a great product, but for me, a bit too nice of a product to use for claying. I prefer to use my less expensive bulk QD like Last Touch or Quik Detailer for this process.

 

Heather has recommended to me that Slick cut 50% with water is a good clay lube. I always just use the Dawn wash water. I have noticed that Sonus clay gets real gritty and fall-aparty when you use QD for the lube, it holds together much better with the Dawn wash water. Zaino clay seemed to fall apart with the Dawn wash water but worked well with QD. So I guess it depends. I have DP's clay now so I think the next time I will mix my clay lube from Slick & water.

 

Totally off topic here your screenname is what my dad called me when I was little

 

He called you "Dell"? That's my screen's name.

 

^^ i think the snow is getting to minimaybee... kinda like the way it did to jack nicholson in the shining!

 

oh, i thought o4amini was talking to me!

i was like really?

 

Redrum, redrum ....

 

there is no reason to wash after you claybar. Claybarring is the perfect pre-wax treatment. Adding water and soap after that wouldnt be as good as wash first, then claybar. Your wax will bond tightly and smoothly to a surface that has been just claybarred. I claybar every time before I wax. There is no reason not to, it really is a fast process. Clay chunk in one hand, quick detailer in another (I use SpeedShine from griots). You spray areas and rub away, wipe down after you do that with an Microfibre towel, perfect surface now for whatever you want to put on.


wash with carsoap
wash with Paint Prep from Griot's
Clay Bar with quick detailer as a lubricant
Wax

That is my order for a new car or someone else's car. The paint prep is a nice thing to purchase from Griots.com It removes anything and everything that was once on the car, including synthetic things. It strips the car from previous treatments. It does not clean the paint though like claybar does. I did this extra step of using paint prep as I am doing carnauba paste wax. I wanted a perfect start so my wax could last long. It has worked well.

I now use a spray wax after wash treatment. It is really great to do in wintery areas like I live in. I would love to wax once a month, but its so freakin cold out that it makes it complicated to find the day to do the whole process. a spray wax is a nice way to extend my "time between waxes" as everyone says.

 

I think it is your quick detailer.

I have to say, that if you have no tried Griot's qd spray, known as Speed Shine, you really are missing out on a versatile and foolproof product. It is so gentle, doesnt need much drying off after you use it, it can be used to claybar, to clean anything on or in a car, smells nice, works with any natural or synthetic, doesnt break down claybars. It's mysterious stuff. I use it when I have to do a super fast 35 minute wash, dry, spraywax. It fixes any messups I might do waxing or inefficiently drying.

People are down on griots in general for some reason. I duno why. Their stuff is actually really cheap per ounce and works well without much thinking involved.

 

^^ SpeedShine is still my #1 favorite as far as QD (not sure about the
smell though... kinda reminds me of sour milk jk).

SprayOn wax is also another of my favorites from Griots and Best of Show...
but when compared head to head with Prima it comes down to which
reflection you want off of what color car you have. so i say get the both
of both worlds. Prima for polymer, Griots for natural. you can't go
wrong then. btw, Hydro is Prima's version spraywax... it kicks butt.