The Power of Clay

[buki]

I had never clayed a car before last Saturday. Now I plan to clay them all.

Unbelievable and very easy.

Click for a larger view.

 

[hawkeye372]

Nice


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[Tiffany's Dad]

Love the color choice. But then it was mine also. Looks great.

 

[DanF]

I clayed mine a few months ago after I bought it, it amazing on how much contaminates it remove from the paint. Bought it from here: We Are Car Care -- Car Wax, Car Polish, Auto Detailing Supplies, Car Buffers & Car Accessories Store

 

[tyrone]

clay

I`ve found the best way to use a clay bar is when you are washing your car. That detail mist they try to sell is too costly and it dosen`t work as well your soapy wash solution. Letting the car`s surface get dry will cause the clay to stick on the paint and cause extra work. Use more soap than normal with a wash mitt........works very well. Been there done that.

 

[XLRATING]

Clay is a necessary evil - hate doing it, love the results.

 

[Phrede]

Look up Nanoskin pads for your polisher. I love 'em. They make "claying" much easier and quicker.

 

[b_pappy]

It's funny how many people think clay is a gimmick. I have them put their hand in a lightweight plastic bag and gently feel their their paint, then mine. Everyone is surprised how many contaminants they have been waxing over.
Amazing results, and not that hard to do.
Bruce

 

[buki]

Great info folks. Keep it coming.

Go to you tube for all the instructions you need.

I bought a Meguiars clay kit at Autozone that included the clay, microfiber applicators and detail spray.

Your advice about washing soap is excellent tyrone. I plan to try that next time.

The detail spray that comes with the kit should be good for three clay treaments based on the size of our cars.
The instructions i found before i tried it said that you only need to clay the flat surfaces since the vertical surfaces dont hold particulate matter. I did the whole thing anyway but the suggestion sounds plausible.
If you only clay the roof, hood and rear deck my kit should last for a lot of treatments.
I will keep you posted.

 

[XLRATING]

I've poked around & found that clay in the Meguiars kit is considered the best for amateurs, does a good job with the lowest risk of marring the paint. Unfortunately you can't get the clay by itself, only the kit. Tried Griots clay & didn't like it, didn't hold together well & tended to stick no matter what.

If you try b_pappy's trick you'll see stuff does stick to the sides, doesn't hurt to clay there too (proven by how great the sides of yours look!)

 

[05 GRAND DADDY]

Ok this is great info until bought Roxy I never really new the use of a clay YES THEY ARE AMAZING If you want a showroom look! Here ther greatest tip I learn for a detail class was that Dawn dish soap takes off wax, common sense was to use it with the clay!
I just her back from the garage so I soon as the weather gives us a break here I want to start detailing here. They recommend shaded or in my case in a the heated garage for a earlier start! Lol also clay bars can be used on the glass they do a excellent job get them windshields & window smooth too. Awe and remember you will need a could of days probably to do this because where clay you will need to wax it a again! I like Zaino's as it goes on extremely thin and done of that powder residue everywhere!
Happy shinny folks!
Here some mile high shine pictures from last time I clayed & Zaino's Roxy

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Dan & Wendy
"05 GRAND DADDY"

 

[sschooley]

Timely discussion…. yesterday I was at a detailer shop and inquired as to their clay treatment process. He told me that they use a clay cloth rather than
a bar because it was less prone to scratch the car and a more effective product lifting contaminates. He brought me the cloth that had a thick somewhat sticky side that
was the "clay" part. He quoted $90.00 to clay cloth and rewax an XLR.

I have never clayed a car before but I think that white horse could use a good rub down…...

Steve

 

[05 GRAND DADDY]

That interesting Steve never heard of a clay cloth, need to check it out. I'm wondering if it can be washed out, I know they say if you drop the clay bar you should throw it away because it could pick up grit and scratch the paint and it's hard to hold when claying the side of the car if it's wet and soapy it's pretty slippery! Thanks for the input!
Another reason to love this XLR FORUM!!!!!
Have a great weekend!


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Dan & Wendy
"05 GRAND DADDY"

 

[Stella]

I was taught to check the condition of your paint. First make sure the car is clean. Then take a cellophane wrap "I use from a cigarette pack". Put acouple fingers in the wrap and glide it over the surface. If the surface is contaminated you will feel it and sometimes see it. After clay barring that cellophane will glide over the surface with no friction.
As for vertical surfaces it's alittle more challenging but well worth it. Gravity is definitely your enemy. Just use a soapier mix so it will stay on the surface longer. Things like tree sap and road grime love to hide on those vertical surfaces.
After doing the whole car I put a nice coat of polish on her then a "nano sealer" which makes the finish look like the car has a layer of water on her. Looks better than it probably did off the assembly line.
You can buy any grit of clay off eBay for really good prices, they also sell pads, and towels infused with clay.
Definitely tedious,and time consuming but worth every minute.

 

[airmike]

That interesting Steve never heard of a clay cloth, need to check it out. I'm wondering if it can be washed out, I know they say if you drop the clay bar you should throw it away because it could pick up grit and scratch the paint and it's hard to hold when claying the side of the car if it's wet and soapy it's pretty slippery! Thanks for the input!
Another reason to love this XLR FORUM!!!!!
Have a great weekend!


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Dan & Wendy
"05 GRAND DADDY"

I have a clay cloth, and I recommend it. Mine has two different grits on each side. Its is much easier to NOT drop. Dont remember the brand but should be much cheaper than clay in the long run. It cost $40-$45 when I bought it a year ago, but is supposed to be good for 80 uses.

 

[graytoad]

I had never clayed a car before last Saturday. Now I plan to clay them all.

Unbelievable and very easy.

Click for a larger view.

View attachment 3769

Absolutely: clay makes a huge difference. Just a word of warning though: if you drop the clay to the ground you MUST tear off the portion of the clay that hit the ground and throw it away. If you EVER get a small piece of grit in the clay and rub that over your paint you will have a permanent reminder of that moment in time.....just sayin"!

BTW Buki: looks fabulous! Xenon blue is a totally sexy colour (or color for y'all) I am an 'any colour; as long as its Red' kind of gal but if I ever get a second XLR it needs to be Xenon blue!

 

[graytoad]

I`ve found the best way to use a clay bar is when you are washing your car. That detail mist they try to sell is too costly and it dosen`t work as well your soapy wash solution. Letting the car`s surface get dry will cause the clay to stick on the paint and cause extra work. Use more soap than normal with a wash mitt........works very well. Been there done that.

I agree and disagree with you on that: I do use the detail wax as my lubricant but I cut it 50/50 with water and mark that bottle 50/50. You do not end up with any soapy residue etc as you would with using your soapy solution. We wash and dry the car then use that 50/50 detail solution to do the clay process, do smaller sections like 2 or 3 foot sections at a time and micro fibre as you go. THEN you have a perfect canvas to wax.
Just sayin'

 

[Phrede]

My preference is Chemical Guys synthetic lubber with my synthetic Nanoskin. Dropping on the ground is not an issue. Just rinse it off. I used to clay, but no more. Works good on glass too. I warm the pads doing the glass first.

Phrede, from my mobile

 

[nerkpowers]

As I was someone detailing the XLR for the first time last fall, a friend of mine recommended the video series from Autogeek.com on YouTube. Here is a video that I found useful. You can use Maguiars or whatever is your preference, I found the video valuable for explaining the process, how using a Baggie over your fingers to feel the contaminants, etc. A good dual action orbital polisher is important as well. Here is the link.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=N9r5XS0xriI


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[XLRATING]

Another good video I found is by "junkman2000" on YouTube - low rent style but very informative & he's funny. I don't follow his clay technique, but I learned a ton from his videos on machine polishing for novices. Made a huge difference on the black XLR - polished it the first time on my own & basically did nothing, after watching that video did it again & got all the micromarring out.

Here's a link to Junkman: The Mother of All "How to Remove Swirls for Novices" Thread!

Mike Phillips also has a lot of good videos on Autogeek in general.