Claying

[RoyDavis]

Anyone had the experience of using detailing clay?

I'd heard a little about it and thought i'd get some to try, at first using it i was surprised at the amount of grime that was showing up on the clay after i had just washed the car all over and once the car had been done all over the shine was amazing like i'd just waxed it all over and the paint looked really deep, i got a small bottle of wax with the kit and then went over that but i have to say the results were pretty good! the kit cost me about £20 which i dont think is too bad, you get two bars of clay which i think you can use a few times each and you dont need to do it every time you clean it.

Be good to hear other people opinions of using it

 

[television]

In the detailing world they all use it and swear by it.

 

[djb]

clay

yep I use maguires clay, as you say comes in a kit.

hae to keep it wet though, or you get skid marks.

 

[JEZ.S320L]

....have to keep it wet though, or you get skid marks.

So it's not keeping it wet enough, which causes skid marks..... :grin:

and there's me thinking it was because it's TOO wet

 

[jberks]

Allegedly bluetack is as good as the claybar.

I did mine last year and the put a coat of carnuba wax on. It would benefit from another coat now to keep it perfect I guess but it's certainly not desparate and water still rolls off most panels.
I used to polish with other waxes, 6 months on and it needed doing again. Whether the longevity is down to the carnuba or the quality of prepping with the clay bar I'm not sure but the combination certainly seems to work well.

 

[television]

So it's not keeping it wet enough, which causes skid marks..... :grin:

and there's me thinking it was because it's TOO wet

Behave your self

 

[dolmen]

Someone gave me a clay bar a while back to take off some tar? Can someone give me a quick guide as to how I go about this, as I might wax the car this week as its gonna be nice

Cheers

 

[m47fys]

I have clayed my 1994 w124 as part of a paint correction exercise. I used Meguires Quick Clay kit - detailing spray (QD lubricant) and a bar of clay. How I did it:
- wash the car and dry it. Use a good quality shampoo and microfiber cloths - not a sponge or chamois
- get in the shade/garage
- spray the QD over an area about 2' square at a time, 600mm square for the yougsters
- flatten about half the clay bar and spray it with the QD.
- Gently rub the clay on the paint - use finger pressure only and try to work in striaght lines. It will feel like using sandpaper at first don't be scared, as the contaminants come off the paint you will feel the clay start to move easily. When its is done correctly the surface will feel like glass. If the clay starts to stick, use less pressure and/or more lubricant. Keep folding and flattening the clay to keep a clean surface to work with.
- once the whole car is done wash it again and dry it.
- now you will need to decide what to do next - polish it to take out all the scratches, swirls, etc or just seal the paint - i.e. wax the car.

If the paint is not too bad you could use Autoglym Super Resin Polish. It contians fillers that will fill some minor swirl marks. Apply a couple of coats, leave about 30mins between applying and buffing off and between coats. You could leave it at that or apply a sealant such as Poorboy's Natty' Paste.

If you want to get into the whole paint correction/detailing world visit http://www.detailingworld.com

My before and after pics - I used a dual action polisher - two grades of polish and two sealants in addition to claying the car, 19 hours work.

 

[RoyDavis]

Wow! thats come up gleaming!! 19 hours though? thats dedication!

 

[dolmen]

Thanks for that, you've made a great job on your car.

I need to get some of this lube for the clay bar.

Cheers

 

[m47fys]

Wow! thats come up gleaming!! 19 hours though? thats dedication!

It took so long as mercedes paint is among the hardest and the paint was in a bad way, in addition to the swirls there were many minor scratches and other defects. Edges of the boot and the roof over the drivers door were bad. Observations over a period of time highlighted that they were caused by handbags being placed on the car while a thorough search is made for the keys - car is used mainly by my wife, plus the previous owner was a woman. Something to think about next time you see a car advertised as having "one careful woman owner ....". I'm probably in serious trouble now for saying that.

 

[m47fys]

Most clays need a special lube, but there is a new clay on the market that uses only water as a lube. Follow this link to read about it, http://www.bilthamber.com/autoclay.html When using it it is best to keep a bucket of hot water handy to heat up it every now and then, apparently makes it easier to use.