Clay Bar vs. Paint Cleaner ?

[BACNBLACK]

Okay so here goes probably the most commonly asked question, (sorry loyal followers) my paint is mostly perfect, with only small light to medium? swirl marks, so which is better for this. I have only been using Gold Class Wax (by hand, so any swirls are from years ago prior owner)for the last two years but I am ready to take the next step to secure a healthy and vibrant paint for years to come. Is Clay to aggressive and may cause harm or is the Paint Cleaner the better choice? I plan to follow up with Deep Gloss Polish and then NXT Wax for the final rub. Any advice or Sticky would be most helpful. Cheers and thanks!

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Clay Bar vs. Paint Cleaner ?

You might use both.

Feel the paint with your clean hand, feel the horizontal panels. They should feel smooth and glassy. If you feel any little bumps or any kind of texture that's a sign you need to clay.

If you haven't ever clayed the car or it's been a while you might want to clay even if it does feel very smooth as sometimes the clay will remove contaminants that you cannot detect.

• Claying restores smoothness, smoothness creates gloss.
• Claying removes any contaminants off the surface and enables your choice of wax or paint sealant to best adhere to the paint.

To remove the swirls to be honest you really should consider investing in a DA Polisher, half a dozen foam polishing pads and one or two finishing pads.

You're going to want to test a few products to see what it's going to take to effectively remove enough paint to remove the swirls and scratches and in keeping with Meguiar's philosophy use

"Use the least aggressive product to get the job done"

Pick up a bottle of SwirlX and start collecting foam applicator pads for use on your car's paint.

You're going to want to use the SwirlX for your first Test Spot to see if it and you're skills and abilities can remove the swirls.

Let us know if you want to tackle this by machine or by hand...

[rgcurtis]

Re: Clay Bar vs. Paint Cleaner ?

I will tell you that I CLAYED three cars in three days and I saw an immediate difference. I am currently CLAYING '78 Dodge Aspen that has not seen wax in decades. I did the hood tonight and it really pops. I wish I had some of the SWIRLX and SCRATCHX for my '02 Silverado. I GUARANTEE you will see INSTANT results when you CLAY the car. Good luck and post a picture afterward. Oh, trust Mike I have followed his advice a couple of times in the last week and been really pleased.

[wyseilmykkar]

Re: Clay Bar vs. Paint Cleaner ?

In my understanding the clay bar was designed and intended to remove anything that has been deposited onto the surface of a vehicle, visible to the naked eye or not.

In today's environment, everything from acid rain to industrial fallout contributes to this. By using a clay bar, you are removing "stuff" from the surface that doesn't belong there. This way, when you go to polish or wax the surface it's smooth as glass.

Not only will your paint look better, it'll feel better when you run your hand across it.

[Megafast13]

Re: Clay Bar vs. Paint Cleaner ?

Use Both Clay And Paint Cleaner, as they said above, they do different things!

1. Wash
2. CLAY
3. Cleaner Polish
4. Pure Polish
5. Wax
--------


1. Wash: 2 Buckets, Grit Guards, Microfiber wash Mitt
2. Clay: Smooth Surface Clay Kit
3. Polish: SwirlX (Depends on how bad of condition the paint is)
4. Deep Crystal Step2 or M07
5. NXT 2.0 Tech Wax

[BACNBLACK]

Re: Clay Bar vs. Paint Cleaner ?

Siunds like some great advice, I will most likley get some Clay and SwirlX and see if I can get rid of years of wear. I will post some aftershots when completed. Thanks again!

[BACNBLACK]

Re: Clay Bar vs. Paint Cleaner ?

Hey Mike a quick question. I invested in getting some good basic tools and materials, mainly a Megs G110 and assorted Pads, etc. I plan on doing a deep dive 5-step Process to get it the best it could possibly be:

1) Wash
2) Clay Bar
3) ScratchX or SwirlX (depending on test area) most likley ScratchX due to what I have learned from this great forum and taking another look at my paint (amazing how I once thought it was the best it could be but now all I can see is flaws) aaarghh !
4) Deep Crystal Polish ( Jet Black Single Stage paint or Lacquer)
5) NXT 2.0 Wax

So any more tips besides the hundereds I have already read regarding usage etc.. to help me get on the way. I will do test spots of course but what about Machine Speed, just stick to Level 4 on steps 3 & 4 and then slow it down Level 3 for step 5. Am I close or anything more before I tackle this?
All help and advice has been most appreciated!