claying your vehicle

[fpalattao]

when you guys clay do you guys clay only horizontal (flat) sections of your car or you guys clay EVERYTHING.

[scottlee]

it depends what needs to be clayed on my car, i usually jut check it out with the bag test in different places, sometimes i get by with the horizontal areas and the front, but if i feel ambitious i clay it all its so fast and easy anyway

[Mike Phillips]

Re: claying your vehicle

Originally posted by fpalattao
when you guys clay, do you guys clay only horizontal (flat) sections of your car?

Or do you guys clay EVERYTHING.

Hi fpalattao,

For most the problem with bonded contaminants will isolated to flat surfaces. However, its possible to have bonded contaminants on other areas of your car.

When we clayed HotRodGuy's hotrodded Suburban,



We discovered red paint overspray that we couldn't see with our eyes...



If your car is parked outside a lot, then it's hard to say what you might find when you clay the finish.

Mike

[Marc08EX]

I tend to clay the whole car since you really don't know what's bonded to the paint's finish... You won't regret doing the extra panels anyway..

[Tim Lingor]

Hey,

I always clay the entire vehicle. You just never know where you will find contaminents on your paint!

Tim

[Slats]

I second that....I get impatient sometimes, but claying is always a good idea. Here is a tip:

Clay after you do your final rinse (and the car is still wet). You may still need some QD so everything stays slick, but it saves a lot of time (and QD). And if you dry each section after claying, your car is dry and ready for polishing when you are done.

Note: I would only recommend this method for your usual claying routine. If you have serious overspray you will want to spend more time and use more QD for each section.

Slats

[rdarwa]

I always clay the whole car.

[fpalattao]

When you guys use QD while and after claying do you guys wipe it off with a terry towel or microfibre?

[rdarwa]

Micro fiber

[Boss_429]

Originally posted by fpalattao
When you guys use QD while and after claying do you guys wipe it off with a terry towel or microfibre?

Either will work fine, provided they are quality towels. However, sometimes it scares me when people say "terry towels".......... I see the ones at Wal-Mart that are labeled "Cotton terry towels", and are $5 a dozen or so................. stay away from them. If you are going to use terry (cotton towels), get yourself some high quality, thick knap, Made in the USA 100% cotton towels............. don't get cheap ones.

Edit: Also, remove the tag, and don't let the stitched edges, or decorative edges touch the paint............. they can scratch.

[Tim Lingor]

Hey,

Good point Boss!

Generally, I wipe down using microfiber.

Tim

[scrub]

Good question about claying. For me claying flat panels is a given. I evaluate the sides to see if the sides need clay. More times then not, I just clay the whole car.

I use Last Touch Detail spray as lube and Meguiar's MF to remove. The Last Touch tends to streak when alot is used (as when claying) so I use 2 MF one to remove the bulk of the LT spray then the 2nd to remove residual and buff to shine. Streak problems gone.

Good luck

[n1976jmk]

when i am gonna clay a car i will wash it first and while its still wet after the final rinse i will clay the whole car with qd when needed, and while the whole car still has QD and the water on it after claying the whole thing i will just use the wash mitt and wash the whole car again and then dry it, works faster for me i think

[carspainc]

Originally posted by scottlee
... but if i feel ambitious i clay it all its so fast and easy anyway

i don't particularily think claying is a fast process... it takes a while til i feel that i can move along... maybe i should clay more often??? what is your experience

[Beercan31]

My synopses on claying:

I always do the baggie test first. For those who don't know what that is, Place your fingers in a plastic baggie and lightly feel the surface of your veh. the tinny bumps are contaminant lodged in the surface of your clear coat/paint. You don't necessarily need to rub the plastic on the surface but rub your fingers in the bag on the surface.

I do all surfaces in a front to back motion, rarely do I use a motion that goes top to bottom.

What I have noticed is when I clay a surface and it no longer has contaminant lodged in it the Quick Detailer will go farther, last longer before needing to be reapplied and the clay will feel silky smooth on the surface, almost moves effortlessly on the surface.

NOTE for the novices
Turn the radio off try to make it as quiet as possible, You can actually hear the clay "tic" as it passes over SOME of the contamination.

My preference is to hold the clay under my index and middle finger held in place with my thumb allowing the very tips of my fingers to lightly touch the surface of the veh just in front of the clay. I can also feel some of the bigger spots that way to.

I also do the whole veh.

carspainc.com
I agree with this is not a fast process.