Should we skip the claying process ?

[CieraSL]

Re: Should we skip the claying process ?

I think you also need to keep in mind that not all paints are polishable by hand. I'll use my car for example. My clear is very hard. I have tried Scratch X 2.0, Swirl X, and Ultimate Compound on my car with barely noticeable results. However, my parents' Hondas have softer paint, so the use of a paint cleaner would perhaps be more desirable. Anyway, since my clear is so hard, using a paint cleaner by hand is out of the question. I'll have to wait until I can get a G110 or something like that. However, I still always clay before I wax. I had waxed my car with NXT 2.0 around the middle of May. However, the first of this month I decided I wanted to try topping NXT 2.0 with M26, so I figured I'd just go ahead and clay and start with a fresh slate. This is what I got after claying, even though I just clayed 2 and a half weeks ago. Keep in mind that my car sits outside 24/7.



And that's a brand new clay bar from the Smooth Surface clay kit! So, yes, I would say that claying is definitely indispensable. The dealership where I work sends out trade-ins to an outside detail shop. When some of these cars come back, they look like they've been polished, but when you feel the paint, they feel like sandpaper because they haven't been clayed (I have my sincerest doubts that this detail shop clay bars any cars, and they don't do an overly impressive job at detailing). So, to me, having a paint cleaner without a clay bar seems rather pointless. Just my two cents.

[Murr1525]

Re: Should we skip the claying process ?

Whenever you touch the paint, some molecules of paint will come off. Is it noticeable, no, but if you use a pure polish, or mild cleaner, or a strong cleaner, or let your car get rained on, some amount of paint is coming off.

Cleaning an claying do two completely different things. It is not a situation of do this or that. You clay when there are bonded contaminants on the paint. You clean where the paint is dirty and/or needs swirls removed.

As far as can the same be achieved with just a cleaner, no. I cleaned our cars with my dad every 2-3 months for years. So why didn't they get smooth? Because the stuff is bonded on so well that the pad jumps over it. The only one that might get most off is a rotary with a wool pad.

So, if I want the paint as clean as possible, and thus as shiny/glossy as possible, clay becomes important.

Do all pros clay, yes and no. For a show car, yes. If you are a mobile detailer, and the customer wants the car shiny for low cost, then no, you wouldn't.