Do I have to strip wax before claying?

[StoneRaizer]

Hey MOL, new to the forums with a hopefully simple question. I wash and detail my Dad's 2003 Malibu and 1994 Pathfinder as a hobby and to practice my detailing skills for when I get my own vehicle which will hopefully be in the near future. His car has never been clayed before but I plan on claying it very shortly. A couple weeks ago I washed and waxed the Malibu with some ColourX and was very happy with the results. Unfortunately I probably put the ColourX over the bonded contaminants in the clearcoat, so I think I need something to strip the ColourX off so I can get down to the clearcoat and get all those bonded contaminants off with the claybar. This brings up two questions:

1. Do I even need to strip off the ColourX before claying?

2. If so, will regular car wash strip the wax or is this one of the few times where it's OK to use dish soap to wash the car?


Thanks for your help MOL, I really appreciate it.

[02zx9r]

Re: Do I have to strip wax before claying?

claying will remove existing wax and a dawn wash is ok time to time

[CieraSL]

Re: Do I have to strip wax before claying?

Go ahead and clay it. I put Cleaner Wax on my parents' car at one point and then a couple weeks later clayed it and waxed it without any issues. You don't really have to worry about stripping off the wax first.

[MyFirstES300]

Re: Do I have to strip wax before claying?

Keep the Dawn where it belongs...in the kitchen washing dishes.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Do I have to strip wax before claying?

Give it a regular wash, then clay it. Your good to go.

[Mike Pennington]

Re: Do I have to strip wax before claying?

This may be obvious but...after claying, don't forget to go back and apply ColorX or any of our other polishes and/or waxes.

[Ol' Red]

Re: Do I have to strip wax before claying?

A half-gallon of Meguiars Gold Class Shampoo is around $10 and one of the best shampoos out there. It costs a little more than Dawn dishwashing detergent ($3 for a quart?) and is much better and safer for your car.

[VonLego]

Re: Do I have to strip wax before claying?

A half-gallon of Meguiars Gold Class Shampoo is around $10 and one of the best shampoos out there. It costs a little more than Dawn dish washing detergent ($3 for a quart?) and is much better and safer for your car.

Dawn is typically used as a stripper, not a maintenance shampoo. I prefer just to stick with Meg's and a clay bar myself!

[StoneRaizer]

Re: Do I have to strip wax before claying?

Thanks for the tips. Currently I use Sundance Wash & Wax car wash but this was before I discovered Meguiars so I'm just using up that stuff until I can splurge for a bottle of Gold Class Wash. Unfortunately after I bought the clay kit I had family members stop by and now the weather is being a pain. Grr.