Claying

[dougbthom]

I'm finally going to get my first chance at trying ALL my new Meguiar's products and do my first serious detailing job this weekend. The weather has finally warmed up here so now is my chance. I have never clayed a vehicle before and my question is: once a vehicle ha been clayed, waxed etc., how often do you clay a vehicle if the intention is to wax at least 3 times per year? Thanks for any help you can provide.

[Murr1525]

Re: Claying

Well, you will only clay when you plan to wax after. So 2 or 3 times....

[Bill Davidson]

Re: Claying

I'll add a little more detail to what Murr said...

You only need to clay if you can feel above surface bonded contaminants. It's not like you can over clay a vehicle, so you can do it as often as you'd like. You aren't going to hurt anything. Simply rub you hand over the paint, if it's smooth as glass there is no need to clay.

One thing to note, is that you must wax the vehicle after you clay it. So in your case you can't clay more than 3 times per year, if you only plan on waxing 3 times per year. Most people clay their vehicle once or twice a year.

[imacarnut]

Re: Claying

After each/several washes, monitor how the surface feels and after a while if it feels gritty or rough, it will need to be clayed (having a smooth/contamination free surface will maximize the longevity of your protection). Washing at least once a week is ideal to help keep contamination off and make it easier to wash of any dirt, etc, off the finish. After you clay and before you wax, you might want to use a paint cleaner such as swirlx, ultimate compound, scratchx 2.0 (all of these can be used by hand or DA) to remove swirls and help keep your finish in top shape.

[dougbthom]

Re: Claying

Thanks for all the good info as I will take your advice.