tried clay on my new car

[carcareGAL]

ok. Tried an area of my car with the clay. I washed my car with your crystal (purple) car wash first thing this morning. I decided to only do a section. There were a few spots on it, not sure what they were, but they were not there after we drove it home, so it must of happened yesterday on my errands.
clayed 1/2 of selected area. looked pretty good, so did the other half.
Tried Swirl x and cleaner wax (that came in the box). The swirlx really did leave an edge around the area. Not sure if I just didn't remove it all or not, but I did not like it. so did not use it for the whole area.
the spots did NOT come off in the area with the cleaner wax, so I very carefully used swirlx and got them off with it.
Put cleaner wax on the whole area.
I may of done the spots after the cleaner wax...sorry, need to write this down.
Bought Deep crystal polish yesterday, tried a small area. ok. not bad. It kinda looked better. So, did the whole area. Goes on easier than the carnauba, but not as easy as when I used the nxt on the other vehicles.
Lastly, I put the Gold Class Carnauba plus on. I still get it heavy in spots, but tried to wipe it off a bit before I let it dry.
this finished area looks good. I can't see much of a difference with the rest of the car, but I am in the shade still.
I think the reasons there is a residue is not using enough towels to get the products off. I notice it looks better with clean part of a towel and keep flopping the towel to another side. I did not put the rubbing alcohol on as suggested, I just did not feel comfortable doing that. I am sure it would of cut the residue feel, but.
I am off to buy 2 more packs of towels!!
My question is did I do this correctly? I was trying to get the steps correct, but.
Any other hints or complaints? (yes, I do want the bad, too, as I am learning as I go)
What should I look for if I did this correctly or not?
oh, the color of the car is a very light blue, if that matters.
thanks for helping a new gal care for her new car and the other vehicles!

[FinalTouchDetail]

Re: tried clay on my new car

The steps to take in caring for a car are very simple.

Wash (two bucket method is a must)
Clay (are you confident in your claying technique?)
Clean/Polish (swirl-x first and then your cleaner-wax here)
Optional: Glaze (this is where you would apply your deep crystal polish as it is a "pure" polish and not an abrasive polish)
LSP (Goldclass + Carnauba here)

You can also add a step to the end if you want by maintaining the car after future washes with either Ultimate Quick Wax or Ultimate Quick Detailer.

For swirl-x, you need to focus on small areas (especially if working by hand) and be sure to completely remove the product from the surface of the car when you are done working it in.

[BobbyG]

Re: tried clay on my new car

I really enjoy seeing someone new starting off on the car care journey, seriously! The learnings and experiences you'll gain will last a lifetime and will provide protection for your cars finish and bring you a great deal of satisfaction besides.

Detailing is one of those "passions" that should be taken slowly at first, using and testing products and seeing their results and gaging whether or not you achieve your goals.

One aspect of detailing products today is they're meant to be used for the most part in small quantities and thin is better. If for some reason you find it difficult to remove lets say a polish, sealant, or wax, the two most likely reasons is they weren't dry or they were put on too thick. Most waxes go on so thin that they actually look like nothing more than a haze yet this is all the protection you'll need for it to be effective.

99.5% of all my sealants and waxes are applied using Porter Cables 7424 and either a blue or red pad. This allows me to work the wax into the surface and see it haze, then I know I'm through working it and need to let it dry before buffing with a Microfiber towel.

CarcareGAL, you need to be careful, detailing is an addiction!!

[Murr1525]

Re: tried clay on my new car

Tried an area of my car with the clay. I washed my car with your crystal (purple) car wash first thing this morning. I decided to only do a section. There were a few spots on it, not sure what they were, but they were not there after we drove it home, so it must of happened yesterday on my errands.

OK, washing is good. 2 buckets, good quality mitts, towels, etc.

clayed 1/2 of selected area. looked pretty good, so did the other half.

OK, good.

Tried Swirl x and cleaner wax (that came in the box). The swirlx really did leave an edge around the area. Not sure if I just didn't remove it all or not, but I did not like it. so did not use it for the whole area.
the spots did NOT come off in the area with the cleaner wax, so I very carefully used swirlx and got them off with it.
Put cleaner wax on the whole area.
I may of done the spots after the cleaner wax...sorry, need to write this down.

You would not really want to use both products when doing the whole car, though of course for trying them out it is no big deal. It is good to do test spots, but naturally you will get some residue at the edges, etc.

After using SwirlX, you would normally polish and wax, or just wax. No need for the Cleaner/Wax part in a 'regular' detail.

Bought Deep crystal polish yesterday, tried a small area. ok. not bad. It kinda looked better. So, did the whole area. Goes on easier than the carnauba, but not as easy as when I used the nxt on the other vehicles.

If doing a whole car, you can apply the polish thin to maybe 1/2-1/4 of the panel, then remove. just needs rubbed in gently, and then removed before drying.

Lastly, I put the Gold Class Carnauba plus on. I still get it heavy in spots, but tried to wipe it off a bit before I let it dry.

You would want to let a wax dry before removing it.

this finished area looks good. I can't see much of a difference with the rest of the car, but I am in the shade still.

Polish certainly wont show as much change on a new, clear-coated, light colored car. Many people will skip it on a light colored car, and just use a cleaner/polish like the SwirlX.

And of course 2 thin coats of wax are best.

I think the reasons there is a residue is not using enough towels to get the products off. I notice it looks better with clean part of a towel and keep flopping the towel to another side.

Yeah, even wiping can take some practice. Not too fast, not rubbing too hard, and good quality of course all help.

I did not put the rubbing alcohol on as suggested, I just did not feel comfortable doing that. I am sure it would of cut the residue feel, but.

Ehh, no need. All it would do is remove whatever was on the paint, polish and wax included. You could do it after the cleaning step, but not like you were checking for perfect swirl removal.

I am off to buy 2 more packs of towels!!

Good ones we hope.

My question is did I do this correctly? I was trying to get the steps correct, but.

More or less.

Any other hints or complaints? (yes, I do want the bad, too, as I am learning as I go)
What should I look for if I did this correctly or not?

Well, so far so good. Most of it just takes doing things a few times, so you get the feel for it.

Like waxing in thin coats makes everything easier, but takes practice to stay thin, and still can be hard to keep the coats as thin as possible. But not going to damage the car with a couple wax smears.

[carcareGAL]

Re: tried clay on my new car

I'm slowly learning. This is one area I wish I could find a gentleman here who would teach me in exchange for my baking!
I will try and get this correct. have a few vehicles under my care and don't want them looking bad.
I love fancy cars. My husband use to take me to the auto show, and he never understood my love for cars.

[Murr1525]

Re: tried clay on my new car

I take coconut cream for my assistance....

[the other pc]

Re: tried clay on my new car

I take coconut cream for my assistance....

Ooh, a high-end detailer. I usually get brownies.


pc.

[carcareGAL]

Re: tried clay on my new car

oops, no coconut cream, but the chocolate cake is out of the oven, waiting for my homemade frosting, and the brownies are about to go in!

Thanks guys!! I am very happy learning how to care for the vehicles!
I also appreciate the videos very much!!

[Fly Bye]

Re: tried clay on my new car

oops, no coconut cream, but the chocolate cake is out of the oven, waiting for my homemade frosting, and the brownies are about to go in!

That stinks that you are in the mid west