Question about the need to Clay if I am going to Compound a new car.

[Aenygma]

Hi,

When I buy my cars new I always try to get the "newest" possible version of the car I am interested in by checking the date of manufacture. I typically get cars that were built less than a month before I purchased them; at most a month an a half.

I have always gone over my finishes and never felt them to be too rough so I would just go to compound/polish/wax.

As time goes on, these cars are now a year or two old in some cases (just did get another new one) my question is this-

If one is compounding a car isn't that harsher than claying, and does it in any way negate the need to clay? I understand claying removes the bonded containments, but if I am compounding aren't I going deeper than that any way?



Thanks for the good advice I am sure is coming my way

[greg0303]

Re: Question about the need to Clay if I am going to Compound a new car.

There are two types of defects: above surface and below surface. Claying addresses the first one, bonded contaminants. The only time I would advice to skip claying, even if needed, would be if heavy compounding (wool pad, aggressive compound) or wet/damp sanding will be done, as those applications remove enough clear coat to skip claying.

[Nick Winn]

Re: Question about the need to Clay if I am going to Compound a new car.

Hi,

When I buy my cars new I always try to get the "newest" possible version of the car I am interested in by checking the date of manufacture. I typically get cars that were built less than a month before I purchased them; at most a month an a half.

I have always gone over my finishes and never felt them to be too rough so I would just go to compound/polish/wax.

As time goes on, these cars are now a year or two old in some cases (just did get another new one) my question is this-

If one is compounding a car isn't that harsher than claying, and does it in any way negate the need to clay? I understand claying removes the bonded containments, but if I am compounding aren't I going deeper than that any way?



Thanks for the good advice I am sure is coming my way

We get this question from time to time and while it sounds reasonable that since a compound addresses "below surface defects" and a clay bar addresses "above surface contaminants," that a compound would take care of both, but it is not the case. In general they just work in two different ways to take care of their task at hand.

Both products are used on a as needed basis. Clay to remove bonded above surface contaminants, paint cleaners and compounds to address below surface defects.

[DasBurninator]

Re: Question about the need to Clay if I am going to Compound a new car.

If you do not clay first it introduces the possibility of the above bonded surface contaminants scouring the paint when you compound and they get removed from the paint.

This is an excellent example of always work clean.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Question about the need to Clay if I am going to Compound a new car.

If the contaminants are super light, the sort of thing you can only feel with the baggie test but to your bare hand the paint feels really smooth, and if the paint is not non metallic black or super touch sensitive, you can probably get away without claying first. Just consider this: compounding uses two known, controlled abrasives: those in the compound and those inherent to the pad. If you skip claying when it's really needed you start to pick up a lot of those bonded contaminants, which are far, far larger than the abrasives in the compound (you can feel the crud stuck to the paint but you can't feel the abrasives in our SMAT compounds as they're so incredibly small). You then mix that junk in with the compound and you now have a very random, uncontrolled and unpredictable abrasive working against the paint. Non metallic black and touch sensitive paint hate this and will fight you on the compounding process.

We find skipping the clay process on a brand new car is rarely a good idea, unless the dealer has done so as part of their pre delivery prep (which is pretty rare).

[Aenygma]

Re: Question about the need to Clay if I am going to Compound a new car.

Thanks!
This did explain it well to me.

Work Clean I suppose sums it up nicely. Don't want to push dirt particles of unknown abrasiveness into the paint.