Car cleaning after a trackday

[Gary G]

Hi everyone, i'm new to the site and have only had a quick browse around.

Completed my first track day recently in my '04 RS clio 182 and came round to cleaning it today to realise that the paintwork is now in seriously poor shape :-( ....lots of surface contaminants- brake dust and tyre rubber on bodywork!

I use the megs wash with the lambs wool mitt and 2 bucket wash method...did it twice but couldnt shift much of the grime :-(. Took the clay bar to the tailgate and rear bumper (prob the worst affected areas) and literally turned it black in less than than minutes (not very experienced with claying, once its dirty can u no longer use it?) Basically is there a more efficient way than claying the entire car?, will prob need a load new clay and a few days lol.

The paint is also showing slight swirling (despite using mitt and 2 buckets) and i would like to know the best way of removing the marks and protecting the paint for the future.

Will any of the products i currently have be of any use and if so which order shall i use them in?

NXT tech wax, Stage 2 polish, Quik detailer... Have some megs clay also...what do i need to go out and buy?

The car is solid blue by the way if that makes a difference?

Thanks everso for any advice...will be much appreciated as i dont like to see my car in such a state (Although fairly clean to the normal persons eye and from a distance!)

Cheers. Gary

[Murr1525]

Well, you sort of have to make like a pancake with the clay, then when one side is dirty, fold it over on itself, and re-panckae it, etc. When you fold it, and dirt comes to the 'clean' part, it is time to toss it. Cutting it into 3-4 pieces can make it easier to work with.

Did the claying work well for you, just got dirty quick? If it is working well, then that is probably what to do. Perhaps one of the professional line clays could give quicker results, as they are a tad more aggressive. Still will get just as dirty though.

Yor tech wax and polish (do you mean Deep Crystal #2?) are great, though you will want to add a cleaner as well. DC#1 is good, though wont remove swirls. You would need ScratchX or ColorX for that if going by hand.

1. Wash - Gold Class, Nxt Wash, etc
2. Clay - Quick Clay, or Professional clays, using QD for lubricant
3. Clean - DC#1, SCratchX, etc
4. Polish - DC#2
5. Wax - Nxt

ColorX is a cleaner/polish/wax, but can help with mild swirls, so could be an option. I use it topped with Nxt on the daily driver.

[Mike Phillips]

Just to add to what Mur1525 posted,

If you have a lot of grime on the car washing is not removing, instead of claying after washing, you might try using the ScratchX after washing as this will remove all the above surface dirt, grime etc from the paint so you don't fill your clay bar up with it. After wiping the car completely clean after using the scratchX, then clay if needed.

After you get the paint cleaned up, apply two coats of wax and this should make clean-up in the future easier and faster.

[RamAirV1]

Since he was at the track, he may have rubber residue on the paint. Clay is normally required to remove that.

I know a lot of F-body owners have to clay the paint, at least near the wheel wells, after going to the track. F-bodies are fun, but can be very hard on tires! I suppose taking it to the dragstrip has something to do with it.

The Mustang owners that go to the track are no doubt experiencing the same thing.

RamAirV1

[Gary G]

Cool, thanks alot for the replies :-)

RamAirV1- yup the car is caked in rubber residue :-( lol....was a good day tho!

Mike- Think ScratchX may be what i need then as the clay bar is getting dirty really really quickly...works well tho. So this scratch X stuff, is it safe to use on the entire car...just apply similar to a polish?

Thanks alot Murr :-) Yeah its the Deep crystal stuff i have....think i'll pop out today and pick up some paint cleaner, thanks for the tip on cutting up the clay also :-)

Do i need one of those orbital polishers to do this job properly....or do i just fancy one lol.

Thanks again :-)

[Murr1525]

Anotherreason to cut up the clay is that if you drop it, you cant use it. So cutting it up stops you wasting a whole bar.

ScratchX is safe for the whole car, though will wear you arm off if applying hard to really remove swirls, etc. You may not need to work it in that much though, but work it more than a polish. And Mike had a good point, it will help save you some clay.

You will either want to look into a G-100, or do it by hand. Other cheap polishers can do as much harm as good, and a rotary is best for professionals only.

[Gary G]

Think i'm gonna need the g100..tried the scratchx by hand...was ok but didnt remove all of the swirls/scratches :-(

cheers

[RamAirV1]

Get the G-100, you'll be glad you did! It is very easy to use, and you cannot duplicate the results you get with it by hand. And it will pay for itself in time saved! And other orbital buffers do not even compare to it.

RamAirV1