The amount of car care products can be intimidating and confusing; this may help to sort them out.



Product Definitions:



Detailer’s Clay – essentially, detailer’s clay is a malleable applicator that contains suspended abrasive particles, used with a surface lubricant it aquaplanes across the paint surface and removes surface contaminants such as sap, paint overspray, bug remains; rail dust etc by abrasion and then encapsulation by the malleable polymer. A common misconception about using detailer’s clay is that it pulls contaminants from the paint, and if this were true there would be no need for it to be abrasive, these abrasives shear the contaminants at surface level. If your paint feels rough to touch or ‘bumpy’ and not smooth as glass, you need to clay.



(Chemical) Paint Cleaners - are either a mild polish along with solvent content, or a solvent-based cleaner. The solvents chemically clan the paint surface; these are essentially an alternative to strict abrasive polishes. Use after washing and the detailers clay process; paintwork cleansers are typically used to clean the paint surface and remove any surface debris, thus promoting a stronger bond between the surfaces and the paint protection product.



Polish - are a very essential product for the overall appearance and condition of the paint finish. There are abrasive polishes formulated to remove paint finish issues such as oxidation or other paint surface imperfections such as surface scratches. Light polishes contain either mild abrasives and / or a chemical cleaner (solvent) most mild abrasive polishes will remove medium scratches or surface imperfections, whereas a strong abrasive compound polish rely both on a chemical cleaner (solvent) l and mechanical abrasives to rectify more serious paintwork issues.



Polishes fall into many varying grades, which dependent upon the abrasive will remove 1000 – 3000 grit scratches. Here are some polish types;

Swirl Removers - each brand is slightly different, varying abrasiveness. Some swirl removers contain fillers, which hide swirls.



Scratch Remover- just another name for a medium to heavy grit abrasive polish that will “cut” paint enough to remove the scratch



Rubbing Compounds- a heavier grit polish with a larger particle size abrasive; their goal is to quickly remove paint, but in doing so they often leave a haze (from the heavy particle size) which must be removed by a finer polish. Whenever you use a rubbing compound, you must follow it with a finer polish to achieve ultimate clarity in the paint.



Wax - Carnauba wax is inherently hydroscopic when exposed to water; wax swells and closes its pores, which along with surface tension, causes `water beading`. Carnauba in today`s wax formulas functions mostly as a carrier; it’s used to keep the polymers and oils on your car`s surface. Only a small portion of your vehicle`s shine comes from the wax itself. Carnauba is translucent at best with only minimal light reflection. It is among the hardest of natural waxes, being harder than concrete in its pure form, so solvents and oils are addedGlaze- they produce a “wet" look to the surface with oils to maximize surface gloss and may contain fillers(Kaolin or China clay) to hide minor defects not removed by polishing or for use when the paint is thin and you don`t want to remove any more, even if it is microns. They will provide little if any surface protection.



Polymer Sealants - need a porous surface to bond to, they initially adhere by surface tension and then after a period in which the solvents /oils in the carrier system vaporize (outgas) the polymers cross-link to form a covalent (molecular) bond to the surface. This process usually requires 12-24 hours, which are time and temperature and / or humidity dependent. Polymers are very durable



Nanotechnology Coatings- its micro sized particles that can form a very tight bond with the surface of most materials; including glass, paint, plastic, rubber, aluminium, chrome, stainless steel and fabrics. These materials will have surface imperfections i.e. peaks and valleys, micro-fissures when viewed under high magnification. These undulations allow a nano-coating polymer to form a tight molecular bond (much like a printer’s powdered ink when poured over paper that has writing indentations on it) with the surface it’s applied to.



Related Articles



1. “Detailing 101; Introduction to Detailing” - http://www.autopia.org/forum/guide-d...ml#post1451986



2. “Abrasives and Polishing” http://www.autopia.org/forum/autopia...polishing.html