What if you don`t clay...

[imported_StudyBuddy]

before you polish? Will the PC take care of everything the clay would remove anyway? I`m about to do a white Explorer and it would save some time and clay if I could skip right to the Poorboy`s SSR. :buffing:

[Joshua312]

Yeah it will probably take care of some of what the clay would take care of, but in that same respect it will stay on your pad and continue to beat on the finish. The reason you clay is to get rid of that crap before you polish so you can get rid of any imperfections while not creating new ones. On white it really is a necessity to clay, every white car I have detailed needed a good claying due to contaminants. Hope this helps! Good luck and have fun!

[Accumulator]

Yeah, especially on colors like white.



Before I started using clay (and even more effectively, clay with a decontamination system) I relied on polishes and paint cleaners. Clay was a *big* improvement. Contamination like rust-blooms was an ongoing problem that clay (and better yet the decon system) helped considerably. I simply can`t do as good a job when I rely on the polishes/paint cleaners alone.



Sometimes if you don`t clay, the polish just "polishes the contamination", not good. This even makes it harder to clay off later. The claying really is worth it.

[imported_StudyBuddy]

Thanks guys. I actually started washing the car and it wouldn`t come clean. It was waaaay worse than I thought. It had to have clay, there was no other way the grime was coming off. I guess that`s what you get on a white truck with 130k miles that apparently has never been washed. I clayed the top, hood, and bed cover, but I will need to do the rest before polishing.



Another quick question... what do you do for cars that are filthy? I love the Zaino clay but it gets destroyed so quickly. Do you just go through a whole bar every car, buy in bulk, or have more aggressive clay for those situations?

[Joshua312]

Another quick question... what do you do for cars that are filthy? I love the Zaino clay but it gets destroyed so quickly. Do you just go through a whole bar every car, buy in bulk, or have more aggressive clay for those situations?



For me personally I designate a clay bar per car and just add it into the price. I just buy the Mothers stuff from Autozone. There is more aggressive clay available here, but I am not sure how it compares to other clay:

Car Detailing Clay & Overspray Remover - Sonus Block Detailing Clay Bar (http://autopia-carcare.com/son-3100.html)

[imported_StudyBuddy]

Well I detailed my stepdad`s black Dodge Ram for Christmas. He fell in love with what I did to his black paint and asked me to do this one and offered $150. I need some new track tires so why not. Up until now I *thought* I knew how hard it was to detail, now I know how hard you guys work to restore cars back to perfect all day. If I decide to do side detailing this spring I`ll know how much to charge, right now I`m doing it for the practice.

[imported_StudyBuddy]

Another question while we`re on it. Would you apply paint cleaner (say P21S Paintwork Cleanser) before or after polishing?

[Joshua312]

Another question while we`re on it. Would you apply paint cleaner (say P21S Paintwork Cleanser) before or after polishing?



You would use it after polishing :)

[clnfrk]

Sorry to hijack thread, but I have found that Mother`s clay isn`t really effective in removing alot of contaminates, mainly those rust colored dots. I find that I have to apply alot of pressure to these spots and rub back and forth for a very long time and sometimes they still don`t come off. Is the Meguiars clay available in stores stronger than Mother`s?

[Less]

It all comes down to light reflections. Deep and rich colors are seen when light is reflected off of a smooth clean surface. See the swirl mark removal thread that was posted earlier. A scratch in the clear coat reflects light differently than a smooth surface, therefore the imperfection is visible and the finish looks dull.



The same goes for contaminantes ON TOP of the clear coat. It will cause the light to be reflected differently and will make your finish look dull.



You probably won`t be able to notice it if the finish is already pretty clean. That is why claying is a once/twice per year thing. The benefits of claying more regularly are low. However, if there is something on your paint, it will not look its best. It`s up to you how clean you want it to be.

[Accumulator]

.. what do you do for cars that are filthy? I love the Zaino clay but it gets destroyed so quickly. Do you just go through a whole bar every car, buy in bulk, or have more aggressive clay for those situations?



I generally consider clay to be a renewable resource, I don`t mind going through it (but then I`m not doing this for a profit either). If something`s really nasty I wash it with AutoInt`s "A" even if I`m not gonna do the whole "ABC" decontamination system (which is the *real* answer here, clay while the "B" is dwelling). Even if you`re not a Pro, the AutoInt stuff can be handy to have around, shame they don`t sell it in small bottles.

[Junebug]

What to do if it`s filthy - crank up the power washer!