How often do I have to strip wax?

[Cheetah]

I had RAG detail my car last week and of course he did a great job. Here are some pictures of his work. Apologies for the low res pics. I wash my car once a week and wax my car about every 3 weeks. I don`t have a pc yet but I will buy one this fall when I move. Until then, how often should I use a cleaner wax? Is it ok to just put Natty`s Blue on top of the previous layer every few weeks without stripping all the wax?

[imported_DieselMDX]

yup no problem at all just run your fingers over the finish to make sure you dont have to clay if you dont u can layer it on.

[Cheetah]

And if I have to clay that would mean a cleaner wax is necessary?



EDIT: Ok. I re-read your reply. I got it. Thanks.

[Accumulator]

And if I have to clay that would mean a cleaner wax is necessary?





Depends on how aggressively you need to clay. FWIW I`ve been getting by without using paint cleaner products by using Sonus green Ultra-Fine clay when I need some cleaning before reapplying my LSP. It`s been a *long* time since I`vehad to do anything more than that...What ends up happening is that I eventually find some marring that needs polished out and I redo things from scratch at that point. Then I just rewax/use Sonus green for a *long* time again.

[imported_DieselMDX]

so by using ultrafine clay you are being less agressive by removing just contaminents and not the wax?

[Accumulator]

so by using ultrafine clay you are being less agressive by removing just contaminents and not the wax?



Yeah, basically. There`s a limit to how much claying you can do (even with fine stuff like the Sonus green) but I seem to stay ahead of trouble by LSPing frequently enough with durable products.



I spot-clay as needed with the Sonus green at every wash and I *very* seldom have any sign of LSP wear on the areas where I clay a lot (e.g., rockers and behind wheelwells).

[imported_DieselMDX]

Yeah, basically. There`s a limit to how much claying you can do (even with fine stuff like the Sonus green) but I seem to stay ahead of trouble by LSPing frequently enough with durable products.



I spot-clay as needed with the Sonus green at every wash and I *very* seldom have any sign of LSP wear on the areas where I clay a lot (e.g., rockers and behind wheelwells).





Ok that makes sense, I ussualy dont clay if the surface is smooth but I will try some of that clay and use before every application.



thanx

[Cheetah]

I`ve only been an Autopian for a few months but let me get this straight...

Using clay will remove contaminates without removing wax? I thought clay will remove wax.:nervous:

[Cheetah]

How does Mother`s Clay compare to the Sonus Ultra-fine? I still have much to learn.

[Accumulator]

Using clay will remove contaminates without removing wax? I thought clay will remove wax....How does Mother`s Clay compare to the Sonus Ultra-fine?



How aggressively the clay behaves will depend on a) how aggressive the clay is and, b) how aggressively you use it. It`s perfectly possible to clay gently enough to basically just "clean the wax", I`ve been doing it since the early `90s, but you`ve gotta be gentle about it and you need to have a reasonably healthy coat of wax on there too. It`s also just as possible to "clay the wax right off the car" and to even mar the paint when claying, the trick is to do what you *want* to do and not more/less.



The Mother`s clay seems to be identical to the Griot`s clay that I used for years. It`s pretty mild and you should be able to clay with it without removing the wax if you use plenty of lube and very little/no pressure. But the Sonus ultra-fine clay is much more gentle and is my hands-down choice for jobs when you don`t want to risk stripping the LSP.

[Hey, Moe!]

After reading Accumulator`s posts on this issue, I followed his clay/wax/polish routines during 2006, and was happy with the results. I used the Sonus green clay before adding another layer of Natty`s Blue. As winter approached, I noticed a few very minor swirls. Rather than polish with winter coming, I clayed, and used 845 IW x2.



FWIW, I do keep some Clay Magic around for heaverier claying, but have yet to use int on my car.



I figured the swirls can be polished out in the spring (soon, I hope), at which time I will start from scratch. I`ll follow the same routine again. I`ll clay before adding another coat of wax (haven`t decided whether to stick with NB, or try something else). When the need to deal with marring is there, I`ll go back to square one.



With better wash/dry techniques, I do not break out the PC as often, and that`s probably a good thing.

[Cheetah]

Thanks guys. That was very helpful information. I`ll get some Sonus ultra-fine with my next order.

[Scottwax]

With regular washing, you shouldn`t have to clay very often unless you are usually large amounts of industrial fallout in your area, or live near railroad tracks,



I wouldn`t worry about stripping wax, whenever you polish your car again, that will remove any wax already on the car.



Looks like RAG did a great job on your car!

[Cheetah]

The pics don`t do it justice. I got this camera in Japan as a gift. The camera was expensive with all the bells and whistles not available in the cameras here in the u.s. However, the pics it takes are horrible. I used to be into photography too. I think it`s time I get a nice camera because everytime I post my car`s pics here it just doesn`t show what it looks like in person.

RAG did a great job.