clay question

[jason rawls]

If your going to polish with something fairly aggresive such as DACP with a PC is there even any need to clay before doing so? Seems to me that since the DACP is more aggressive than the clay it would do the same job and then some. Actually, I`m kind of confused about clay altogether as to when it`s neccessary for a proffesional detailer to use :confused: You know what they say, "time is money", so you have to ask yourself if the time it takes to clay is worth it - especially if your going to polish anyway. Now I must say that I`m very new to this proffession so what I`m looking for is a little input from the more experienced detailers on this subject. What do you guys think?

[jimmybuffit]

Clay pulls the debris up and out of the surface. Removes it.

Buffing cuts it off. Leaves the `root".

If the debris is ferrous metal, and most are, the remaining `root` will oxidize and rust (bad). User the buffer to remove remaining SURFACE contaminentsminor scratches, and oxidation.

So, clay first, buff second. They are different procedures.

G`Luck

Jim

[JeffBruce]

Clay is different, it grabs the dirt and gets it off the paint..that buffing can`t
IIf you get a chance test it...clay half of a trunk...buff the whole trunk and feel both side..It is a big difference to me
jeff

[jimmybuffit]

Are you aware of the baggie test?

Jim

[jason rawls]

Yes I have heard of the baggie test and basically what I`ve gathered from these replies (and I do appreciate the info) is that claying is more about doing the job right rather than doing the job for looks -correct?. So if you`re charging somebody for a detail and basing the estimated time it takes as a basis for your price, you should explain to your customer what claying actually does and charge him extra for it if he still wants it. Otherwise if you just clay without explaining it to him, you are spending extra time on something that isn`t really going to make a "noticeable" improvement. What are your thoughts on this?

[bigron62]

i charge $40.00&up for clay . i was skeptical on clay myself but after using it theres no comparison. the paint cleaned with clay is so much clearer and brighter. that i highly recommend it and my customers are going for it and are very happy with the results . its alot of work and i go thru alot of lube but i charge accordingly . the finished product sets my work apart from the rest