Speaking of Clay.......

[83Esprit]

Speaking of clay..........



I just bought a white pearl 2002 Sonata (kind of like a porshe but different) I have my AIO and SG ordered and coming (Thanks CMA) and after reading some of the wisdom in this forum and advice from Detail King I have decided to clay my car first. The question is: Which brand of clay would you say is the safest for a novice? I will probably practice on the wife`s van first. Also I use and like Zymol Shampoo. Anyone have an opinion on it?



Thanks,

Kelly

[83Esprit]

Boy Kelly,



I just wanted to say...you are one handsome guy!

[Josiah]

<blockquote class=`ipsBlockquote` >

2002 Sonata (kind of like a porshe but different)
</blockquote>
More like an Accord or Camry :D Except better looking.

Why would you clay if it is a new car? AIO is all you need for an extra glossy look under the SG... unless you see IFO and rail dust on the car, no reason to clay.

Josiah

[83Esprit]

My thought was that there may be contaminents that are not visible to me, and my understanding is that claying it won`t hurt anything or strip clear coat. What do you think? I mean I don`t see any visible contaminents. Oh no! You Autopia guys are making me paranoid! Contaminents are everywhere!!!!! LOL

Let me know what you think.



Thanks,

Kelly

[Josiah]

If it ain`t broken, don`t fix it!



If it feels smooth, looks good, save claying for this fall. Believe me, you`ll get to do it. I did my car 5 months ago and am thinking of doing the hood in the next 2 months.



Josiah

[JasonC8301]

all clay should be easy to use by any one. Mother`s and Clay Magic make these cool kits with the lubricant, clay, and a small bottle of cleaner wax (Mother`s.) These can be bought locally if you can find it.



Pinnacle polyclay is another clay that is good, maybe a bit steep ($40 for kit), but everything I`ve heard about it have been positive, except some people find it a bit mild.



Only one clay to stay away from...Meguiar`s clay.



Work in small sections, spray some lube on the surface, some on your hand, and lightly glide back and forth from bumper to bumper until the surface is as smooth as glass.



so for yuor new car

1. Wash with car shampoo (or dawn)

2. Clay (wash with car wash shampoo, optional)

3. Apply Klasse AIO with damp appicator and wipe off while still wet.

4. Apply Klasse SG with a dry applicator and let dry for about 45 minutes on a sunny day with low humidity. A neat trick is to have one slight damp MF (run under water and wring out as best as possible) and oen dry MF for buffing. Make a few wipes with the damp Mf then follow up with the dry MF to buff to a shine.



Do a search on Klasse layering and threads will discuss cure times, layering, and dry time.



Happy Detailing :)

Jason

[83Esprit]

I must say this has to be the most informative and educational forum that I have ever encountered on the internet regardless of topic.

Under the advice of Detail King I am also considering skipping the AIO because the car is so new and just prepping it with PPCL and going with 2 or 3 coats of SG topped with Blitz every month (is monthy reasonable) and wait to use the AIO down the road. I like the least aggressive approach he suggested with the clay and PPCL being that the car is new. What do you think of them apples?



And thanks again to everyone. This site is great!



Kelly

[vettefan67]

I think PPCL is more abrasive than AIO but AIO has seemed to "clean" better. If I were just using one I would go with AIO, personally. :)

[rstype]

Agreed. I would just use AIO once or until the 2002 paint feels clean enough... and follow up with as many layers of SG as you want. Or just clay the vehicle, wash again, and start SG’ing.



There’s no need for anything harsh like PPCL.



~bw

:)

[Caldy]

I use griots clay bar. Comes in good container to.

Works just fine.

www.griotsgarage.com

P.s. there speed shine is a great lubricant for the clay.
ALso when claying use alot of lubricant to keep paint safe

[imported_doug]

Kellykellykelly........ (Didja ever see that episode of cheers with woody harrelson - never mind, forget it... ;)





I believe in the "if it ain`t broke don`t fix it" school too. A new car shouldn`t need clay unless perhaps it sat outside at some port for a few weeks without protective plastic. There IS risk of adding fine scratches when you clay, even though it is small. So don`t do it if it isn`t needed.



How do you know? If you wash and dry the car and then "test" by taking your finger tips and exploring paint surfaces, (some people recommend putting a baggy over your hand which will "grab" the contaminants) you CAN feel it. Other than a deep scratch, ANYTHING that your fingers notice other than baby`s butt smooth gorgeous paint is an above-surface defect. It might help to feel a car that DOES need it, both before and after, to get some "hand perspective" ;)



Find a friend who parks their at least 6 month old car outside and doesn`t obsess about washing it. I promise it will have some above-surface contaminants. They are much more prominent on the horizontal surfaces than on the vertical ones - which, when you think about it, makes perfect sense, given that this stuff falls from out of the sky.) Choose a fender, wash it off and dry it. feel it carefully. Now clay the area. You should hear the clay bar go ssshhhhh ssshhhhh ssshhhhh sshhh sshh ssh sh .......................... nothing. It only take that many swipes, really.



So you can HEAR the clay bar as it does its thing. If it PULLS at all, that just means you need a little more lube. (By the way, I like the Mother`s clay bar fine, but I don`t care for their detail spray much - I use Meguiar`s final inspection cuz its easier to buff out. But EITHER will work just fine for claying - you`ll just have more wax smear to wipe off with the Mothers`)



NOW - feel it again. HUGE difference, yes? Remember when we say "smooth" we really mean THAT smooth! Now you`ll have objectivity when you feel your own car.

[83Esprit]

After examining the car and fingering it I have decided to opt out of the clay this time. It does seem pretty smooth. I will just go with the AIO - I mean you do think I need that right? I shouldn`t just go from a good wash right to SG should I? It seems like the majority of the posts is that AIO is pretty mild which I would prefer.



Thanks,

Kelly

[Scottwax]

<blockquote class=`ipsBlockquote` >

<em class=`bbc`>Originally posted by Josiah [/i]
<strong class=`bbc`>

More like an Accord or Camry :D Except better looking [/b]</blockquote>
http://forums.off-topic.net/images/smilies/slap.gif

[amgtorre]

<blockquote class=`ipsBlockquote` >

<em class=`bbc`>Originally posted by carguy [/i]
<strong class=`bbc`>... clay the area. You should hear the clay bar go ssshhhhh ssshhhhh ssshhhhh sshhh sshh ssh sh .......................... nothing. ... [/b]</blockquote> Excellent description !!! :up I`ll say try to clay a smal section of the car abot 2"x2" somewhere on the roof or anyother horizontal surface that is not that easily seen, if you feel no difference vs. the rest of the car than don`t do it.

[83Esprit]

Thanks,

I am pretty confident that I am not going to clay mine this time around, but I am going to grab some Mother`s clay for the wife`s van. Hopefully by the time I need to do my car I will have worked out a good technique.



Hey AIO will take off any existing wax and SG layers right?



Thanks a million.



Kelly