is claying too often bad for the paint?

[BretW]

i have clayed my new 7000 miles black car twice in the last 2-3 months. everytime i tried a new product, i would clay the entire car. i didn`t do the sandwich bag test. i`m trying out yet another product (pinnacle) so was just wondering if i should clay my new car again. any tips/suggestions would be greatly appreciated, thanks. btw, i tried zaino, blackfire, and pretty soon, pinnacle.

[offcenter]

Originally posted by macam308

i have clayed my new 7000 miles black car twice in the last 2-3 months. everytime i tried a new product, i would clay the entire car. i didn`t do the sandwich bag test. i`m trying out yet another product (pinnacle) so was just wondering if i should clay my new car again. any tips/suggestions would be greatly appreciated, thanks. btw, i tried zaino, blackfire, and pretty soon, pinnacle.



Most people will tell you to clay only 1 time per year. I would use a paint cleaner or a mix of 50/50 water to isopropyl alcohol to remove the existing wax/sealant etc, I would not clay it each time. I`m sure there will be more replies soon.

[Jngrbrdman]

Claying is only neccessary when you feel the roughness on the surface of your car. I don`t think that you are going to hurt your car by doing it though. The only problem I can see is that when you clay you run a very high risk of putting micro scratches in your finish if you don`t fold your clay enough and keep a clean surface on the paint. Normally you follow up clay with some kind of polish so you get rid of those scratches pretty much right after they appeared. Polishing your car too often can cause problems. That would be my only concern is if your were following up each clay attempt with a polishing.



A safe alternative to clay if you want to just get all the product off your car and start over is to just wash your car with Dawn. That will break down the waxes and sealants and get them off your car so you can start fresh. Clay is great but it shouldn`t need to be done more than 2 or 3 times a year for most people.

[BretW]

i hope i didn`t polish my car too much. here`s a brief history of what i`ve applied on my car.



- dawn wash when car was 3 weeks old

- clayed entire car

- 1 layer of z5

- 2 layers of z2

- didn`t like the zaino results so....



- clayed entire car

- 1 layer of bf2 gep

- 1 layer of bf2 afpp

- liked the results more than zaino but still looking for

even more depth and wet paint look so....



ordered stuff from cma and will plan to do the following:

- no more claying thanks to your suggestions

- meguiar`s #9 (have minor swirls)

- meguiar`s #7

- finish off with pinnacle souveran and crystal mist

- all this is done by hand



is this too much polishing? please let me know guys, thanks.

[offcenter]

- dawn wash when car was 3 weeks old

- clayed entire car

- 1 layer of z5

- 2 layers of z2

- didn`t like the zaino results so....



- clayed entire car

- 1 layer of bf2 gep

- 1 layer of bf2 afpp

- liked the results more than zaino but still looking for

even more depth and wet paint look so....



ordered stuff from cma and will plan to do the following:

- no more claying thanks to your suggestions

- meguiar`s #9 (have minor swirls)

- meguiar`s #7

- finish off with pinnacle souveran and crystal mist

- all this is done by hand



is this too much polishing? please let me know guys, thanks. [/B][/QUOTE]



If you liked the BF but wanted more depth, why not just apply souveran over the BF? I use Pinnacle Paste Glaz over Klasse AIO/SG and the paint looks great. The benefit of a Zaino or Klasse is long lasting protection, then a carnauba topper will give you the depth and gloss that you desire. Plus it`s less work for you, why not try it?:nixweiss

[thegeek]

When you do the next step; can you tell me how the #9 goes by hand?? Also, I`d reccomend S100 over Souveran.

[Escape Artist]

Rad21 and anyone else with experience--what do you suggest when the carnauba topper starts wearing off?

What do you do then since it is topping (let`s assume) a sealant such as SG?

[shaf]

Originally posted by mprogers

Rad21 and anyone else with experience--what do you suggest when the carnauba topper starts wearing off?

What do you do then since it is topping (let`s assume) a sealant such as SG? You know, that`s a good question... Personally I`ve just decided to keep topping it off with more wax, and not use SG again until I do the twice a year overhaul. For me the sealant is a twice a year thing and wax is a year-round thing. Some people say you can do a Dawn wash to remove the wax (it shouldn`t strip the sealant) and this will let you put more sealant on, but I don`t like the idea of using Dawn myself and there`s been some debate about Dawn weakening sealants. I just err on the side of caution and keep waxing. Feels good anyway. :)



Another thing is it may be difficult to even tell if the wax has really worn off or not because you have a sealant underneath. It`s pretty unscientific, but some have suggested when you see a change in the way the car beads in between washes it can indicate this. A good sealant should last until the next overhaul so (I think) most people only want to apply more sealant if they feel like it.

[offcenter]

Originally posted by mprogers

Rad21 and anyone else with experience--what do you suggest when the carnauba topper starts wearing off?

What do you do then since it is topping (let`s assume) a sealant such as SG?



mprogers,



You can just reapply the topper (souveran, Paste Glaz, P21S, etc). Since I use paste glaze, I follow up with a QD after each weekly wash and every 4-6 weeks reapply the paste glaz- it doesn`t take much time. That way I still have the Klasse AIO/SG as a protective coating and Pinnacle Paste Glaz for that added deep glow. Just don`t use a harsh soap when washing, use one recommended for cars (meguiars, eagle one, pinnacle, mothers, eimann fabrik, etc) and choose a decent QD, many are recommended here at autopia.

[Brad B]

Originally posted by rad21

Most people will tell you to clay only 1 time per year.



I wouldn`t quite go that far. I spot-clay my car, especially the top surfaces or the rocker panels that take more abuse whenever they "feel" they need it. Let your fingers be the judge.



A light claying doesn`t even necessarily even take all the wax off and won`t hurt the clearcoat- it just shears off the embedded debris.

[offcenter]

Originally posted by Brad B.

I wouldn`t quite go that far. I spot-clay my car, especially the top surfaces or the rocker panels that take more abuse whenever they "feel" they need it. Let your fingers be the judge.



A light claying doesn`t even necessarily even take all the wax off and won`t hurt the clearcoat- it just shears off the embedded debris.



Thanks for the clarification Brad.:xyxthumbs

[Scottwax]

I don`t think claying 3-4 times a year if you car needs it will hurt anything. However, claying your car when it doesn`t need it is a huge waste of time better spent doing something else, like watching South Park or The Man Show on Comedy Central.

[shaf]

Originally posted by Brad B.

A light claying doesn`t even necessarily even take all the wax off and won`t hurt the clearcoat- it just shears off the embedded debris. I agree, and forgot to mention that this fall I very gingerly had to give my car`s horizontals a claying because fallout of some kind had stuck to it. It might have marred the wax/Klasse layers somewhat but I don`t think it hurt most of it.

[Zealot]

Originally posted by Scottwax

I don`t think claying 3-4 times a year if you car needs it will hurt anything. However, claying your car when it doesn`t need it is a huge waste of time better spent doing something else, like watching South Park or The Man Show on Comedy Central.



The Man Show RULES!!!!:bounce

[58fury]

clay about twice a year, pre winterish, and late spring early summer, use 3M clay