Claying oxidized paint

[MattZ28]

If you have a car with bad oxidation, what do you do?



Do you remove the oxidation first via polishing, THEN clay, or do you clay the oxidized paint, THEN polish it?



I always understood oxidation to be a layer of dead paint, so it wouldn`t make much sense to clay dead paint, would it?



I would think it`s O.K. to clay minorly oxidized paint though...



Just looking for some insight on this, so any info is appreciated. :)

[Black240SX]

I believe it`s best to clay first, then polish. That way there won`t be any large bits of dirt that might cause deep scratches when you are using an electric polisher. This might be a moot issue if the oxidation is really bad.

[the other pc]

Clay removes crud that is stuck on the paint. Oxidation is paint that has actually changed to a different chemical composition. You need to expose the paint fully so your oxide removal process works efficiently.



So the order is:

Wash to remove loose dirt.

Clay to remove bonded gunk and expose the oxidized paint.

Use a cleaner to remove the oxidized paint and expose good paint.

Polish to restore gloss.

Protect with a wax or sealant to preserve the finish.





PC.

[ZaneO]

I feel it`s best to clean up as much oxidation first before worrying about claying...it`s worked best in my experiences.

[forrest@mothers]

Claying heavily oxidized paint will result in your clay bar loading up with oxidized paint.



You need to remove the oxidation BEFORE claying unless you`re rich with clay bars.

[MattZ28]

That`s what I thought. Thanks for the quick replies everyone :cool:

[benpocock]

For mildly oxidized paint I`d probably clay first. If the paint was heavily oxidized I`d hit it with a cleaner first.



Ben.

[87maxxima]

well is there any right way? seems like half the people like to polish first and some like to clay first.what is the correct way then?

[imported_memnuts]

I like forrest`s reasoning. I also use clay for its deep cleaning ability and it doesn`t take long to have darken clay bar from normal cleaning. Removing the oxidation first tends to work better for my regimen. Another thought, if oxidation is quite severe, one would want to wash off all the polishing residue (dust- especially the residue in the nocks-and-crannies (seams)) prior to applying a LSP. This post-polishing wash would be a perfect time to clay and check one`s work.

[the other pc]

Originally posted by 87maxxima

well is there any right way? seems like half the people like to polish first and some like to clay first.what is the correct way then? The specifics of the paint; ss or bc/cc, heavily oxidized or light, the cleaner and application; chemical, chemical+compound, hand, orbital, rotary, foam pad or wool and the particular clay bar; mild or aggressive will dictate which order is more efficient but either is likely to be effective.





PC.

[Jngrbrdman]

I wouldn`t clay oxidation. I would bust out the AIO and clean that paint first and then clay it. That is in reverse order from what should normally be done, but since the oxidation would pretty much wipe your clay out, its easier to just clean the paint first and use the clay next. It saves your clay. Never underestimate the power of AIO on oxidation. :D (http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=23482)

[the other pc]

The clays I have used have been very mild and had no effect on oxidation, heavy or light, at all. Loading these clays with oxidation was a non-issue.



I have on many occasions had gunk that clay removed easily but the chemical or chemical+light abrasive cleaners I tried wouldn`t remove without mucho labor.



When I hear the words "heavy oxidation" I think of the kind that requires a pretty strong compounding cleaner and a rotary to remove in a reasonable time frame.





So, with those conditions in mind, if I were to use a cleaner before claying I`d do one of two things:



a.) if my cleaner and application method were strong enough to get down to the good paint then the entire surface is good paint with nothing stuck to it. At this point claying would be pointless but harmless.



b .) if my cleaner and application method aren`t strong enough to get past the stuck contaminants then I`d remove oxidation everywhere except under those contaminants. Now I`d have a bunch of shiny little contaminant lumps sitting on top of "little islands" of oxidation. At this point claying will remove the contaminants but the spots of oxidation will still be there. If my oxidation spots are tough enough I`d have to use the cleaner again. In the most (but not all) cases those spots are so small that the next polishing step will eliminate them.



In the first case claying is a waste of time. In the second it probably won`t matter which order I choose but claying first hedges my bets.





PC.

[boywonder]

The Jetta for the XTreme Detail Contest was not clayed first for the reasons that forrest mentioned. I felt that we would have fubared a clay bar if we had clayed before polishing.

[Anthony O.]

Single stage paints oxidize, base coat/clear coats do not oxidize.....really.



Clear coats are rather attacked chemically.....BUT it is still called "oxidation" by most, so it is used in a general sense.



Forrest has it right though. Clean the oxidation first, then clay. Many pros will not clay until after they have polished.



Anthony

[White95Max]

I prefer to polish the car first. Claying paint like the Accord paint that I just did this week would result in at least one clay bar ruined. I polished away the oxidized paint first, and then used the clay.