Claying a vehicle

[NickcZ28]

When using the clay, should I leave the residual material on the car and clean it up when I proceed to the next step, or is it better to wipe it off as I go? I have never clayed a car before and would like to do the wifes car this weekend.

Thanks guys!

[brwill2005]

Clay a 2 by 2 foot section at a time. I would wipe off the lubricant as you go

[imported_themightytimmah]

I go a half panel at a time (do all the top halfs, then all the bottom halfs), and leave the lube on. It`s just QD, so it disappears when I polish.

[BigAl3]

i do a 2x2 section at a time and wipe of the lube/detailer with a mf when i feel i have obtained the contaminants. after it`s dry, i`ll run my hands across the finish to feel for smoothness....

[mystickid]

So leaving the Lubricant (for ex. the clay magic lube) on the car after claying won`t in any way harm the finish if I go immediately to polishing without re-washing the car???

[imported_themightytimmah]

Not in my experience. Theoretically, its possible that the lube could contain contaminants which would work their way into the buffing compound. Never had an issue myself, though.

[Idz21]

What I do is Clay the whole car leaving everything on it. After the whole car is clayed I go over the whole car with a hose. Then dry it off completely and follow up with a polish. The dust generated by the polish will get into the cracks and collect on any water that`s left behind which makes it looks pretty ugly and will require more cleanup later. My experience is, better to polish a dry car.

[NickcZ28]

Guys...All great comments. I think I will proceed to clay the entire car, then go on to polish.

Thanks for the suggestions.