Clay ??

**re-tired** · 02-18-2018, 04:33 PM

How many of you folks would think polishing after clay is mandatory?

I clayed a small spot that I couldn`t clean off my side mirror and when I wiped it dry it looked pretty hazy. Had to break out the small polisher with HD speed and that cleared it up. Was under the impression clay bars did not leave ANY impressions but only removed imbedded contaminants.
I used a high$$ pinnacle fine clay, the blue stuff.

Is there a better finer clay that I can use that will leave no marring? dont want to HAVE to polish the whole car after clay-- unless i have to

**0inDetail0** · 02-18-2018, 04:49 PM

All clay bars are abrasive. The best you can do is use a fine clay. Brand to brand "fine" might have minor differences. The finest clay I was able to use was Chemical Guys fine. It was blue. It did not mar soft Honda paint. You also need to use excessive lubrication ( I use 8-16 ounces depending on the car.) and clay in straight lines. It will help to minimize the appearance of any marring.
I`m not 100% sure that clay alternatives can mar the paint like clay bars. I`m guessing yes.
How often do you clay?
Another option would be to use a paint work cleanser like PB World Professional Polish. Basically chemical cleaning your paint with a lot less chance of marring the paint.

**CerceS550** · 02-18-2018, 10:30 PM

I got this with a fine clay towel and lots of lube(onr mix). Looked like I sanded the car after clay. Did a one step polish to the car after clay. It was a Toyota Camry.

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**Accumulator** · 02-19-2018, 12:55 PM

IMO nothing`s really *mandatory* when there are so that many variables. I spot-clay with Sonus SFX all the time (and occasionally with SmartClay) and (almost always) do it without instilling any new marring. If you don`t mar the paint it doesn`t need polished; if you do mar it enough that you care then it does need polished. Hard to tell which side of the fence you`ll end up on.

I will say that I gather most people don`t clay the way I do and that if I clayed the apparently common way I`d mar things up something awful...IMO it`s one of the ultimate YMMV! topics.

**BudgetPlan1** · 02-19-2018, 02:31 PM

As they say, YMMV. Guessing it depends mostly on how badly the surface is and maybe if paint is considered hard or soft?

Do know that there are times I really marred the paint with clay, other times not so much.

I did use a supposedly very-fine `glass coating clay` on a car recently that left no marks from what I could see. What made this clay different from `regular` fine clay? Quite possibly only the packaging but who knows for sure.

Thread here: Claying a coated vehicle with 22ple Ultra Soft Glass Coat Clay

**Accumulator** · 02-19-2018, 03:50 PM

BudgetPlan1- Hey, I`d missed that post of yours about the Glass Coating Clay, thanks for linking to it.

**JustJesus** · 02-20-2018, 05:40 PM

During one of the times I let Accumulator spend my money, I tried Sonus SFX. It seems to be the finest clay I`ve tried, and I reserve it for times I need something like that. With lots of lube, and almost no pressure, I smoothed out the surface I was working on AND it didn`t seem to disturb the FK1000p on there (or cause any noticeable marring).

**The Guz** · 02-20-2018, 07:14 PM

Originally Posted by JustJesus

During one of the times I let Accumulator spend my money, I tried Sonus SFX. It seems to be the finest clay I`ve tried, and I reserve it for times I need something like that. With lots of lube, and almost no pressure, I smoothed out the surface I was working on AND it didn`t seem to disturb the FK1000p on there (or cause any noticeable marring).

I just got some optimum opti-clay and it`s pretty fine as well. Also doesn`t have that sticky residue feeling. I just don`t know how it would fair on a paint that hasn`t been clayed in such a long time.

**Stokdgs** · 02-21-2018, 12:55 AM

Originally Posted by re-tired

How many of you folks would think polishing after clay is mandatory?

I clayed a small spot that I couldn`t clean off my side mirror and when I wiped it dry it looked pretty hazy. Had to break out the small polisher with HD speed and that cleared it up. Was under the impression clay bars did not leave ANY impressions but only removed imbedded contaminants.
I used a high$$ pinnacle fine clay, the blue stuff.

Is there a better finer clay that I can use that will leave no marring? dont want to HAVE to polish the whole car after clay-- unless i have to

What did you use for your clay lube ? Did you use a lot of it ? Keep the claybar and the mirror really wet?
If not, and the clay was the least sticky, it would want to stick and that is what causes most abrasions in the first place, in my experiences..

This is why I finally found my way to DoDo Juice Born Slippy Claybar Lube and I have never looked back...

It is great to see that others have now developed a claybar that is apparently not sticky and is very gentle.. Thanks BP-1 for that link !!!

To answer your question, yes, I always correct paint after using a media like clay, rubberized towel, etc., because I want to make that just cleaned paint really shine with perfect clarity and gloss, and then keep it that way for as long as possible..

I like to think of a claybar as a sanding block, and use it that way very carefully, in straight lines only, a little even, downward pressure, and listen to it making that sound, and when the sound goes away, I carefully wipe dry that spot, and feel it with a clean dry hand, and it is really smooth there compared to the surrounding areas, and I go to the next spot..
Dan F

**re-tired** · 02-21-2018, 07:36 PM

Thanks to all the fellas who responded!!

K

**re-tired** · 02-21-2018, 07:38 PM

Originally Posted by CerceS550

I got this with a fine clay towel and lots of lube(onr mix). Looked like I sanded the car after clay. Did a one step polish to the car after clay. It was a Toyota Camry.

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Pretty rough for clay I would think??

**Stokdgs** · 02-21-2018, 09:39 PM

First question should be - what did the paintwork look like before you washed it and after you washed it?
Did it look like the picture ?

He said he used a claytowel, so the next question is which brand and which grit ?
Then how hard and how much pressure did he put on the towel as he was using it?
What was used as the lube ??
Dan F

**Dan** · 02-22-2018, 12:56 PM

Some people get marring from microfiber towels and QD, so it is hard to say clay is any less abrasive. I personally don`t get marring but I use tons of good lube and let the stickiness of the clay do the work, zero pressure.

**JustJesus** · 02-22-2018, 01:05 PM

Originally Posted by The Guz

I just got some optimum opti-clay and it`s pretty fine as well. Also doesn`t have that sticky residue feeling. I just don`t know how it would fair on a paint that hasn`t been clayed in such a long time.

I`m guessing it would work, but would take a bit longer to get it smooooooth.

**Accumulator** · 02-22-2018, 01:51 PM

If something`s really contaminated, I`d use a chemical decon as the first step.

Clay *towels*...I can`t help think that those are just infinitely more prone to instilling marring than clay, if only because it`d so so easy to press hard enough to break through the film of lube and let the towel directly contact the paint. And don`t the towel vendors say something about not using them on satin/matte/flat paints lest the texture/finish be altered? I just can`t imagine any towel/pad/etc. offering the control of a little piece of clay held between my fingers and gently whisked across the surface of the paint for maybe an inch or so of travel..few passes, stop, knead...repeat many times.

And sure, since the way I clay is such a PIA and soooo inefficient, I do indeed understand why few probably do it that way. And if you`re gonna instill marring (or be correcting) anyhow then the towels (or a less careful approach with clay) would make perfect sense. I`d do the mild towel approach in a heartbeat if I weren`t prioritizing clearcoat preservation.