Is clay the best thing to clean the paint?

**tedy** · 07-22-2004, 06:56 AM

I have been using clay for several years, but seems like it only "cuts" and "levels" paint surface.

It sure levels and makes the paint smooth as hell, but it doesnt clean the pollutant left inside the paint.

I have read a detailing book. A product from Japan called "Matex" which deep cleans pollutant off paint surface w/o any wiping. It is gentle and nontoxic.

You spray it on the paint surface and wait until it turns into purple color and just rinse it off. The surface becomes smooth and free from pollutant.

The book suggests using Matex instead of clay, since clay just cuts off whatever sticks out of the surface but the Matex deep cleans it.

Any one heard similar product before?

**tedy** · 07-22-2004, 07:38 AM

MOD:

plz move this to Autopia University (AU) area. I didnt read the rule.sorry

**Accumulator** · 07-22-2004, 10:13 AM

tedy- I`m not familiar with the Matex, but it sure sounds interesting. FWIW, if/when I feel the clay isn`t doing the job, I`ll use AutoInt`s ABC, which sounds similar (at least in concept).

But that is seldom an issue for me really- with a good coat of [whatever LSP] on the vehicle, contamination never really gets "into" my paint, it just gets into the LSP and is easy to clay away.

**tedy** · 07-22-2004, 03:01 PM

This is my another question

http://www.autopia.org/forums/showth...threadid=41448

I dont want to use clay on LSP (sealant??) because it may strip sealant no matter how gentle I clay. If i use clay for once a week car wash, it totally defeats the purpose of using sealant.

**Dennis H.** · 07-22-2004, 04:09 PM

Clays should be used on an as needed basis not each week. Clays don`t provide any leveling effect they basically shear or pull off contaminants. There is a product called fall out remover that can be used instead of clay by a company called Mark V in Corona, CA. Be careful, it`s pretty strong stuff.

**UtahX** · 07-22-2004, 05:19 PM

I agree with Dennis H., but I`m only a noob, so what do I know.

**Dennis H.** · 07-22-2004, 05:46 PM

Hey Utah,

Not sure what I`m supposed to think of that noob thing.

**Accumulator** · 07-22-2004, 06:02 PM

I dunno where this "clay removes LSP" thing came from. I`m sorta a broken record here, so "sorry for the following semi-rant" to those who`ve read all my other posts on this subject.

I use clay to remove bugs, tree sap, tar, you name it. I do it where/as needed with almost every wash. My LSPs last for *months* (going on *eleven* with the SG on the MPV, and that`s with no QDing). The clay simply does not remove an appreciable amount of my LSPs. I`d have noticed by now if it did, as I`ve been doing this for years (ever since "mild" clays came out).

I just clayed the front of the S8 again, following a long roadtrip (lots of bugs that had been on it for the whole time). No problem, still beads, etc. just fine. No evidence at all that I`ve stripped my UPP (still very slick and shiny- you can tell when a finish has UPP on it).

It`s all a matter of how gently/not you do the claying. You just want to pull contamination off/out of the LSP.

Fallout removers shouldn`t be necessary if you keep your vehicle well protected with wax or sealant.

**Dennis H.** · 07-22-2004, 06:25 PM

Agreed fall out removers are pretty agressive but he asked the question.

I don`t necessarily agree with the clay comment though. Clays do a good job of removing semi permanent coatings. While they may not remove all of it all the time they do a significant amount of damage to the coating. Water beading is not always an indication of a wax or sealant being present.

**Accumulator** · 07-23-2004, 09:39 AM

Originally posted by Dennis H.

..I don`t necessarily agree with the clay comment though. Clays do a good job of removing semi permanent coatings. While they may not remove all of it all the time they do a significant amount of damage to the coating..

Well, we can agree to disagree on this one

As I say, it`s all about *how* the claying is done and I might do it very differently from most people.

**Dennis H.** · 07-23-2004, 11:23 AM

Ok, I`ll agree to disagree about the damage to the wax but I certainly agree with the different strokes for different folks.

**andriver** · 07-23-2004, 12:42 PM

No disrespect but I have been doing the same as Accumulator for over two years. I never reapply my LSP until I reach my usual routine intervals for detailing. I do QD between washes though.

**Dennis H.** · 07-23-2004, 01:16 PM

No disrespect taken. I think I am just coming from it at a different angle. Unless you have access to some very expensive equipment there is no certainty that a protective coating is intact and there`s no way to measure any damage that may occur when the clay passes over it. There`s no way of know how much was there before you started claying. Without knowing if the protective coating is or is not, damaged or not, it will be difficult to know how it will wear the next time an acidic bug hits it or water spots from a freak rain storm. I guess what I`m trying to say is better safe than sorry. It`s a good idea to wax after you clay. Then again I could be splitting hairs.

**Lowejackson** · 07-23-2004, 02:05 PM

Why not clay before applying wax?

**lbls1** · 07-23-2004, 10:23 PM

It has been my experience that the first important step in a wax process is the deep cleaning, and the best product for me so far was a buff type paint cleaner. I have not had to use a claybar, and that was due to the fact that I keep an adequate amount of wax on top of the paint, and I am dilligent with keeping the paint surface clean.

Claybar is a good way of cleaning your paint from airborne particles, but I have found that buff polish cleaning is the best medium in getting all of your paint surface clean and prepped for wax.