Clay, can it ruin your new car?

C

csj0952

New member
I have a new car (3 weeks). I have some Sonus ultrafine clay but I'm hesitant to use it cause I've heard it could ruin your clear coat and cause swirls.



True or false?



I heard u are supposed to use it like a razor on your face with the quick detail as shaving cream...that's my metaphor anyhow...
 
No, it wont do anything to your paint, accutally being a new car I WOULD do it as there is a good chance that there is contamiants on the paint from the ride to the dealership.



As for the metaphor....I dry shave....so yea use clay lube...dont press to hard but not to soft...
 
what do u do when u are done claying, do u rinse your car again and dry it before polishing? how do u get rid of any clay remants on your car....
 
I used lots of lube, maybe even too much, and wiped it off panel at a time. There was no clay remnants at all, it looked clean and shiny.
 
I used clay and then my transmission went out...



C'mon use your head, with any product you need to try it out on a small area, however that said, if used correctly, there will be no issues. Your paint will be better than delivered.
 
what is this "bag test" i keep hearing about to check if an area needs claying or not.....put your hand in a ziplock bag and see if it feels rough?
 
The only way clay would heavily mar a clear coat is if you used it with little or no lubrication,or you were stupid enough to continue to use clay that had been dropped on the ground.



The Sonus ultrafine clay is very mild,and very safe to use just as you say,like shaving,use plenty of lube (quick detail spray,or a good shampoo mix),use short,gentle strokes,moving around the car section by section,and you will be fine.



But do remember that, any clay by its nature is 'abrasive' in order to do its job.In the industry,there are varying strengths of 'abrasives' that are included in clay bars (different sizes,hardness etc),it is just that sometimes the word 'abrasive' gets taken out of context and that can put people off using,what is a very valuble detailing aid.
 
Dude, you seriously need to do a seach.



Clay is NOT abrasive to your car's paint, BTW. It is an abrasive but will not remove paint in any way.
 
csj0952 said:
what is this "bag test" i keep hearing about to check if an area needs claying or not.....put your hand in a ziplock bag and see if it feels rough?
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A ziplock is to thick, use a sandwhich bag, the real thin ones.



csj0952 said:
Is it worth claying a car with clear coat?
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Of course, dunno why you would think it would be any different than paint with no CC.
 
csj0952- If anything, the Sonus Ultra-Fine (which I'm a *BIG* fan of) will be too mild to decontaminate a new car. The only way to mar paint with that stuff would be to misuse it horribly. More aggressive clays *can* mar paint (been there and done that, though only recently and I've been claying since the early '90s) but not the Sonus green.



I'd use the Glyde lube with the Sonus clays, but other QDs will work. BUT sometimes the other QDs will compromise/dissolve the clay. Usually not a huge issue, but it can make for a messier cleanup and it might compromise the effectiveness of the clay (and the Sonus green is awfully mild to begin with).
 
Instead of sandwich bags to test the clay results, use plastic grocery bags. The one's in my neighborhood are very thin and exaggerate the feel of any contaminants left on my paint.
 
Drop it in a bag of sand and I bet it will harm your CC.



Other than that, claying is good. That removes the bonded contaminants on the paint. :chuckle:



(do not use the clay bar if it has been dropped on the ground.. Or in a bag of sand)
 
What about using paint cleaners vs clay? I've been debating claying my car or going the paint cleaner (probably Wolfgang's) or the Klasse AIO route instead (considering my paint mars incredibly easy and I don't have a PC as I do everything by hand).
 
Paint cleaners should be used after claying. Use the clay to remove contamination and use paint cleaners to remove oxidation, etc..
 
Conundrum- No time to post a decent reply to the clay/paint cleaners Q, but it's been discussed before and even fairly recently. Might be worth a quick (if dreaded) search.



Short answer: they work by different means and each is better/worse on certain types of stuff that needs cleaned off. As mikebai1990 said, clay then clean.
 
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