Finished claying...input please

M

melissa809

New member
Hey guys...okay..I got the ultra fine sonus clay bar and began to clay my car today....first off...I used the whole bottle of detailer they sent me...and barely even finished the rear bumper...lol...and not all those dots came off





Someone on this site told me I would most likely need a more aggressive clay..I have orange dots on my white car.....which brand should I get?



Also...I don't know how to...nor do I want to practice...polishing my car...lol...so is there a more aggressive clay that won't mar my paint?



I ended up waxing the car, anyway...even though I didn't finish claying....Mother's Paste Wax....and I went over the car with one of those LED flashlights...didn't see any scratches where I clayed...did find one small scratch in the clear, though...will Scratch X work on this?....you guys have been very helpful...and I am VERY appreciative of any input you can give me...Thanks



Melissa
 
I've never been successful at claying only without having to do some kind of polishing afterwards. Have you tried a cleaner wax (KAIO) to maybe get those contaminants out?



You can add a small amount of car wash soap to distilled water and use as a lubricant for the claybar.
 
Scratch X or Meg's compound should work. Be careful not to rub in one spot too long or you could go thru your clear coat.
 
Like Legacy said, be careful with the ScracthX. One of the members here recently burned through his clear trying to get out a small blemish in his paint. If you can live with it, just wait until you have enough money to get your car professionally polished.



As far as the clay goes, get something more aggressive. You can probably find some Meg's at a local parts store. While you're there, pick up some QD that you can use as a lube for the clay.
 
RustyBumper said:
Like Legacy said, be careful with the ScracthX. One of the members here recently burned through his clear trying to get out a small blemish in his paint. If you can live with it, just wait until you have enough money to get your car professionally polished.



As far as the clay goes, get something more aggressive. You can probably find some Meg's at a local parts store. While you're there, pick up some QD that you can use as a lube for the clay.
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IMO megs is pretty mild, at least the white. Clay magic red is more agressive than most, its sold at Carquest and other auto parts stores.
 
I never use lube with clay. I put a tablespoon of Dawn in a spray bottle and get to work. The Dawn keeps the dirt from sticking to the clay and helps cut the wax that's usually over the top of the contamination.



BE SURE TO RINSE YOUR CLAYBAR WITH CLEAN WATER BEFORE YOU FOLD IT OVER SO YOU DON'T FOLD DETERGENT INTO IT. That can turn it to oat meal pretty quick.



Robert
 
Okay guys...but will I need to polish after claying?....or should I try the cleaner wax?....I'm thinking I didn't use the sonus clay long enough to get all the orange dots out...like I said...I ran out of QD...but now I'm scared to clay again because I don't want to have to polish the car.....I'd llike to clay it....i.e.get those damned orange dots off...and then throw on a nice coat of wax and be done with it....



Like I said...I didn't notice any marring....but then it was getting dark....Jeez....did I just screw myself?



I've been on this site for awhile and didn't think it was necessary to polish after claying
 
melissa809 said:
Okay guys...but will I need to polish after claying?....or should I try the cleaner wax?....I'm thinking I didn't use the sonus clay long enough to get all the orange dots out...like I said...I ran out of QD...but now I'm scared to clay again because I don't want to have to polish the car.....I'd llike to clay it....i.e.get those damned orange dots off...and then throw on a nice coat of wax and be done with it....



Like I said...I didn't notice any marring....but then it was getting dark....Jeez....did I just screw myself?



I've been on this site for awhile and didn't think it was necessary to polish after claying
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Melissa, you need to take your car out in the sun and see what imperfections you have on your paint. A good set of halogens might also help, but nothing beats old mother nature to spot marring.
 
Okay...but will clay definitely mar the paint.....and is a polish necessary after claying?....also...can you suggest some product to use after claying that would be easy for a novice...that is...if claying my car will definitely mar it...thanks in advance
 
melissa809 said:
Okay...but will clay definitely mar the paint...
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If you use an aggressive clay, or insufficient lube, or incorrect technique...then yes, claying can mar your paint. Absolutely.



I wouldn't use anything more aggressive than ClayMagic Blue or Mothers/Griot's if I were you. I've never tried the Meguiar's but it oughta be OK too.

..and is a polish necessary after claying?....
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IMO only if you want to remove marring (such as, marring you might cause by aggressive claying).



Otherwise you might want to try a paint cleaner, something like Meguiar's Deep Crystal Step #1 Cleaner (not the DC #2 Polish).



Hmmm...I wonder how that DC#1 would work on the rust-blooms :think: Probably too gentle, but you never know until you try.



also...can you suggest some product to use after claying that would be easy for a novice...that is...if claying my car will definitely mar it...thanks in advance
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I assume you mean something to use to remove any marring that might occur. This is tricky to answer. It's arguable that *nothing* effective is remotely user-friendly for a novice working by hand!



Scratch-X oughta work OK by hand and should be *perfectly* safe when used that way (as opposed to by machine). Lots of work though so I'd rather use that for isolated bits of marring as opposed to the whole car.



I'm starting to think that a decontamination system's acidic step might be the easiest way to go :think: It might *sound* extreme, but it's almost just a case of "washing away the contamination" as opposed to rubbing it away with clay. I often use mild clay in conjunction with the decontamination; while it does dissolve the clay very fast (thus requiring a lot of it), it works well for me on this type of problem.
 
Some people on this board have touted TW liquid claybar as a paint cleanser that can remove mild oxidation. I've never have used it.



It won't replace a clay bar. But you can probably find it easily. And I'm assuming that if its TW, its easy to use.



So if you're done with the real clay, its something else to consider before waxing.
 
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