How long does it take you to clay?

W

White95Max

New member
Assuming an average car with average contamination, how long does it take you to clay it? Please list the brand of clay, the type of clay lube that you use, and the amount of clay lube you typically use on a midsize car.



I just got in from claying my car, and it took me about 1 hour and 30min. I used roughly 40 ounces of clay lube from my spray bottle with Danase clay. My clay lube was QEW at 4X normal strength + 2oz S&G in a 32oz bottle.
 
1 to 1.25 hours for a typical midsize car. Opti-clay/Mothers/any of the yellow Erazer clays. 1oz. Gold Class Shampoo to 31oz. water in a spray bottle for lube (as well as whatever soap is still on the car), and I use only about 6oz. Nowhere near 40oz :shocked
 
:hide:





Absolute max of 25 minutes. Usually closer to 10-15.





I usually use a car soap solution and sprinkle the mix on the panel with the mitt. I will work the clay until: 1) its dirty and requires kneading 2) is smooth to the ear and touch. I use either Optimum Clay or Meguiar's Overspray Clay.
 
no more than 30 mins. claybar clay. water as lube. is there a difference in various clays? anyone use/have used pinnacle clay?
 
for absolute perfection on average contamination, about an hour. for absolute perfection on heavy contamination, about 2 hours. i tend to take my time. but if i'm on an efficient schedule, i try to keep it under 30 min.



i've used BF clay and lube(about 8-10oz) but have switched to opti-clay and opt no-rinse @ QD dilution(about 16 oz since it's cheaper so i use it to rinse a bit after).



btw...claying is my least favorite part of detailing :)
 
20-30 min if I it while I wash. Its much faster and almost as good as using the spray, the first time I clayed I used their QD. Took forever and wasted 1/3 of a bottle.
 
20 minutes tops. Im currently using Four Star Fine Detailing Clay. I normally use water or light suds with my wash soap, or CK QS, normally about 2-3 oz.
 
See I'm wondering if it has to do with my proximity to the the "headquarters" of the Wisconsin Rail System. My paint sounded like sandpaper as I ran my hand down it this evening.

There's no way I can see my car being clayed in 15 minutes, in the condition that it was in.



Claying is my least favorite part of detailing too.
 
White95Max said:
See I'm wondering if it has to do with my proximity to the the "headquarters" of the Wisconsin Rail System. My paint sounded like sandpaper as I ran my hand down it this evening.

There's no way I can see my car being clayed in 15 minutes, in the condition that it was in.



Claying is my least favorite part of detailing too.
Click to expand...

Paul, its probably safe to say if you live or work near a railyard or railsystem, period, your going to have heavier fallout then urbanites......Same with aiports too.....
 
BradUF said:
20-30 min if I it while I wash. Its much faster and almost as good as using the spray, the first time I clayed I used their QD. Took forever and wasted 1/3 of a bottle.
Click to expand...



Same here. Maybe your area is more prone to enviromental contamination.
 
In the middle of claying now (taking a break!) - TOO LONG!



Wouldn't want to skip it tho - tried today and the panel felt awful once the Klasse was put on. I have the same problem - seem to get covered in sandy grit - I will be detailing my folks car soon and that feels like a sheet of sandpaper unlike my baby bum smooth hood... :)
 
About an hour for my car and I am the Fallout King! Just used Mother's yellow OTC clay yesterday and went through about 8oz. of the supplied lube (Mother's Showtime QD). My car is mid-sized at best, but I can't imagine using 40oz. of lube unless other brands of clay can be more "sticky" than what I'm used to.



My car is garaged at home but at work I park immediately next to a busy 6-lane highway, am a stone's throw from 2 major rail lines, and under the flight path of Charlotte-Douglas International Airport! :nervous2: Anyone want to challenge me for my Fallout King title???



I'd have to agree with the prior post about using clay--the instant gratification of hearing the "sandpaper noise" leave as my paint begins cleaning up does it for me.
 
I haven't clayed since the fall, but I'll say about 40 minutes. It's part of my second "wash" ... wash panel with QEW (now ONR), dry, clay (Clay Magic) using QEW solution as lube, re-wash and then dry. With the QEW, I would add an ounce of QD to the solution, but I won't have to do that with ONR.



I haven't yet tried to just wash a panel with ONR, clay, re-wash, and then dry. It'd be faster, but I do pick up contamination in the solution in the first drying process, so I'd hate to use ONR with contaminants/dirt as my claying solution. Maybe I'd do it if the car was really clean to begin with, but probably not ... the risk wouldn't be worth the saved time.
 
KiaDude said:
I can't imagine using 40oz. of lube unless other brands of clay can be more "sticky" than what I'm used to.
Click to expand...



Yeah I probably didn't need to use anywhere near that much clay lube, but once in a while it would want to stick to the paint. To combat this issue, I just sprayed a ton of lube everywhere to ensure that the clay would not stick anymore. It was homemade lube after all, so it's not like I used $10 worth of a QD.
 
did my first REAL detail yesterday.

the actual claying process took 45 minutes...if you add washing the car before and after, add another 30 minutes.

used clay magic and the lube that came with it....ran out of lube 3/4 of the way thru, so i put some wash soap and water in the bottle and continued.





FYI; the whole process (wash, clay, wash, polish, wax) took me SIX hours!!!! MY BACK IS KILLING ME TODAY!!!!! :hairpull :hairpull
 
yup, about 30mins will do a clay... i always find the most s**t on the quarter panels...



on an eight year old car i had almost no signs of needing a clay... odd...but true...



i went over the whole dang car and hardly got any residue-debris-anything....

pinnacle poly clay... ONR as lube, and its my car...never done a clay before...



i guess the weekly wash ive given my car for the past year really does help. :getdown
 
About 40 minutes. I hate claying.



Luckily I don't have to do it often. The only problem area I have is the rear bumper, which needs done at least twice a year. It sticks out and the tires kick up dust and dirt constantly, it gets completely covered from a short drive. The rest of the car seems to stay smooth.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top