I'm out of lube!

Leyland

Leyland

I'll bet I can wax that.
So I have this huge job that I have to tackle this weekend and I find that I'm out of clay lube. This beast is going to need clay in a bad way. It is a stretched black hummer and I doubt it has ever seen protection. Something that big doesn't usually fit in a garage I guess because this thing is rough as rough can be. I don't want to waste money on store bought clay lube, so what should I use? Would soapy water do the trick or do I need something else? I think I'm in over my head on this one and will probably take it in the behind since I estimated way too low of a price. I told the guy I'd do the job for $180 and I think I've got a good 5 hours of work ahead of me in order to satisfy the customer. He expects a hummer as smooth as smooth can be and that is what I promised.

I plan to clay it and then polish it with SSR2 and then SSR1. It isn't really that swirled surprisingly enough. I don't know who has been washing this thing, but they've done a good job at not messing it up too bad. After the SSRs I'm not sure what to wax or seal it with. Suggestions in that area would be good too. I'm in a good location in Florida and can get just about any car care products I need. Fortunately I work nights, so I always have time to get around during the day.

So to sum up....

1 black stretched hummer
needs clay and I'm out of lube
SSR2 and SSR1 for oxidation and some minor swirls
what to use after the SSRs

Thanks for the help!
 
You can use wash soap and water as your lube. Your other option would be to go out and buy Meg's Quick Detailer (Pep Boys is having a sale right now 2 for $4).
 
Would soapy water be gentle enough? I don't want the paint to get damaged by using a lube that wasn't slick enough while I went at it with my clay bar. I'm just concerned that the soap will just sink to the bottom and I'll end up using water. Water isn't the slipperiest stuff when used as lube for anything, believe you me.

I've never used the Meguiar's QD as clay lube. The price is right, so I might have to try that. Thanks for the tip!
 
If you are worried about the soap/water mix, definitely look into the Meg's QD, it's what I use for clay lube. I'm not really one to use the soap/water mix either, but many do and when in a jam it gets the job done. You just need to make sure that the surface stays wet so you don't cause any marring.
 
has anyone used that Eagle One Bucketless Wash as a clay lube? It is really thin stuff and it would probably dilute in water way better than normal car wash soap. I bought a bottle of this stuff because there was a label on it that basically gave you a rebate for the purchase price, so I figured what the hell? It isn't something I would use on a very dirty car, but on a dusty car it does a nice job. Spray the car down with the stuff and then hit it with a sprayer and watch it foam. Just keep spraying till you end up rinsing it off and viola. clean car.
 
I've been able to dilute most QD about 50/50 as a clay lube. If you are using fine clay, 50/50 QD or soapy water will work. We use soapy water when we don't want any silicone, waxes, or synthetics on the car.
 
I haven't used a QD lube in quite a while. I ended up with excellent results using Adams Car Wash or Meg's NXT car wash as the lube.

Works great and the process is faster.

Totoland Mach
 
I use the wash and clay method as my norm. I have never had any problems from it. Do a section with wash pad, rinse, appply soap again with pad, clay, rinse. Works well with Dawn also.
 
I've used that bucketless wash as a clay lube. It is pretty good, but you just want to make sure you don't use too much or else it is too slippery and the clay won't contact the paint very well. I can't tell you how much I used because I didn't measure it. I filled an empty bottle of Spray n Wipe with water half full and the sprayed the bucketless wash into it. I probably gave it 8 or 10 sprays. It seems to do the trick. I haven't had to buy clay lube for quite awhile. Prior to this I was using Four Star Spray Wax as my clay lube. I found that to be an excellent product for that purpose.
 
So if I want to use soap and water as lube for claying,........how does this work. I wash an area with soap and water (like normally washing the car),......rinse,....then get it soapy again and clay it,.......then rinse again and im done?

Thanks,
Steve
 
Sort of. You wash, rinse, dry. I leave a little rinse water on the surface to help with the claying, but not much. Then I mix the Eagle One Bucketless Wash and water together in a spray bottle. I use it just like you would use any QD to clay your car. After I am done I wash the car and dry it properly so I can either start with the polishing or the waxing.
 
Jngrbrdman said:
Sort of. You wash, rinse, dry. I leave a little rinse water on the surface to help with the claying, but not much. Then I mix the Eagle One Bucketless Wash and water together in a spray bottle. I use it just like you would use any QD to clay your car. After I am done I wash the car and dry it properly so I can either start with the polishing or the waxing.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip,......what is the ratio of water to Eagle One bucketless wash? 50/50? I think I am going to use this same method.

Steve
 
I don't know the ratio. I just sprayed some in there. It is way more water than soap. You just need enough to make it slick. Fill a bottle half full of water and give it a couple shots of the wash stuff and see how it works out. If it isn't slick enough then spray some more. it is a hit and miss kind of thing.
 
Jngrbrdman said:
I don't know the ratio. I just sprayed some in there. It is way more water than soap. You just need enough to make it slick. Fill a bottle half full of water and give it a couple shots of the wash stuff and see how it works out. If it isn't slick enough then spray some more. it is a hit and miss kind of thing.
Click to expand...

Awesome, thanks so much for the help.
 
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