Just finished Claying New M3, Now What???

rleven

New member
I just finished Claying my new Silver-Grey baby. I clayed with Clay Magic and wiped off with Final Inspection. Now what?



1. Do I clean it with Platinum Pre-Cleaner Polish and then AIO or

2. 2 coats of AIO followed by SG and then Souveran.



It is a rainy weekend here and the babe will not be seeing daylight. I have a clean sheet so to speak. What do I do?



I also have the complete Platinum line.....



Bob
 
I have nothing but time. I think I am going to try



1 - Platinum Pre-Cleaner

2 - 2XAIO

3 - 3XSG

4 - Many coats of Souveran



I never used the Platinum products and I am curious.

Bob



PS - Will post pics when done
 
I wouldn't worry about more than one coat of AIO, as it is a cleaner, and will remove the previous layer. It is kind of redundant, and a waste of product. I'm with BlackRegal on this one.
 
I haven't used the Platinum pre-cleaner, so can't speak about that. But I suspect AIO would clean off whatever the cleaner was going to do, so you could skip it if you wanted to. But as you said, you have lots of time, so it won't hurt anything. :up



If you have the product, you might want to try PUPP after the 3XSG. Platinum definitely gives it a different, and warmer look, then SG. You might not even want to put Soveran on after that. But I guess if Souveran is as good as everyone says, you'll probably still want to anyway.
 
I will try that. Putting on a layer of PUPP after the 3XSG. Souveran if you have never tried it ROCKS!!!

Bob
 
the Platinum Pre-Cleaner does the same thing as AIO. There are slight differences, the AIO cleans more, the AIO darkens the paint slightly, and the Platinum Precleaner has a slightly smoother feel to it. I use both, one white and if the paint needs a little work, I go for the AIO, otherwise I go for the Pre Cleaner.
 
Hey Thomasfl,

I have a place in Hillsborough Beach. What's it like down there these days. Haven't been down for a month.

Bob
 
The slickness from a fresh coat of Platinum UPP is unreal. I did my wife's motorcycle helmet one night, and the next day, she commented to me how it kept slipping out of her hand when she was trying to pick it up! :D
 
Does your wife wear her helmet like this by any chance?



3390wrong_helmet.jpg
 
Ft. Lauderdale is great, I moved here from NYC about a year ago, what a great winter, a detailers paradise. It gets hot here in the summer working on cars, I try to start early in the morning.
 
I have a S type R Jag down there that will need detailing. I am selling it. Bought a '04CLK500 Cab for down there. Delivery in August or Sept. PM me. If you are a pro down there I will use you.

Bob
 
I'm curious, rleven, as to why you are claying a brand new car. I'm not saying it is wrong, I'm just trying to learn. I have been under the impression that claying is to remove oxidation or particles on the surface and that typically this would not be necessary on a new vehicle. A couple of assumptions are that, 1.) the car had sat outside at the dealership for a while and had some potential oxidation or partciles on the surface. 2.) I've heard some people say that cars that are delivered from the factory are often sent via rail and that rail dust can collect or adhere to the paint and that rail dust is very sharp and abrasive and must be removed. Another assumption is that BMW's are sent via covered truck to the docks, then sent by sea, then sent by covered trucks agian and that they are sent by rail



Just trying to learn what prompted your decision to clay a new vehicle. Also, I'm jealous of your arsenal of vehicles. I would love to see pictures of your new M3, your Jag S type R and your 04CLK500. You are a very fortunate person to have 3 truly fantastic rides.



Thanks in advance for your reply and the posting of pictures.
 
Yeah well the type R is going to be history. I bought the CLK500 to replace it. What a disappointment the Jag is. I did the cellophane wrap test and it felt rough. Whether it was rail dust that it picked up from the factory in Germany to docks or whatever I felt that I wanted to start with a absolutely clean surface. It only gets to the covered trailers when it hits the states and BMT Motortransport picks it up at the VPC in New Jersey.



The car now is absolutely clean and has two coats of AIO and one coat of SG on it. I cleaned one half of the hood with Platinum Pre cleaner and Platinum top coat. I am going to continue layering that on that half and see if there is a difference after I top with Souveran.
 
rleven - - IMO all of the responses are pretty good, although somewhat conflicting. Here’s my take on it based on a lot of experiment:



PUPP-C has finer abrasives than Klasse AIO, so it isn’t as effective in removing very fine marring or hazing, but it does leave a more reflective surface. In my experience PUPP-C is almost identical to P21S GEPC or S100 SEC.



Something to consider is that AIO may contain chemicals that do a better job of prepping the paint for a topping of SG that another polish/cleaner may lack. :nixweiss



PUPP does give a slicker finish with better depth and reflectivity than SG, and it does top well with carnauba. But, it may not be as protective nor as durable as SG. :nixweiss



If you feel like experimenting, then you might try different combinations in a side-by-side test. You can easily go back down to bare paint and start over with the sequence that works best for you. If you don’t feel like experimenting, then I’d go for 1xAIO, 3xSG, several thin layers of either Souverän, P21S, or S100 paste.



Selling a used car really puts your ethics to the ultimate test! Good luck and enjoy your new CLK500!



Gary H. - - Even a brand new car should be clayed before the first polishing. Unless you took delivery straight from the paint booth at the factory there will be some “stuff� embedded in the paint. If you polish first, before claying, this “stuff� will be ground down to the level of the clear coat and can never be removed because later claying has nothing to grab onto. If that embedded stuff contains iron there is a good chance of getting tiny rust spots a few years down the line.
 
Hi Gary,

I agree with Nick T, a new car should be clayed. I just bought a brand new 2003 Toyota Corolla Sport for my wife. The car had just arrive from the factory after being built only 3 weeks earlier. I decided to clay it even though it was covered with hood, roof, and quarter panel plastic sheeting from the factory.



There was a ton of contaminents on the front fenders that you would not have seen or even felt. I could feel and hear the clay taking these contaminents off! I too was a little shocked knowing how this car was just delivered to the dealer.
 
There was a lot of crud especially around the wheel wells that I got off. All around a good exercise.



Nick T.

Maybe you misunderstood me. On 1/2 the hood I used only Platinum Product and on the other 1/2 and the rest of the car I used AIO X2 and 2XSG so far. One more coat tomorrow and then Souveran throughout the week. So far I cannot tell any difference. I will have to wait until all is cured before telling. I have 2 coats of Platinum top stuff on the one half on top of the platinum cleaner. I want to wait until I get 2 or 3 coats of souveran on top before really taking a good look at it.

Bob
 
Bob - - I didn’t misunderstand you. I started typing my 9:49 post before your 923 post was up, got interrupted for a few minutes and never did see that post until just now. Sorry for my seemingly inane post!



You’re doing just exactly what I was hoping that you’d try! Further suggestion: I suppose that you divided the hood longitudinally for the Klasse and the Platinum. How about dividing it laterally and only putting Souverän on either the front half or rear half. Now you’ve got a comparison of both synthetics, each with and without carnauba. And please post your findings - Enquiring minds want to know!



-Nick
 
That is a very good idea. I will post results w/pics when I get to the 3Xsouveran stage. I think that I will also keep it there for a while to test longevity of the treatment. I will only use FI on the hood. That way no silicones or waxes are added during the summer.



To document so far I have:

Silver-Grey BMW M3 Cabriolet. Production Date: 3/20/2003



Washed with Original Blue Dawn.

Clayed with Claymagic

AIOX2

SGX2



On the hood divided longitudinally:

1/2 AIOX2 and SGX2

1/2 Platinum Pre-CleanerX2 and PUPPX2

SG and PUPP removed with Waffle Weave MF misted with FI
 
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