I just watched the clay magic video in the autopia store and it said at the end that you should use the clay every time you wash and wax which should be about every week. I also read somewhere that clay was an abrasive which takes a little paint away every time you use it so if you clay every week wouldn't that ruin your paint after a while? I just bought the megs smooth surface kit and wanted to know if that was any different than clay magic?
overdoing it with clay?
- Thread starter Jscort98
- Start date
Setec Astronomy
Well-known member
I find it hard to believe an Autopia store video suggests waxing every week. Wash every week, yes, but waxing no more often than say, every month. And if you wax every month, I doubt much will stick to be clayed off. I would say most (most, not all...sheesh) Autopians clay 2-4 times a year.
SVR
Dream Machines
No it doesn't take paint off at all. It's not that abrasive.
the other pc
New member
A common misconception. For mild clays it's simply not true. Use it all you want.Jscort98 said:
I haven't tried Clay Magic but the Meg's white clay in the kit is effective and mild.Jscort98 said:
PC.
baseballlover1
New member
Yea... you can use any kind of clay with any kindof lubricant.
All the above is true. Claying more than once every couple months would be nonsense...and while clay itself is not abrasive (at least most clays), some scuff-like marring can occur if too much pressure is used or if contamination is being removed. I personally would never clay dark paint without subsequently polishing.
Glossy McGlosserton
New member
I use clay every time I wash to remove bits of localized tough contamination (bug guts, dots of tree sap), usually after once again flooding the area with wash suds. I'm using the Sonus grey clay, which is much more pliable than the Zaino clay I first used. My car is white and I have never seen any marring from it. Maybe on a dark car, I would.
baseballlover1
New member
i dont necesarily clay EVERYtime i wash my car but i def. do it everytime i polish my car. And i have the zaino clay now. Im planning on after i finish it up using the sonus green clay.
Accumulator
Well-known member
Jscort98 said:
I find that the Sonus green really does seem to work best with the (oh-so-soapy
) Glyde lube, but it works OK with Meg's #34 too. I'd shy away from leaves-stuff-behind QDs, when I use them as lube they sometimes compromise the effectiveness of the clay (e.g. Griot's SpeedShine). IMO there's such a thing as "too slick" when it comes to clay lube.RAG said:
Well, noting that I (like Sherri Zann) spot-clay at every wash...heh heh, *you* of all people know that some vehicles get contaminated a lot quicker than others and that in some cases claying very frequently *is* called for. Heh heh, with all our clay discussions I had to poke you with a stick on that one
(Couldn't find the "poke" emoticon...)I've still got a scad of that Sonus gray you sent me...it's so aggressive I hardly ever need it, probably last me the rest of my life
Yeah, spot-claying off some bugs is one thing, but to clay your car (the entire thing) more than a few times a year just isn't needed.
That grey stuff is heavy for sure.
That grey stuff is heavy for sure.
Accumulator said:I find that the Sonus green really does seem to work best with the (oh-so-soapy
Well, noting that I (like Sherri Zann) spot-clay at every wash...heh heh, *you* of all people know that some vehicles get contaminated a lot quicker than others and that in some cases claying very frequently *is* called for. Heh heh, with all our clay discussions I had to poke you with a stick on that one
I've still got a scad of that Sonus gray you sent me...it's so aggressive I hardly ever need it, probably last me the rest of my life
fergnation
New member
Don't really see the need in claying the car after every wash. If polished right and if you are using decent enough sealants or waxes, particles should not be sticking to your cars paint (hence the word "protection". Also, if the clay is not being used properly ie: old dirty clay, incorrect lube, etc. it can cause marring. But and this is a big BUT, if your OCD is really bad that day, sometimes claying your cars paint gives you that giddy and warm feeling. Just knowing that nothing is sticking and your paint is completely clean can be very satisfying.
Okay I admit it. the OCD is bad today, I am rolling a bar of clay in my hands right now. Oh crap! got some stuck to the "W" key!!
Okay I admit it. the OCD is bad today, I am rolling a bar of clay in my hands right now. Oh crap! got some stuck to the "W" key!!
Junebug
JAFO
I take a different view for clay, to me, it's to be used after you thoroughly clean a car. And by thoroughly, I mean scrubing the front end, rocker panals etc with a APC and or bug/tar remover so that you don't see ANY crud left on the paint. Then the clay comes out and gets the stuff you can't see out of the paint. Your clay will last longer and there's less chance of scratching your paint with it. BTW, I use blue ClayMagic and car wash for lube.
Accumulator
Well-known member
I guess my regular spot-claying is a different approach than many employ...my wash regimen is so gentle that it doesn't always get *all* the conatmination off the vehicle. I use the Sonus green (very, very carefully) to remove what's still there instead of washing more aggressively.
As long as I'm careful (i.e., one short, light stroke, inspect clay for contamination, knead, replace clay after about three of those) I don't have any problems. Gotta watch that you don't move the clay across the paint once it's picked up contamination.
Yeah, I go through a *lot* of little pieces of clay. It's just my way of doing things, to me clay is a renewable resource and an easy way to clean things up without marring or even comromising my LSP.
But as RAG and I are noting, this sort of claying is completely different from doing the entire car. I don't clay the whole thing unless I'm redoing the LSP or preparing to otherwise do a full detail. When claying before redoing the LSP you have to be very careful not to mar...the clay might pick up contamination that you didn't notice was there; it's not the *clay* that does the marring (if you use the right clay properly), but rather something abrasive that gets *stuck* to the clay.
As long as I'm careful (i.e., one short, light stroke, inspect clay for contamination, knead, replace clay after about three of those) I don't have any problems. Gotta watch that you don't move the clay across the paint once it's picked up contamination.
Yeah, I go through a *lot* of little pieces of clay. It's just my way of doing things, to me clay is a renewable resource and an easy way to clean things up without marring or even comromising my LSP.
But as RAG and I are noting, this sort of claying is completely different from doing the entire car. I don't clay the whole thing unless I'm redoing the LSP or preparing to otherwise do a full detail. When claying before redoing the LSP you have to be very careful not to mar...the clay might pick up contamination that you didn't notice was there; it's not the *clay* that does the marring (if you use the right clay properly), but rather something abrasive that gets *stuck* to the clay.