Total newbie - clay, etc

L

lvalesko

New member
I'd never even heard of clay until a few weeks ago!



Running my hand over my truck felt like rubbing against 320 grit sandpaper. :-(



I bought some Clay Magic and just finished claying and waxing the hood of my white 1996 F150 and I can't believe the difference - WOW!



I have a few questions... while the clay removed about 80% of the gunk there is still some specks I can see and feel. Do I need to do it again or maybe use a different grade of clay?



Also there are marks like oily fingerprints around the edge of the hood from past mechanics and nothing seems to remove them - it's like they're etched into the paint. How can I remove those?



I washed then clayed and then waxed... did I miss any steps? The white just doesn't seem as brilliant as it did when the truck was new... am I too late in my detailing endeavor??



Thanks!

Lori
 
polish bud....you missed polishing....



polish brings out the luster/shine in the paint, wax adds a little looks, but more protection than anything else
 
toyotaguy said:
polish bud....you missed polishing....



polish brings out the luster/shine in the paint, wax adds a little looks, but more protection than anything else
Click to expand...

I second that. Preparation is at least 90% of the result. Probably there will be some oxidation of the paint.

A good place to start is the detailing guide on this foorum :

http://autopia.org/forum/guide-detailing/

You can also do a search in the Click&Brag section with following words : white oxidation ... and see the process others applied successfully.



By the way Welcome to Autopia.



:welcome
 
Thanks guys!



So will polish remove the leftover speck and bumps as well as the etched in fingerprints and stains??



What should I do now... wash, re-clay then polish and wax??



Will any polish work?



Thanks,



Lori :-)
 
lvalesko said:
Thanks guys!



So will polish remove the leftover speck and bumps as well as the etched in fingerprints and stains??



What should I do now... wash, re-clay then polish and wax??



Will any polish work?



Thanks,



Lori :-)
Click to expand...



You'd be better off trying to get those "specks and bumps" out before you polish. The last thing you want is to include those specks or bumps, in your polishing routine. Give the clay another shot.

Then quick detail, polish, reseal.....

Find a light abrasive polish. And let us know where you prefer making your purchases.....(Online, OTC)
 
a.k.a. Patrick said:
You'd be better off trying to get those "specks and bumps" out before you polish. The last thing you want is to include those specks or bumps, in your polishing routine. Give the clay another shot.

Then quick detail, polish, reseal.....

Find a light abrasive polish. And let us know where you prefer making your purchases.....(Online, OTC)
Click to expand...



OK, I'll give the clay another shot...



What do you mean by "quick detail"? And is "reseal..." waxing or what?



The previous 2 replies made it sound like polishing will remove more imperfections before I wax but you make it sound like polishing will seal the imperfections... I need to get rid of etched in fingerprints and areas where the white has dark streaks/stains.



I prefer to shop online and have used Autopia's site for my first purchase :-)



Thanks for all the help. :-)



Lori
 
Quick detailers encapsulate the dirt particles on the paint so you can wipe them off using a MF. Patrick's point is that you need to clean the paint surface again after you clay to get rid of the leftover particles. Resealing, as you said is waxing, either using carnauba waxes or sealants.



Some polishes remove imperfections, some mask them, and some do a bit of both. Depending on your situation and needs, you can decide what kind of polish you need/want.
 
mikebai1990 said:
Quick detailers encapsulate the dirt particles on the paint so you can wipe them off using a MF. Patrick's point is that you need to clean the paint surface again after you clay to get rid of the leftover particles. Resealing, as you said is waxing, either using carnauba waxes or sealants.



Some polishes remove imperfections, some mask them, and some do a bit of both. Depending on your situation and needs, you can decide what kind of polish you need/want.
Click to expand...



So much to learn!!!



Are Quick Detailers a product??? And what is MF??



I wiped the surface with a clean, dry terry cloth after I clayed per the instructions and it looks great... is that enough cleaning after I clay or is there a whole other step and product?



What's a good polish to remove imperfections, (I have the aforementioned etched in fingerprints, gray stains/streaks and also I noticed some swirl marks) ?



SO am I still loking at: wash, clay, polish and wax as my 2-3x per year steps???



Thanks you guys :-)

Lori
 
lvalesko- Welcome to Autopia!



While there are a *lot* of great products on the market, I always recommend the same thing for people just getting into polishing: 1Z Paint Polish (I get mine from Aloha & Welcome to Our Oasis for All Your Auto Detailing Supplies & Accessories where you can also get a scad of other good produts). It's even OK/nonstaining on many types of black trim and it leaves some wax behind so you don't have to apply your "real" wax until after the next wash if you're pooped from all the polising. The 1Z works very well by hand and is extremely user-friendly. My non-Autopian friends, who couldn't care less about this stuff, get great results with 1z polishes topped with wax ; a female friend who'd never polished before got great results on her Lexus using 1Z topped with wax (she was justifiably proud of herself too..got to say "I did it myself" to her husband :D ). She used 1Z MetallicPolishWax, which is slightly milder than their Paint Polish, hard to say which one would be best for you.



My only concern with stuff like Klasse AIO (which I do use and like) is that it's so mildly abrasive as to be functionally nonabrasive when used by hand, and most vehicles could use a little gentle abrading (sounds like yours could).



If you wash properly, you can just clay (if necessary) and add more wax for a good long time and not have to polish very often at all. IMO 99% of the marring on vehicles comes from improper wash/dry techniques. The "QDing" can cause it too, I'd probably recommend you simply let that go for now and just wash the car when it's dirty. "Quick Detailers" are spray-on/wipe-off products that can do more harm than good, but they can be a good quick "touch up" to restore slickness and gloss if used after a regular wash (which gets the abrasive dirt off safely).



Yeah, by "resealing" Patrick meant "rewaxing".



MF= MicroFiber, a type of fabric that's very gentle and works great for detailing. There are "plush" MFs (think fluffy towels) for buffing off polish and wax and "Waffle Weave" MFs ("WWMF") for drying. There are differing qualities of these and it pays to spend a little more and get the best.



Duffman- Note that #83 often/usually requires a follow-up with a milder polish. And it might not be the most user-friendly choice if you're working by hand.
 
Well, as usual, Accumulator's advice sounds like the best (I don't remember hearing that 1Z recommendation and rationale before). I feel I should mention that there have been several one-step products released recently (which, like the 1Z Paint Polish, I have never used) which have been getting excellent reviews and seem to be very user friendly as well: Jeff's Werkstatt Prime Strong, Zaino Z-AIO, and Optimum Poli-Seal.
 
@Accumulator just one question. you mention 1z paint polish. I bought one (it is cheap here in Greece 7.5euro 250ml tin) when I first read in another topic your recommendation about it. Is it PP proper for metallic colours? I ask because I use it to my moms two years old black ford fiesta (has a lot of swirls) and PP left some haze ( I polish by hand)



@lvalesko I suggest to just leave it for now. Just wait for the wax to be depleted (It depends on the wax 1-6 months) and after that period just do what everybody said...POLISH. It is to shame to remove and throw away all the work you have just done (my opinion) except you have became addicted to detailing :P.
 
Setec Astronomy- I'm a little surprised you haven't run across my 1Z-for-newbies advice, I'm pretty well set on that recommendation when people aren't determined to use a sealant. Heh heh, not that I expect you to read all my long-winded posts :D but I remember mentioning my pal using it on her Lexus before- she's a *perfect* example of why 1z stuff is something I recommend to people who are gonna try some hand polishing.



deathlok said:
@Accumulator just one question. you mention 1z paint polish. I bought one (it is cheap here in Greece 7.5euro 250ml tin) when I first read in another topic your recommendation about it. Is it PP proper for metallic colours? I ask because I use it to my moms two years old black ford fiesta (has a lot of swirls) and PP left some haze ( I polish by hand)...
Click to expand...



The PP *can* haze some paints if they're very soft, but that generally hasn't been a problem for me. IIRC some Fords have fairly soft paint, and that, plus the unforgiving nature of black, might explain what happened with your mom's Fiesta. Assuming you broke it down completely (not much worry about overworking 1z polishes IMO, so be sure you work it a good long time), then it was just a bit too aggressive for a final finish. I'd suggest a follow-up with one of their milder products like the metallic.



The PP is OK for use on metallics, the "Metallic Polish" name for their milder stuff goes back to the old days when the first European clearcoats were thin layers of soft lacquer that had to be treated very gently. I even use their Ultra/Extra on clearcoats of all types, which they still won't recommend (for liability reasons).



IMO you're lucky to have it available cheap! I really like 1Z polishes and while some more modern products get all the attention these days (and yeah, there are some great new ones out there) 1z polish topped with wax is still a perfectly viable way to go. I'm pretty particular, and I currently use that approach on two of our vehicles.



And yeah, I can see a lot of wisdom in your advice to lvalesko to just let it go until it really needs rewaxing. Heh heh, I suppose we're being Autopian heretics to say that...sure wouldn't be the first time for me :o
 
I only did the hood so I still have the sides and roof to do. :-)



When I do go back to re-do the hood in a few months will any of these polishes remove the scratches and swirl marks I can now see I put in the hood?? I think I used too much elbow grease with the clay. :-(



Thanks for all the great advice everyone!



Lori
 
lvalesko said:
When I do go back to re-do the hood in a few months will any of these polishes remove the scratches and swirl marks I can now see I put in the hood??
Click to expand...



The 1z Paint polish will do *something*, either remove or at least greatly reduce them. The effectiveness of that polish will depend on your paint (hard/soft), the severity of the marring in question, and your willingness to put in the possibly considerable elbow-grease. The 1Z MetallicPolishWax, being milder, will do less work and I somehow suspect that it won't be aggressive enough for what you plan to do (though that's just a guess).



Take note of what happened when deathlok used the 1Z PP- it hazed his paint. Sometimes you need to use an aggressive product to fix bad scratches; this aggressiveness will possibly (again, depends on the paint) leave some light scratches of its own (the "hazing") which must then be removed by an additional polishing step with a milder product. That additional step is usually pretty easy though.
 
Will the 'hazing' be very noticable in white paint??



What 'milder product' would you recommend??



And am I correct in reading that all of these products, (from clay to polish to wax) should NOT be applied by swirling when done by hand - that straight back-and-forth motion is better??



Thanks!

Lori
 
lvalesko- I'll try to answer the Qs in order.



No, the possible hazing from the Paint Polish shouldn't be too noticeable on white. You never know for certain until you do it, it might not haze at all or it might haze to where you see it (if you have very soft paint), but I'd expect it to look OK if I had to guess.



I'd follow 1z Paint Polish with 1Z MetallicPolishWax if necessary (that's what I do). If you just go with the MPW you shouldn't have any hazing at all.



I wouldn't worry too much about the direction. The idea behind that is that *if* you create marring, straight-line marring will be less obvious than circular marring because of the limited viewing angle (of a straight line compared to a circle). That could matter with the claying but you're gonna polish after that anyhow. If you work the polish so it breaks down (with the 1Z that takes a while but you can't really overdo it so just work it *enough*) it won't leave any significant marring (but will rather *correct* existing marring) so the direction shouldn't matter. Note that the PC polisher moves in "random orbital" motions and nobody says that *it* oughta move in straight lines ;)



But for an added measure of safety, you could move your buffing towel in straight lines when you buff off the residue from the 1z polish.



When waxing, if the paint and your applicator are clean, the direction shouldn't matter as the wax is nonabrasive; you shouldn't be instilling any marring, either when putting it on or buffing it off. You could, again, err on the side of caution with straight lines, but IMO the circular ones are more likely to deposit a good, uniform layer of wax. In real life, either way oughta be fine.



Always make sure everything is clean, the surface of the car, the applicators, the towels. Only use applicators and towels that are very soft (I'd test them on the data side of a CD, if they don't scratch that they shouldn't scratch your paint). Pay attention and check your progress so that if something goes wrong you catch it before you mess up a large area.
 
Thanks Accumulator!



I just placed an order with PakShak for the 1Z PP and with Autopia for the medium grit clay, applicators and MF towels.



I'm going to follow the 1Z PP with the Meguiars Gold Class liquid wax I already purchased.



So this weekend I'm going to:

wash

clay

wash

dry

1Z PP

wax

enjoy! (then maybe a nap)



You guys have all been so helpful - I'm really glad I found this forum. :-)



Lori
 
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