Bragon

I never clayed a car before until this afternoon. Wasn't as difficult as I expected. I had noticed, on my six month old car, that even though it was shiny it had a rough feel to it. I had waxed it several times and didn't make any difference. So after reading here I decided to clay and wax. I used Griots spray and it did very well. But my clay turned red. The finish got smooth and slick. I then waxed it a couple of times and I am much more satisfied. I don't know what got on it or if it had always been that way. It is covered all he time except on the road. Any susuggestions would be appreciated.
Bill

jlanka

do you have any before and after pics?

chuckbdc

It is possible that the clay removed residue that had been not totally wiped off when your car was previously polished or waxed.

Bragon

Why would it be red? Cloudy rainy day I'll get some when sun is out. Thnx so much.

Bragon

With winter coming on better to use a carnuba or synthetic wax?

chuck911

I heard 6 months old, clay, and wax. Did not hear "polish." If you're happy, be happy. But it sure sounds to me like you could use a good Griot's Machine 4 polish- and then wax.

About multiple waxing- big waste of time. Quality waxes like Griot's Best of Show are made by finely grinding up the rock-hard carnauba wax into a powder that is mixed with petroleum based solvents that hold the wax in kind of a suspended solution. That last bits a little vague, I'm no Walter White, but good enough for us. When we wax we spread this out thin, the oils evaporate off and we're left with a nice hard wax coating. One of the reasons a freshly waxed car looks so awesome is it takes a while for all the carrier oils to evaporate. While they're on there they add a little depth. But the point is, its not like putting on an extra coat of paint. If you wax again right away all that happens is the solvents in the second "coat" dissolve the first coat and you just wind up pushing the wax around. It doesn't build up. If it does, well wax build-up doesn't look better, it looks awful. No matter how many times you wax, you still always wind up with the same thin coverage. Take the time you save multiple waxing and spend it claying, because you WILL see an improvement with clay.

Bragon

I probably over waxed it. The car is six months old. I've probably waxed 8-10 times. Thnx

c4-toy

Can someone plz explain how clay actually works? Gliding it across a painted wet surface with no pressure I just don't get how it's effective removing contaminants. Granted I'm no expert detailer and only tried it once a while back using Zaino clay on my black 993. I could not really tell whether I was doing the job. Either the paint surface was already clean or I didn't do it correctly. Can one "overclay"?

LexVan

It's like 1,000,000 grit sand paper.

kosmo

its an abrasive and it catches the embedded contaminants.
the important part is to keep the surface properly lubed. I used concentrated mix of car wash soap and water.

chuck911

OMG! Everyone please PURGE all mentions of "abrasive" in conjunction with "clay"! It is NOT an abrasive!

Paint cleaning clays started with paint shops using it to remove overspray. That stuff was aggressive and would scratch. Paint cleaning clay today is very soft and when used properly will not harm or remove paint AT ALL.

The clay works by gliding on a thin film (water or detail spray) and accumulating contaminants around the edges. Contaminants stick up above the paint just enough to rise above the thin film and get stuck in the clay. If your car is dirty enough and you let it build up enough without re-molding the clay like you're supposed to do then you might scratch your paint. But with the contaminants, not the clay.

Always wash before you clay. Always clay before you polish or wax. You really cannot clay too much. But if you pay close attention to the way it feels, the amount of drag, and edge build-up, you'll be able to tell if its really needed or not.

zirrah

From a durability standpoint you want a sealant. Period. I recommned Menzerna Full Metal Jacket, but there are 10-15 that are all about the same durability wise. And if you really wanna get into it you can layer them. Sealant first, then after it cures you can add a pure carnuba on top. Sealants tend to offer a more clear gloss whereas carnuba is a warm sort of glow. The two combined is the best of both worlds because sealants last 4 to 5 times as long as carnuba.

Check out www.autogeek.net , best resources on the net for detailing info.

Monetthecat

+1 and 100% correct.

I clayed / waxed this weekend in prep for Winter. I was amazed at the amount of paint contaminants I pulled up from the lower side panels

ny991

Wash, clay, wax, whenever you wash use Griot's Speed Shine. Just wax every 4-5 months if it's not parked in the sun.

chuck911

Thanks for the autogeek link. I was just reading their writeup on wax vs sealant. http://www.autogeek.net/qude101.html Their description of wax is quite good, and they are pretty fair in describing sealants as looking as if they sit on top of the paint and lack the warmth and depth of carnauba. What I never have been able to understand though is why everyone promotes sealants as being so long-lasting when even these guys admit they only last 4 to 6 months? I've got more than 15 years experience daily driving Griot's Best of Show demonstrating that its good for at least 4 to 6 months. Year round. I can understand if people prefer the hard glassy sealant shine over the buttery rich deep carnauba glow (actually I don't understand- its more like accept the reality) but why the constant repetition of durability that's not backed up by performance?