To clay or not to clay?

Sealioo said:
Can any of the experts here address this stance? I've never heard of claybar alone causing marring (when done properly), but now I'm curious.
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i'm no expert, but rubbing anything on paint causes marring, scratches and swirls. the only way to avoid it is to not touch the car at all! and think of the embedded above surface contaminants, when they are abraded off by the clay they are still on the surface of the clay.

but claying is really a cheap valuable resource, even if it causes a little bit of marring.
 
Sealioo said:
Can any of the experts here address this stance? I've never heard of claybar alone causing marring (when done properly), but now I'm curious.
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Sure it can, especially the agressive clays, which can mar simply from the abrasives in the clay. And of course you can mar with the contaminants that get stuck in the clay.
 
Sealioo said:
Can any of the experts here address this stance? I've never heard of claybar alone causing marring (when done properly), but now I'm curious.
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IMO this is really a question of context. For anyone asking, no, you won't get marring if you use the clay properly and don't have supersoft paint. The stuff is sold at your average auto parts store because its mostly bubba proof.

That said, it does cause very slight marring that your average perfectionist might notice. BUT if you are wondering about claying, then you aren't that perfectionist, and you aren't going to notice that marring.

That said, I like the mothers kit as it has two bars, plenty of lube and a very plush towel.
 
frank213 said:
I am more of a rookie than I originally thought when it comes to polishing and waxing. I have a 3 year old vehicle which I have maintained regularly. Just purchased a PC system. What is the down side of not claying and just polishing and waxing?
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You would do more damage with the PC than clay!!!! :xyxthumbs:
 
To the OP I was in the same situation as you a few months ago. Had never clayed. I've use my PC off and on for years now but maybe I heard some bad info or something but I'd been under the impression you could scratch up your paint if you didn't clay right. Finally I realized I needed to do it, so I watched all of Mike's videos here at AG on claying and then bought the Mother's kit and did it. It was really easy and gave some great results. A plus is that the Mother's kit comes with a pretty plush MF towel. I've also read some info in reviews online (Amazon fwiw) that the Meg's kit is not quite as aggressive a clay as the Mother's. Since my car had not been clayed in the 2 1/2 years I've owned it, that was a bit of an influence on my brand choice.
 
Yeah, like Bobby G. and Nick have said, do yourself a big favor and clay first. The thought of grinding dirt particles and contaminants into your paint keeps me from polishing before taking that small but important step.
 
embolism said:
if you don't clay then any contaminants that have bonded to the paint (and don't come off during washing) will contaminate your pads and be ground into your finish, possibly causing marring, pigtails, etc...
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I'm with this man. :iagree:
 
JSMet said:
Yeah, like Bobby G. and Nick have said, do yourself a big favor and clay first. The thought of grinding dirt particles and contaminants into your paint keeps me from polishing before taking that small but important step.
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:iagree:We found that our pads remained much cleaner when we clayed, compared to not claying. Plus the results are like night and day. It's important to know when the clay has reached the end of it's useful life.
Greg
 
My favorite clay is Pinnacle Ultra Poly Clay. Very pliable, doesn't drag (with proper lube), and doesn't leave clay residue all over the car. My favorite clay lube is Dodo Juice Born Slippy. Check out these videos:


[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfxAesk4Po4]‪Part 1 - How to use detailing clay‬‏ - YouTube[/video]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opfK408uIxM]‪Part 2 - How to use detailing clay‬‏ - YouTube[/video]
 
Hi, I'm new to claying (and detailing) as well and my goal is to protect the paint of the car. I've read that Pinnacle Ultra Poly Clay is gentle so I've ordered some of that.

Now, I've never polished before so I want to stay away from that for a while. I'm thinking a non-abrasive paint cleanser, such as the Pinnacle Paintwork Cleansing Lotion, would be my gentle next step followed by a sealant/wax. Does this sound like a good starter strategy for me to learn detailing with?
 
This is off a 2 week old car

IMAG0501.jpg
 
pilfjd said:
I'm thinking a non-abrasive paint cleanser, such as the Pinnacle Paintwork Cleansing Lotion, would be my gentle next step followed by a sealant/wax. Does this sound like a good starter strategy for me to learn detailing with?
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It would be, yes.

Pinnacle Cleansing Lotion, from what I've read, is more of a cleaner and will not considered a swirl remover.

1-Step products like Meguiar's D151, Klasse All-in-One, XMT-360, Menzerna Sealing Wax APO 60 etc are examples of superb products to consider especially starting off.

Work on a section at a time and complete the panel. Compare it to the untouched adjacent panel and you'll be pleasantly surprised how nice these products work.
 
Claying is top 3 on my highest fun factor tools/ammo in detailing, make your car smooth as a baby's skin in 30 minutes or less.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
Ron, how many times have I told you not to put your clay on the ground?! :dunno::doh::nomore:
And here you're supposed to be a role model for young Poorboyians...
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Sometimes kids just won't listen......:dunno:
 
BobbyG said:
1-Step products like Meguiar's D151, Klasse All-in-One, XMT-360, Menzerna Sealing Wax APO 60 etc are examples of superb products to consider especially starting off.

Work on a section at a time and complete the panel. Compare it to the untouched adjacent panel and you'll be pleasantly surprised how nice these products work.
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Thanks BobbyG. I'm looking forward to it. I'll be "practicing" on my brother-in-law's car because we're both learning how to take care of our cars together. Can't wait for my AG products to arrive now!!
 
BobbyG said:
It would be, yes.

Pinnacle Cleansing Lotion, from what I've read, is more of a cleaner and will not considered a swirl remover.

1-Step products like Meguiar's D151, Klasse All-in-One, XMT-360, Menzerna Sealing Wax APO 60 etc are examples of superb products to consider especially starting off.

Work on a section at a time and complete the panel. Compare it to the untouched adjacent panel and you'll be pleasantly surprised how nice these products work.
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Yeah the PCL is not supposed to have any cut. Though, oddly, the page does mention that it rounds over the edges of scratches. It does act as as a glaze as well I guess, from what I understand of glazes, by filling in the light scratches as well supposedly (assuming there are any in the first place of course).
 
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