clay bar a 2nd time?

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redeye797

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First post. Very new to detailing. My ordeal started with trying to use inexpensive ceramic coatings. Live in SW Florida and am trying to protect my cars as well as possible. I have 2 brand new cars (one truck), and 2 older cars. I used 3 different products on the 4 cars. Griots, TW, and Jay Leno. All the cars were as meticulously prepped as I new how before applying the coatings. (aprox. 5 months ago) None of the cars received the protection that I had hoped for even tho I spent a LOT of time with detail sprays.(Even the one kept indoors). I have decided to start over using, hopefully a much better product. (Wolfgang). Being the great husband that I am, I decided to start on my wife's 2013 KIA. I washed it thoroughly with dawn and lambswool mit, 2 bucket. Follow by what I thought was a VERY thorough clay barring. (Maguire's) It looks and feels like glass...Until I put my hand in a plastic bag! Contaminates everywhere.
I went ahead and used Griot's Complete Compound using a Random orbital polisher, followed by Griot's Complete polish. There are no swirl marks to speak of (MAYBE some very small ones here and there) but there are still contaminates present. They are not severe and the car looks great. I really don't want to do this process over so I will probably go ahead and apply the ceramic coating. My question is (finally), Should I have clayed it a 2nd time? Used iron-x? A different clay bar? or something else entirely? I have a new truck, an 06 charger and my "baby" (2021 challenger redeye) still to go. So only one more real "practice car" and then I really need to get it right. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. At 61 I am all for working smart, not hard!
Thank you all in advance, I am really looking forward to learning!
 
Welcome to the rabbit hole! Lol

First, do not use dawn to wash your vehicles....leave it for what it works beat on...the dishes and poor crude oil covered animals. Dawn will leave surfactants on the surface that will only mask your previous wax/sealant, not actually degrade/ remove them.
At a minimum use a simple ph balanced soap.

You should use an iron remover before claying. It will help to remove some/ break down iron deposits/ other contaiminants. Depending on the sevearity of bonded containaments you may need a mild aggressive clay. Or dont worry about chasing every last thing on the paint, im sure ive left some b4 that i just didnt see.

I would just hit the wifes car with a iron remover and see what remains then make a choice of leave it or remove it. Depends on how picky you are.

The first three brands of "ceramic coatings" you listed...are not actually a true ceramic coating. They are only ceramic spray sealants that contain sio2. So you are not going the see the real longgevity, hydrophobic properties, cleaning ability and such like you would from a coating lite or full ceramic coating.

So look and see...what wolfgang ceramic product is it that you have and want to use?

Lastly, using a detail spray on top of a ceramic coating is pointless, as you will then see the properties of the detail spray(not the coatings properties) until the detail spray wears off



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Take your time claying after using an iron remover and stick a fork in it and call it done.
 
I think the issue that hits alot of us when we’re 1st starting out and dive into the claybar process for the 1st time is they don’t include enough detail spray aka claylube in those kits, leaving us to either not use enough lube and marr up the paint, or simply not have enough lube to properly finish the job if our vehicle happens to be heavily contaminated.

Use car wash soap instead of dishwashing detergent to wash the car.

Next time you clay [immediately after washing the car] have the bottle of detail spray to use as lube, but also have a fresh bucket of soapy water [not the same bucket you just used to wash the car because it might have dirt from just having used your mitt] to use as lube. Take a Clean washmitt and use it to continuously saturate each area as you go across the vehicle and clay.

Once you’ve finished drying, go over each panel with your hand in a plastic bag and don’t proceed to the next step until you’ve confirmed it’s all smooth.

Sometimes a vehicle will require going over more than once with the claybar if it’s the 1st time it’s ever been attempted. It’s more common than you’d think. Good luck.
 
Wash the car with a good automotive soapy solution. Using a clay bar is the mechanical means of removing contaminants from the finish surface while products like iron X is a chemical process to accomplish the same thing. Myself, I use a good clay like pinical and use my car wash solution and a heavy wash kit to keep the area flooded while I clay. I am not big on using the chemical on my painted surfaces-- only in areas that the clay wont get to. I use the chemicals for my wheels. As much as I do not like the fella that has the franchise for my area- I have found that CarPro Sic coating to be very good so far.

Good Luck
 
luckydawg said:
Wash the car with a good automotive soapy solution. Using a clay bar is the mechanical means of removing contaminants from the finish surface while products like iron X is a chemical process to accomplish the same thing. Myself, I use a good clay like pinical and use my car wash solution and a heavy wash kit to keep the area flooded while I clay. I am not big on using the chemical on my painted surfaces-- only in areas that the clay wont get to. I use the chemicals for my wheels. As much as I do not like the fella that has the franchise for my area- I have found that CarPro Sic coating to be very good so far.

Good Luck
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You are correct in saying that claying is a mechanical way of removing contaminants, however Iron X is not the same thing as claying. Iron removers are meant to remove iron particles that claying might not remove. Claying might remove some loose iron particles, but not all. A chemical remover is needed, thus the purple color that is dissolving the iron particles.
 
Also the off the shelf Meguiars clay bar is garbage.
Get the Mothers clay right next to it. That is a VERY good clay
 
I saw that Meguiar’s clay at Harbor Freight and now I’m glad I passed. It wasn’t that cheap either.
 
I would also use an iron remover and a tar remover also if needed.

I prefer synthetic clays and you can usually find Mother’s Speed clay or Griots brilliant finish synthetic clay at your local AutoZone or Advanced.

I would also recommend the mother’s bar to get into tight spots where those synthetic ones can’t reach

Get a good QD for clay lube. As for those brands you mentioned none offer any substantial sio2 protection.

A ceramic coating will leave 25-95% solids in your paint after the carrier has evaporated. They are usually solvent based and a little more meticulous to apply.

What you are using are basically sealants with roughly 5% sio2. They have waxes and polymers that are leaving behind protection. Nothing wrong with that but just expect sealant durability and protection.

The Griot’s product is decent but if wanting to step it up a notch look to Adam’s Advanced Graphene spray coating. More durability and more like a sealant on sio2 steroids. A good real 6-8 months protection

I personally would step up one more notch and look at a coating light, in particular Gyeon CanCoat Evo. 8-15 months protection.

If you feel like putting something on that will last 1.5 to 3 years look to a true ceramic coating. They have gotten alot easier in recent years.

I over thought my 1st time but it was pretty simple.

Be carful though. This hobby has me buying $100 16oz bottles of LSP’s to top ny ceramic coating in between QD applications and looking for the best drying aids.

Literally sunk thousands into it and will drop thousands more.

Good luck on the other rigs and let see some pics of the Redeye.


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I'll be the dissenting opinion here. Hopefully no one will revoke my enthusiast card. :D

If you've clayed and removed a good amount of contaminates, polished it out to your liking, and the car looks good, then leave it alone and press on! Using other clay products and iron removers may remove additional contaminates, but is it really worth all the extra time and effort for a vehicle that already looks good? Only you can say. Don't frustrate yourself with a level of perfection that may not be possible and/or will take you away from other things important to you.
 
Desertnate said:
I'll be the dissenting opinion here. Hopefully no one will revoke my enthusiast card. :D

If you've clayed and removed a good amount of contaminates, polished it out to your liking, and the car looks good, then leave it alone and press on! Using other clay products and iron removers may remove additional contaminates, but is it really worth all the extra time and effort for a vehicle that already looks good? Only you can say. Done frustrate yourself with a level of perfection that may not be possible and/or will take you away from other things important to you.
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lol. J/k

As far as the Meguiars Claybar… Some of you voiced your displeasure about it, but nobody gave a reason why. Could you explain what it is you don’t like about it?

I initially didn’t like this “new and improved” version of the Meguiars consumer version claybar found in the claykit because it felt different when kneeding it, but once I got over that small change I found it to work just fine and that’s the important part, so I ended up Not having an issue with it.

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These days I pretty much go straight for the Meguiars Aggressive Red Clay on every vehicle that I clay regardless of it’s condition and I can’t tell you where my claymitt is located because I haven’t even thought about using it in a very long time. Lol.

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Eldorado2k said:
As far as the Meguiars Claybar… Some of you voiced your displeasure about it, but nobody gave a reason why. Could you explain what it is you don’t like about it?
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Imo kneeding it is a pain in the ass, the clay is like a stiff piece of plastic that really fights to form to panels and it really does not remove things that imo it should be.

All those things especially when a clay bar that is light years better (Mothers) is usually only one box away to the right on the shelf.

I don't know if ya have ever tried the Mothers clay that is usually right next to that Meguiars clay you posted but if you have not, give it a try and let me know what ya think.
 
Eldorado2k said:
lol. J/k

As far as the Meguiars Claybar… Some of you voiced your displeasure about it, but nobody gave a reason why. Could you explain what it is you don’t like about it?

I initially didn’t like this “new and improved” version of the Meguiars consumer version claybar found in the claykit because it felt different when kneeding it, but once I got over that small change I found it to work just fine and that’s the important part, so I ended up Not having an issue with it.
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I used the Meguiars kit from the store for a very long time and was always happy with it. I've got some McKee's 37 and some old XMT clay this is stickier, but never had issues with the OTC Meg's stuff.


These days I pretty much go straight for the Meguiars Aggressive Red Clay on every vehicle that I clay regardless of it’s condition and I can’t tell you where my claymitt is located because I haven’t even thought about using it in a very long time. Lol.
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Do you have any marring issues you with the red clay beyond what you'd find with a milder clay?
 
98CayenneTA said:
Imo kneeding it is a pain in the ass
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….Well I can’t disagree with you there. Initially it is a PITA. I even came on here to complain about it. But once it’s broken in it starts to behave normal. But yes, initially it’s a huge turnoff. Like dealbreaker style.

I thought I was going to have to run this piece of iron over with my car to make a pancake out of it. Lol.

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Desertnate said:
Do you have any marring issues you with the red clay beyond what you'd find with a milder clay?
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I’ve only had it marr a panel maybe once, and it was 1 of those situations where I needed to refill my bottle but I was almost done so I was lazy to walk back and refill so I stretched the last of it and got a bit of marring… But the rest of that same vehicle was clear.

I’m in the middle of claying that black limousine right now. I’ll show you no marring. [yes it’s black, not blue. I must’ve been color blind when I said it was blue] lol.

That clay means Business.I love it. Best $22 bucks you can spend.
 
chilly said:
Jim White uses a totally different brand of clay but he tosses a couple of bars in a clean bucket and dumps in a tea kettle of water just off the boil and lets it sit a while to make it easier to work

Wonder how any of the clays we are discussing would stand up to that?

One other thing stated here was using car soap solution as a clay lube; there is one well known brand of clay I have used in the past that disintegrated in soapy water but I can't remember the brand
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Still haven’t been able to use just soap and water. I’m sure it’s fine but use a QD for that process. Maybe would be better though as to not leave anything behind….


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Coatingsarecrack said:
Still haven’t been able to use just soap and water.
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I completely agree even though I did suggest car wash soap in my previous post. The only reason I did so was because he stated that he was somewhat new and I didn’t want to overload him with the whole you can actually make your own claylube scenario which you already know comes naturally but later down the line.
 
Desertnate said:
Do you have any marring issues you with the red clay beyond what you'd find with a milder clay?
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I walked outside and wound up getting into an hour long conversation about cars with my neighbor.

Ok here’s the pics of the paint I told you about. I’m in the middle and was playing around seeing what my initial 50/50 results would yield. I believe it was Monday when I polished half of this trunk but the entire panel has been clayed/prepped. It’s also very dusty/dirty now but the important part is still visible.

Hammered. Super hammered with swirls as it showed up. Fyi I used Megs D300 w/5” Megs microfiber cutting disc on my G21 for the left side of this test panel. [surprisingly it’ll need more than that]

Here’s the right side after claying. Swirls, but no marring from the red claybar.

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Close up

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Left side of the panel.

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Close up. This entire limo might require a 2 step to get it up to par. We’ll see…

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Entire trunk. Super dusty.

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I gave the panel a quick wipedown. It was so hot it was smoking. Cringe wipedown.lol.
I’m not liking the condition of this paint so far.

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Test spot doesn’t look very good in person.
 
98CayenneTA said:
I don't know if ya have ever tried the Mothers clay that is usually right next to that Meguiars clay you posted but if you have not, give it a try and let me know what ya think.
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I have used the Mothers claybar, once. The very 1st time I used a claybar it was the Mothers clay kit way back around 2008.

It was cool, worked fine. I remember it being sort of tacky and heavier on the paint for lack of a better word, but at the same time manageable to work with and not tacky on the hands, which is a good thing.
 
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