Clay / polish question

luckydawg

luckydawg

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Are there any clay bars out there / available that will take out surface contaminants -- yet fine enough that polishing will not be necessary?
 
I wonder too but if people report MFs marring paint I really doubt there's any clay that doesn't.
 
Bill D said:
I wonder too but if people report MFs marring paint I really doubt there's any clay that doesn't.
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People are saying un contaminated MF towels are marring paint?
That just doesnt sound right
 
I saw someone mention that IIRC. I always do the CD test before I use mine
 
luckydawg said:
Are there any clay bars out there / available that will take out surface contaminants -- yet fine enough that polishing will not be necessary?
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I think most lean on the side of, "I never clay unless I polish afterward."

One guy I know feels the old Sonus clay was fine enough, if done right, to not need polishing after.

I've done "clay" without polishing before. Maybe depends on the paint, color, clay, technique, vehicle owner. YMMV
 
Here's a comment I made on this thread..... https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/product-reviews/121478-review-blackfire-clay-mitt.html?highlight=

"Knowing that claying can mar the paint, I did a test spot. I did NOT want to machine polish the car. Granted, I took a Flex 3401 along with Blackfire’s Paint Cleaner just to be on the safe side. So the test spot. Using the lightest pressure I’ve ever used on a clay tool, I proceeded to do half the hood. I washed, rinsed and dried the test section. Inspected closely. NO MARRING! Sweet, we’re good to go!"
 
I've managed to mar soft Toyota paint with my clean fingertip, not fingernail, before so it is far easier than you think depending on the paint.

There is no way I'd clay without following up with polish. Depending on which clay or clay substitute you use, the type of lubrication, etc there is always a risk of marring no matter how hard or soft the paint. Even when being really careful I've manged to leave a few marks behind when claying. I figure if there are some marks which are obvious and I know I made them with the clay, there are others I didn't see right away. By polishing afterwards I never have to worry about it. That doesn't mean I'm sloppy with the work, I just know I'll remove an errant marring from the clay process.
 
When/if I have to clay in the fall, I don't worry about the marring. The clear on my Ram is a little on the hard side, and the metallic gray pretty much hides any marring.

So I just clay what I have to, then throw my winter coat on (476s). This further hides any potential marring.

In the Spring, it always gets clayed and a full polish afterward.
 
I am fixing to get my Jeep back from the paint shop pretty soon. My guy is putting 3 coats of "high solids " clear on it. I am not concerned about using the clay on it anytime soon, but this Jeep will be left outside 24-7 / 365 so eventually it will have to be clayed. I have no idea yet if this "high solids" is a hard or soft clear- maybe someone can chime in if they know / have experience with it. I have a new can / bar of PA clay that was super pricey-- thats what I intend to try when the time comes
 
If I’m putting any kind of abrasive decontaminate on paint it’s getting a light polish after. Don’t care how soft it might be or how hard the paint is.
 
I have always heard "if you clay--- you polish "
But with new developments with these new fangled products- Was just checking to see
 
2wookies said:
If I’m putting any kind of abrasive decontaminate on paint it’s getting a light polish after. Don’t care how soft it might be or how hard the paint is.
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I thought the same at first, but my truck is a DD and winters here in NY can be nasty. Protection, and not Perfection is my goal here.

Clearcoats are thin. (I think a guy named Mike mentioned this here on AGO........ Lol) And polishing twice a year just doesn't make sense for me. (JMO for my particular situation).
 
Test spot, as with most things detailing. That's ultimately how one can decide which steps to take.

What makes you happy? Or the owner, if they're paying you.

The owner of this was VERY happy. He didn't want a polish. I had polished his 80s Porsche a while ago, and he was happy with that as well. But for his daily driver truck, he just wanted "wash, clay, and wax". He liked how the paint "popped" [his word] when I was done

e36424e147a13dc091042ba09eab2455.jpg


Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 
PaulMys said:
When/if I have to clay in the fall, I don't worry about the marring. The clear on my Ram is a little on the hard side, and the metallic gray pretty much hides any marring.

So I just clay what I have to, then throw my winter coat on (476s). This further hides any potential marring.

In the Spring, it always gets clayed and a full polish afterward.
Click to expand...

When I still used sealants, I used a similar approach. The one difference is I'd apply a glaze after claying and before the sealant to hide any marring or swirls through the winter. It wasn't needed, but since my vehicles are all dark colored it made me feel a little better.
 
Desertnate said:
When I still used sealants I used a similar approach. The one difference is I'd apply a glaze after claying and before the sealant to hide any marring or swirls through the winter. It wasn't needed, but since my vehicles are all dark colored it made me feel a little better.
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So you dont use sealants anymore? Why is that?
You never had an issue with the sealants bonding after the glaze?
 
luckydawg said:
So you dont use sealants anymore? Why is that?
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I left sealants and now use only coatings on all my vehicles. For someone with three daily drivers in the household and limited time, coatings make life much easier on several fronts.

Instead of having to block out time twice a year to detail those vehicles and apply an LSP, I now only do them once every two years. Also, I have them on an alternating schedule so I never do more than two cars in one year and even then I can spread them out between spring and fall. I no longer have to carefully schedule the detailing work to ensure the LSP will get me all the way through the winter.

The water shedding and easy to clean properties also make them far easier and faster to wash. All manner of horrible grime just wipes right on in a bucket wash far easier than with sealants I've used in the past. The fact a dusty car can be washed almost totally clean with a hard rain is just an added bonus.

All of that said, I will be doing a test on my own car of the new Wolfgang SiO2 Sealant this winter simply to see what it's like. I was given a bottle, so I'll make the most of it. However, next spring I'll be back to a coating.

You never had an issue with the sealants bonding after the glaze?
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No I didn't, but that is because I used either Poorboys Black Hole or Prima Amigo which are both designed to be topped with a sealant.
 
I’ll be the guy to say that I’ve used a cleaner polish in lieu of a clay bar.
The paint passed the plastic baggy test, but it had some spots on it.
Followed up with an siO2 primer polish, then a 25% SiO2 coating.

I did use the Griot’s synthetic clay sponge on the car a couple years ago, and since it’s gathered a staggering 2,200 miles since then, I skipped the clay process.
 
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