Decon Washes vs. Brown Gunk

[Setec Astronomy]

I don't clay much anymore because I don't want to mar and have to polish after (because I am old and lazy? or maybe old and busy...and lazy). I had to clay one of my cars the other day and was surprised at the brown gunk that came up on the clay. Has anyone ever done any kind of side-by-side or comparison test as to whether whatever the brown gunk is on the clay can be removed from the paint using a chemical/wash method instead?

 

[chilly]

I don't clay much anymore because I don't want to mar and have to polish after (because I am old and lazy? or maybe old and busy...and lazy). I had to clay one of my cars the other day and was surprised at the brown gunk that came up on the clay. Has anyone ever done any kind of side-by-side or comparison test as to whether whatever the brown gunk is on the clay can be removed from the paint using a chemical/wash method instead?

I haven't tried any of the new acid + alkaline + unicorn tears + etc multi stage wash protocols

I believe old school wash + tar removal if necessary + test for iron and use if necessary + clay and then polish gets off a specific portion of the gunk with each step

I haven't tried the newer iron remover plus clay mitt protocol either but it seems effective according to the talking heads and kills two birds, etc

I just feel that there is stuff on there that will never come off without mechanical action unless you use something so harsh you would honestly never want to use it

But I am old school

 

[Desertnate]

I've not used them side by side on the same car, but I could see them as being complimentary depending on the use case.

Recently I gave my youngest daughter's car one last good detailing before she moved out of state after graduating from college. Her Honda fit is starting to show signs of clear coat failure and the paint is already shockingly thin. This meant no claying because, as you noted, I'd have to then polish out the marring. The paint is too fragile, so that isn't really an option.

This car had sat for at least 6 months in an college apartment parking lot through all weather conditions and it was pretty grimy. In order to deep clean the paint as much as possible, I did a pre-soak with CarPro Lift. I was quite impressed by the level of cleaning this pre-soak performed. The clarity and feel of the paint was much better than I recalled from previous traditional bucket washes. A follow up with a bucket wash had the paint pretty looking pretty good.

A long story to say, I think a good pre-soak would get you 75% (purely subjective number) of the deep cleaning you'd get with a claybar, and it is likely "good enough" depending on the job and/or your standards. I don't think it will get the tough deeply embedded grime out of a clear coat like a clay bar can, but would eliminate a lot of the grime you see on the bar when you don't use them.

 

[Setec Astronomy]

When I was reading about the new Optimum Decon Wash they said one of the reasons they developed it was that Opti-Coat installers were using OPC as part of the prep process, and they developed the (supposedly neutral pH) Decon Wash as a safer alternative. I'm not sure if the "brown gunk" is really just "dirt", or if it may be "rust" from diffuse brake dust contamination. I may do an experiment of rubbing an area with OPC (since I find that to be a really effective APC) and see if that reduces what the clay picks up.

 

[Eldorado2k]

I may do an experiment of rubbing an area with OPC (since I find that to be a really effective APC) and see if that reduces what the clay picks up.

Does it work if just rinsed with a pressure washer or does it require actual agitation to see those results?

Edit: I just re read that, and you haven’t tested it yet.

 

[chilly]

I don't clay much anymore because I don't want to mar and have to polish after (because I am old and lazy? or maybe old and busy...and lazy). I had to clay one of my cars the other day and was surprised at the brown gunk that came up on the clay. Has anyone ever done any kind of side-by-side or comparison test as to whether whatever the brown gunk is on the clay can be removed from the paint using a chemical/wash method instead?

So thinking through this a bit further

Here is a point that I am sure has been discussed in the past and that is the visual feedback you get from clay that you don't get from a synthetic clay mitt/towel/sponge simply because of the color of the synthetics and that fact that the synthetic is designed to offload the gunk

I personally think seeing that crap on the clay, in addition to the enhanced (at least to me) tactile feedback of clay is a really good reality check on just how contaminated the paint actually is

I will rarely use a synthetic clay without checking my work with actual clay, so to speak, on a small section of what would normally be the worst parts of the car, contamination wise

Overkill?

Maybe but I have pulled up more gunk with real clay following synthetic clay and the synthetic FELT like all the gunk was gone

I haven't tried any of the heavier/more aggressive synthetic products yet and they might very well get out everything, just like clay will, but you would still be lacking that visual feedback

IDK

Whatever floats your boat

 

[Setec Astronomy]

Yeah, I don't have any clay towels etc. but only because I have so much clay. I have been eyeing up those Autofiber Holey Clay products. But it's something that I have thought about, not being able to see what is coming off--this is kind of what has been discussed before with dark-colored wash media or toweling.

 

[chilly]

Yeah, I don't have any clay towels etc. but only because I have so much clay. I have been eyeing up those Autofiber Holey Clay products. But it's something that I have thought about, not being able to see what is coming off--this is kind of what has been discussed before with dark-colored wash media or toweling.

The newer breed of towel/mitt/sponge like the Holey Clay with the holes to carry stuff off, as opposed to something like the Griots "clay" with the dimpled but solid surface seem to be all the rage


I get that the holes are supposed to give all the gunk a place to go, although I am not sure that's a reality if you are constantly lubing or flushing or rinsing

The newer "holey" type all seem similar enough that you have to wonder just how many of them come from the same manufacturer and only differ in color of backing fabric etc

 

[Setec Astronomy]

The newer "holey" type all seem similar enough that you have to wonder just how many of them come from the same manufacturer and only differ in color of backing fabric etc

I think they all come from the same factory (or a couple); the Autofiber Holey Clay says it's very mild or something, which is part of what intrigued me.

 

[chilly]

I think they all come from the same factory (or a couple); the Autofiber Holey Clay says it's very mild or something, which is part of what intrigued me.

I have found that my Griots or my TRC synthetics will not cause any micro marring if the paint is clean and you use the correct type and amount of “clay lube”

They struggle with really bad lower panels and rear ends on neglected vehicles with months of layered road garbage but the heavier ones I have seen might be up to the challenge

I’ve actually been wanting to get a towel type for a while

The “wash, clay, seal” process intrigues me as well


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BLM]

Yeah, I don't have any clay towels etc. but only because I have so much clay. I have been eyeing up those Autofiber Holey Clay products. But it's something that I have thought about, not being able to see what is coming off--this is kind of what has been discussed before with dark-colored wash media or toweling.

 

[Desertnate]

I have found that my Griots or my TRC synthetics will not cause any micro marring if the paint is clean and you use the correct type and amount of “clay lube”

How soft of paint are your working on? I thought about using my clay mit periodically on my Subaru, but that paint is crazy soft like our previous Toyota. The Toyota I could mar with a swipe of my finger.

 

[chilly]

How soft of paint are your working on? I thought about using my clay mit periodically on my Subaru, but that paint is crazy soft like our previous Toyota. The Toyota I could mar with a swipe of my finger.

Toyota and Lexus lately with the TRC and Griot's synthetic clay products pictured

Iv'e used the Nanoskin mitt on Toyota and Lexus as well and until it got super sticky I had no issues with marring

Besides the Nanoskin mitt getting sticky, I felt it was much too stiff and didn't contour well or give very good tactile feedback

That is one reason I am looking at getting a clay towel, just for the softer "feel" in the hand