Need time saving advice

Loved claybars, they really worked well and some were way better than others..
I still have a lot of them, and occasionally use one for something or other, but they are not my first pick out of the cabinet...

But in a production environment, my trusty SM Arnold Rubberized towel is way faster, and it rinses off as you use it if you are using a hose or a wash mitt full or soap, or a clay lube..

I only use the Fine one, not the more aggressive one, so I had to learn to insure that I didn`t miss a spot and that I pressed down hard enough to make contact since it is Not sticky like a claybar usually is...

A really normal, dirty with embedded gunk vehicle is going to take way longer with a claybar because you have to knead it and get a clean spot or clean it when it loads up so quickly..

So the win would have to go to the rubberized towels, mitts, etc., now... they just knock it off, rinse with any liquid and the gunk is gone..
Nothing sticks to it..

There has never been a scientific test to see deep into paint pores to determine which is more efficent and faster, but I have to think after wearing out a couple of these things that the rubberized towel is going to win in terms of speed to finish...
Dan F
 
I briefly looked at this and came up with these points. I can elaborate if needed. This entire process should take about 3 hours to complete. Prep = 20-30 minutes. Interior = 2 hours. Wax = 30 minutes.

Craig_K said:
I am looking for advice on saving time doing a wash, decontamination, seal, and interior shampoo.
This is my current procedure:

-pressure wash wheels, tires and wheel wells using degreaser to clean tires and wheel wells and acid (Automagic Spoke) to clean wheels, most cases allowing the acid to dwell and then pressure rinse off works fine
- pre treat door jambs and gas cap area with APC or degreaser (depending on level of dirt) allow approx 1 min dwell time then pressure rinse door jambs and use brush and low pressure water to clean gas cap area


Don`t just let the acid dwell, make sure you allow plenty of time for the degreaser to dwell too helps tremendously. 1st thing you should do is presoak the complete vehicle with APC. 1 minute isn`t long enough. Give it a few more. Let it marinate while you do the wheels. Then powerwash.

- wash exterior with shampoo, doing roof first, then the hood, then the trunk lid (if a car), then horizontal panels. Usually washing 2-3 panels in between refreshing the shampoo on the mitt. Rinse panels thoroughly. Cleaning bug splatter off with other side of mitt designed for bug removal

- re-new shampoo mixture, use shampoo to clay entire vehicle. This step takes me a while, especially when the vehicle has heavy tar/road grime build up.
No need. Even though claying a car without polishing isn`t a good idea, if you are going to clay, I would invest in a clay towel. Use a waterless wash as a lube. Don`t rinse.

- dry vehicle with waffle weave towel
Dry only the standing heavy water. Do this quick. Do not do a complete dry. Waterless wash will act as a drying aid so just get the water off that *could* pose a risk for water spots.

- pull into garage, wipe down all door jambs


No need. If you washed the jambs properly, let them air dry. Wipe them at the end.


- working per area, vacuum loose dirt with soft brush attachment, wipe down plastic panels with microfiber dampened with 20:1 apc, use detail brushes to get in all the cracks and crevices and thoroughly clean cup holders, door storage compartments, center console etc. Use shop vac to remove and excess apc in cracks and crevices to avoid runs later on
- shampoo carpets with Bissell (I have a McCullough 1385 that I havent had the time to learn how to use properly yet), then shampoo upholstery. I usually pretreat with a citrus degreaser and agitate prior to extracting with the Bissell


Try to do things in this order for interior cleaning. Max 2 hours:
*Vacuum loose debris (a thorough vacuuming isn’t needed)
*Pre-soak fabric stains with appropriate cleaner
*Clean (APC scrub, wipe blow) door panels
*Clean center console, center pillar trim & dash (APC scrub, wipe blow)
*Clean left front and left rear seats
*Shampoo left front and left rear carpets & connected trim (vacuum & towel dry ~ extract as needed)
*Clean right front and rear seats
*Shampoo right front and rear carpets (vacuum & towel dry ~ extract as needed)
*Blow out complete interior (front to back or back to front)
*Final vacuum


- sealant is applied, while it is curing dressing is applied to tires and wheel wells
- plastics are dressed with a water based dressing and leather is conditioned if vehicle is equipped
- once sealant passes the "swipe test" it is buffed off to perfection


No waiting needed if you use time like mentioned to dress tires. Maybe even do the windows.

- glass is cleaned

Door jambs / end
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Ronkh said:
How ??

Same procedure, different media (ex for turning contamination inside, but you`d still have to decon towel)

Myself, I prefer clay. To me it gives a better tactile feel. But each to their own. But How is the towel quicker ??
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There`s more surface area with a clay alternative than a clay bar. I also find it works better than clay (as in less passes to remove contaminants).

My findings came when I compared my Riccardo yellow clay bar to my Nanoskin Autoscrub medium grade yellow wash mitt.

The wash mitt also holds lube so you don`t need to spray as often. You don`t have to fold or knead the clay alterative, just a quick dip in the soapy water and you’re ready to keep going. I typically use the medium grade clay alternative wash mitt although I have the fine blue clay towel as well. The fine clay alternative is good for lightly contaminated paint I`m not looking to polish (mostly friend’s cars who don`t go to the race track).

I can`t imagine going back to clay for my entire SUV. The clay towel and mitt also work well under the hood, exhaust, and the inside hub of the wheel where I had some rust building up from the rotor`s.

There`s nothing wrong with clay and it`s probably a bit safer (in terms of marring).
 
Accumulator said:
If something`s really contaminated, why not "ABC"/etc. instead of either type of mechanical decontamination?
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ABC is definitely on my shopping list!

I find Iron-X + Tarminator (or similar) help a lot with decontamination and there`s little to nothing left after for the clay/alternative to shear off.

Yeah, the medium grade clay alternative may mar the paint but I only use it when I plan to polish. If I don`t plan to polish I`m more careful and use the light clay alternative.

Fortunately or unfortunately (depending on how you look at it) I don`t see any marring on my silver Jeep (maybe just I`m getting old or my clear is real hard). Whereas with my mother`s dark red Ford, there was some significant although very light marring going on...
 
Ronkh said:
Heck, I clayed my Tahoe in 30 min or so...
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WHOA! I`m lucky to get my rocker panels done in 30 min. I guess we got totally different levels of contamination and/or your paint is way better protected than mine.

After a week of daily driving and racing, there`s rubber & tar up to the top of the A,B,C, and D pillars not to mention that Brembo brake dust and exhaust bonded on the rear hatch.

How big is your chunk of clay? I`m imagining it`d take me a medicine ball worth of automotive clay to get it done in 30mintes
 
4u2nvinmtl said:
WHOA! I`m lucky to get my rocker panels done in 30 min. I guess we got totally different levels of contamination and/or your paint is way better protected than mine.

After a week of daily driving and racing, there`s rubber & tar up to the top of the A,B,C, and D pillars not to mention that Brembo brake dust and exhaust bonded on the rear hatch.

How big is your chunk of clay? I`m imagining it`d take me a medicine ball worth of automotive clay to get it done in 30mintes
Click to expand...


I just lube it up and glide clay along. I don`t spend time on an area unless I can "feel" something, then I take as long as it takes.... I normally try to get tar off during wash stage. And face it, on a Tahoe, there will be no glued on rubber :(
 
4u2nvinmtl said:
... the medium grade clay alternative may mar the paint but I only use it when I plan to polish...
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Even with very gentle clays (and thus with the alternatives as well) I`d worry about marring *from the contamination*. IMO/IME once clay picks up something abrasive it turns into (potential) sandpaper.
 
Craig_K said:
I don`t think valuguard products are available around me unfortunately (New Brunswick, Canada) are there other products that will do something similar?
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Hey! I`m also in NB, Canada! Where are these local suppliers you speak of? haha, I find a hard time finding anything unless it`s online. Cheers!
 
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