11 year-old 240sx....How much clay do I need!?

R

RatedG

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I have a White 1993 Nissan 240sx SE Hatchback. I went to a local self-serve touchless wash here up at school at SUNY Albany, NY. I actually washed twice to be extra thorough. I drove it out onto the lot and proceeded to clay my car according the methods used here. (Bill North? or is that just for Klasse?) Using a small piece of a standard blue ClayMagic clay bar, I noticed that the dull yellow-teeth look to my hood would only come off if I applied a lot of pressure, many many passes, and about 10 times the amount of recommended clay. Stuff still comes off when I clay that area I concentrated on. It took so much elbow grease and time I only did about 1/5 of my hood and ended up discarding about 1/3 of the clay bar. That 1/3 was completely saturated with brownish, yellowish, silverish residue from my hood. Is this normal of an 11yr old car that has presumably never been properly detailed? I just bought my car last August and have not done more than wash it and use some zymol on it once before winter (before reading about and purchasing the Klasse twins which I now own.) I want to fully and properly CLAY my car before I AIO and SG it. Here's a small pic the dealer took right before I bought it. It looks fairly white, but I think thats just the sun beating down on it. It's still not white enough for ME.
 

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maybe spray it down with 50/50 mix alcohol/water mix and see if it comes off on a rag or not. Or even prepsol to see if it takes it off before you clay.





Edit* I used the term rag...i mean a nice soft towel ;)
 
At the consumption rate you described, buy yourself a case of cases of clay bar kits!:D ;)



Otherwise try to find some chemical paint cleaner, like scottabir suggests
 
In your case, I would use a fallout cleaner before applying clay. If not available you may use first a mix 50% vinegar/50%water and after that a mix alcohol/water 50/50. This will help to remove contaminants reducing the work for the clay bar.
 
In your situation, I believe the claybar is doing the work of your non-existant wash mitt. Touchless car washes are great when it is freezing and your car has reached an acceptable level of protection. HOWEVER, a neglected auto needs the tactile advantage of a hand wash or three with auto shampoo at a slightly higher concentration. I think you will find that the hand wash will remove most of your surface dirt. Try claying after doing two back-to-back hand washes with a dedicated wash mitt and auto shampoo. Good luck and nice wheels. I always liked these cars!
 
What Thinksnow says, but...



I'm thinknig you're picking up oxidation too. Get a cleaner wax or something like Meguiar's ColorX. Search here for "remov* oxidation" or "cleaner wax". I didn't mention AIO or other non-OTC stuff since I figure you want to to this now, not next week.



I'd wash, remove oxidation, then clay, then wax.



Oh, and your car looks great. I've always liked the lines of the 240SX, especially the convertible, which was, unfortunately, only sold as an automatic in the US.
 
You may also want to try to do a Dawn wash, or wash with a *dilluted* cleaner like Orange Clean. Then follow up with a good wash with proper car soap. You may need to "scrub" since your finish sounds somewhat neglected. Next try your clay and see what your results are.



When I was younger, one of the detail shops I worked at had use use degreaser (same as we used for engines) on white cars, then follow with a normal wash. The cars sure came out white, but I hate to think of what damage we may have been doing with the solvent based cleaners.
 
The results will be worth it... Take your time and do one part at a time.. Get the hood perfect then move to the roof then trunk then sides... It might be better getting one part all the way done and see the results of your efforts..
 
I clayed a 91 Escort a while back, and I just used a single Mothers Clay Bar. It went from bright yellow to a dark brown, but the same bar worked fine for the whole car. Obviously, that clay bar went to the trash afterward.
 
Yea, go through and wash pretty well, but don't be too agressive with your scrubbing. If that doesn't do the job, move into some cleaners or polishers. I'd get some AIO if you don't already have it and hit the paint with that (AIO does wonders with oxidation). If that still doesn't help, looks like you're going to be spending alot of time and clay on your car.



Good luck.
 
Yea, I have a quality lambswool mitt at home and some concentrated car wash, which I'm gonna use for a good scrubbin and wash about twice or thrice over when I get home for spring break next week before I clay it again. I was gonna head down to Myrtle Beach, SC, but I need the week for more productive things, like my car.



Anyway, I'm gonna scrub and wash, and then diligently clay my hood with the entire bar if necessary. It's smooth as glass already from that last futile clay job, but it's still slightly discolored. I'd call it a real OFFwhite right now. One thing i'm not too sure of is that small section of hood that I already worked on--it's a pretty good white...but RESIDUE still comes off of it when I clay with good pressure on it. It can't be the paint right? I lubricate and always made sure I used a relatively clean surface of clay, but theres still silverish dirty white residue on it. Is that stilll fallout i'm picking up on the clay or is that my paint? I may also try that vinegar/water or alcohol/water solution when I get the chance, too.



Thanks for all your advice.
 
Don't clay with pressure. That's not how you clay.



White residue = oxidation. Not what clay is used for.



And don't "scrub" your paint. It's never done anything bad to you, so be nice to it. Let the products work for themselves.



And remember, take before and after photos for us to drool over.
 
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