After you clay....

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packbacker1981

New member
Hello guys. I can't believe that I found people that care as much about their cars as I do. Most people just think I'm crazy!:crazy2: Anyways on to the questions. This is my first post so take it easy on me. I understand and have read all day today about claying the finish on my truck. Now what I really want to know is what process do I need to follow through with after I do the final wash. Do I need to polish it then with some PB polish blue or pro polish, then use some PB exp sealant, and then use the PB paste wax to finish? Then finally the FK 425? Any help would be greatly appreciated and if any other products would work better or if I got it completely wrong, please let me know. By the way let me mention that I have a Chevrolet 2500HD greystone metallic truck....don't know if paint color matters. Thanks in advance guys!
 
The answer to your question isn't as simple as recommending a specific product. It all depends upon the condition of the paint. Most of the time claying a car will induce slight swirling. A product like ProPolish might be the perfect ticket assuming the swirls are light. If the vehicle has never been fully detailed (completely clayed, polished, washed etc.) chances are the swirls are a little more than slight. If this should be the case then a heavier polish (compound) may be necessary before waxing or sealing.

You can take a look at some of the pictures already on the site and see various degrees of swirls. The products used associated with these various threads can give you some idea of how aggresive of a product you might need when compared to your paint. Of course the pad on your buffer will play as large of part in this as the polish itself. You didn't say what type of buffer you may have (orbital, rotary) of course when we talk about polishing some type of buffer is required. Changing a pad (heavier or lighter cell) can give the same result as changing to a heavier or lighter cut polish.

By the way welcome to the site. :welcome:
 
Thanks for the replies everyone. The truck is basically brand new. I have taken good care of it but it has never been clayed or the full process done to it. The paint is in excellent condition except it is a tad rough to the touch. Also a tree decided to leave it's mark on the truck with little brown dots that I don' want to scrub and scratch off, because they are hard to remove. As far as a buffer goes I have a rotary at the present with the 3M hookit system 8" (dark grey for cutting and white for polishing) that I have used for a couple of years, but I am really thinking about the PC right now. As far as the products that I mentioned, from being on the site for the first time today and reading all day, these were some of the ones that many people were using. Just trying to find some direction and do the complete process and not half butt it. Thanks guys!
 
clean-polish-protect

Once you have cleaned the paint with the a good wash and claying, that roughness should be gone. The next step is polishing to remove imperfections and deepen the gloss of your finish and that can actually be multiple steps. These steps depend on the depth of marring, swirls or blemished to your finish. A much used phrase which is a good rule to follow is " Start with the least aggressive first. " The amount of steps will depend on how aggressive you need to get. If I were you I would make the move and get a DA polisher. The DA is the perfect tool for beginners to achieve great results polishing their finish. I would definitely recommend this tool over trying to use your rotary. Their are many threads on here about it's proper use and using it properly is essential to getting good results with it.

Once your finish is properly polished it should be as blemish free as possible and the color should be deeper and wetter looking than before. Now you are ready for the protection. This can be a paint sealant, carnauba wax or combination of the two. Again their are many threads with various combinations that have been used with great results.

So the things to remember here are;

- clean-polish-protect. You can't achieve the best results unless each step is properly done before moving on to the next.

- least aggressive method or product first. Your goal is to fix paint imperfections without going deeper than necessary. The deeper you go the shorter life your finish will have.

- a DA will greatly improve your ability to achieve the best finish on your car.

- always follow up the polishing step with a good lsp (Last Step Product).

As far as which product is the best choice for you. That is always up for debate. Read over some product reviews and decide from there. We all have our favorites.
 
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