Am I doing something wrong: I need to clay 3x in 2 months

R

RaysMD

New member
This is absolutely rediculous. Granted I might be a little OCD, but there's so much grime on my car (just behind the front and rear wheel side panels). I've had to clay my car 3 times in the past 2 months. Maybe I'm washing the car incorrectly, but I doubt it. The grime just won't come off with dawn dish soap or anything else.



Just today, I decided not to wax my car because I didn't have any clay bars around. I washed twice hoping that the road grime would go away, but it didn't. I was driving in the rain a lot (NJ weather is horrible) this past week, so that may be the culprit.



That was just a little rant because I'm pissed that I can't wax my car today. Went through the whole wash and everything. Oh well, maybe I'll switch to Zaino for its durability.
 
RaysMD said:
The grime just won't come off with dawn dish soap or anything else.
Click to expand...



Do you keep that area well-protected? Is it possible you are ruining the protection by washing the car with Dawn? While switching to Zaino may be a great idea, I don't know that it would help this particular problem. A fresh coat of wax is pretty dang slick. If you are actually protecting it well and still experiencing this, I'm not so sure Zaino will help. If you aren't protecting it, then start doing that with whatever you have. See if that makes a difference.



Also, have you thought about getting a bug/tar removal product to spot apply when you have stuff stick there? I would bet clay isn't actually needed if it is frequent stuff that gets stuck there. I personally really like Meguiar's Gold Class Bug & Tar remover because it works very well on reasonably fresh stuff, but isn't overly harsh (I'm sure it removes protection, though). It doesn't leave the area dulled/hazy like many of the stronger products will.
 
Actually, I don't use dawn unless I need to start all over (i.e., clayed surface). Normally, after I clay and wax. I'll wash it the Pinnacle bodywork shampoo (it's not supposed to strip wax). Then I'll crystal mist it or wax it. However the past week it was raining almost everyday in northern NJ. So I didn't get to wash it for 1 week. I'm pretty sure it was the rain that did it. I was tempted to use the bug and tar remove on most of the side panels, but decided against it. I'm going to try zaino for it's durability.





Rays
 
In addition to the lower panels, is the "grime" on the rest of the car? It's possible that you have fallout, and often something like ABC is needed to completely neutralize the particles.
 
Nope the grime is only on the lower panels, especially behind the wheels.





Aurora, (from my other thread: turtle wax bug and tar remover):

The larger crud (grass and dirt) was removed using the turtle wax bug and tar remover. What's left is very tiny grime; the paint just feels rough to the touch and I can barely see it.
 
RaysMD:



You may want to look into a paint protection film such as Armorglove, Xpel, Stoneguard etc. This way, no more attack on the paint, just the film which you can wax as well.



Here's a pic of my Lexus SC430 with Armorglove on it. I had to highlight where it ends on the hood with polish as it's hard to see.



Armorglove



I have it on the front bumper/air-dam, hood, headlights, fender by headlights, rocker panels, side mirrors and door cups.



If you need more protection w/o film, you need to look into a sealant such as Megs #20, Zaino, UPP etc. Properly applied, more durable than just wax. Using some type of solvent bug/tar remover just removed the wax and anything else as well.



Most of the stuff is being kicked up from the tires under power, so it really slings it on the paint with force, this is why it's also harder to get off than just rain spots on other areas. That is why I'd go with at least a sealant for now. If that does not resolve the problem, then you may have to look into the paint protection film.



Another item may be some type of guard near the wheel well.



Hope this helps!



Regards,

Deanski
 
Maybe you just need a good set of mudguards. They keep a lot of crud off the panels behind the wheels. I see cars similar to mine without the guards and they always have a ton of dirt back there, not to mention stonechips, etc.
 

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My $0.02: nothing wrong with claying when you need to. If you clay gently it WILL NOT remove much of your protection, just the contamination that's stuck to/in it. Some find this hard to believe, but as I generally wax/seal my "drivers" VERY infrequently, I'd certainly notice if an area was unprotected.



Note that bug/tar removers generally also remove wax and sealants.



*I* think you oughta try a different wax or sealant. Dirt of most ANY kind, even asphalt sealer, usually just washes off my cars. Something "slick" will shed the dirt when you wash. And I no longer wash even as frequently as once a week.



Pinnacle's shampoo is, IMO actually QUITE tough on wax. I quit using it and noticed an immediate difference for the better (I now use Griot's).



Accumulatorette just got back from a LONG roadtrip in her A8. It was REALLY dirty (and had been for about two weeks), with a lot of stuff behind the wheels and on the front surfaces. Just a normal wash, a little spot-claying, and it's good to go, slick and shiny as ever. No need to rewax.
 
Thanks for the info guys.



Deanski, I may think about putting on some paint protection later in the future. It might be sooner because I just found a lot of stone chips. I guess I've been driving pretty fast these days to kick up all the dirt. (Acehole: I would put mudguards on, but it detracts from the look of my car; just doesn't look natural).



I've just ordered some Klasse AIO/SG. I'll top that off it some S100 as I've run out of Souveran. I'll give you guys an update once I've switched fromt he carnuba to the polymer process.



Does it matter that I'm not repairing the stone chips? The touch up paint is on backorder all over the country. I figure I'll repair it later.





Thanks,

Rays
 
RaysMD said:
Actually, I don't use dawn unless I need to start all over (i.e., clayed surface). Rays
Click to expand...

If you're claying 3 times in 2 months, are you saying you're also Dawn washing as often?

NO, NO, NO!

Clay works by shearing over a wet surface and doesn't touch the surface (paint/wax) only the protruding contaminants. DAWN REMOVES THE PROTECTION and could account for the problem that you're having.
 
nope, I'm only using dawn when I need to strip the wax and then clay the surface. Otherwise, I'm using wash shampoo that "shouldn't" strip the wax.
 
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