Can a Newbie Use Clay?

A

asiandude

New member
I live in NY, and the weather keeps gettin cooler and cooler. Is there a way to wash a car without using water? I'm just wondering since during the winter the outside hoses/water are shut-off so they don't freeze. Also...I don't really have access to a garage, especially one that would have drainage capability.



If there is no way to clean the car without water....is it better to leave the salt (oh man...I just don't think I'll be able to bear that!) or take it to a drive-thru car wash?



Basically, what are my options?



Thanks



Moose
 
Any product that is going to work has some water in it.



If it is 32 or below, then the skin of the car is 32 and any product will freeze on the surface, unless you can apply enough in quanity to raise the temp of the skin of the car.



Go to the selfserve, blow it as clean as you can.



Just wait for a warmer day, at least 50 to 55 and clean it properly.



Otherwise, you are going to mar the clear, have all kinds of trouble.



Sure, the selfserve and it's caustic soaps will attack and slowly remove what ever you put on the paint, but look at it this way, you will find out just how strong your choice of product is!



Better to get the salt off, and reapply later.



Sometimes our shops are so busy, even I can't get the guys to wash my Merc, so go by the wave a wand.



Good test of product, find out a lot of things. Will apply a competitors product to one part, another to another part of the car, then something new we are testing and have an idea of what is what.





Ketch

:bounce
 
I live near Detroit Michigan. Salt on your vehicle is one of the most destructive things hitting your paint or clearcoat. You can either take it to a drive through car wash avoiding freezing yourself to death, or take it to one of those high pressure do it yourself car washes. I think once it hits about 20 degrees you will want to avoid those. :) Also before it gets too cold apply a polymer sealant to your vehicle. Examples are Klasse All In One and Klasse Sealant Glaze, Meguiars #20 Polymer Sealant, NuFinish Liquid, Liquid Glass, Finish First, or Zaino. Polymer sealants stand above to the abuses of winter better than a wax. Do a search on "winter", there are other posts with more answers to your question.
 
For everyone who keeps saying wait for it to get to 50, up here in the north sometimes we get snow everyday and it never gets above 20 for a couple weeks at a time. We have no other options. And unless you buy an expensive heat blower, those little electric heaters don't seem to get a garage above forty when its 10 degrees outside with a strong wind. Once you have lived up here for many years, you will understand. :)
 
As you know, I am up there all the time.



At least this year, following a summer of orange barrels, we won't have to dodge as many "pot holes", pot holes my butt, some over the past few years would swallow a Peterbilt!



Ketch

:eek:
 
They just approved another billion in funding for more road fixes next year. Our state mascot is the orange barrel. Michigan has twice the legal weight limit for trucks than the highest state. As long as that never changes we will always have potholes :(
 
I've got 2 coats of AIO and 2 of SG on it. I'm going to try putting at least 1 more of the SG on it (hopefully 3 more :-) It's all about finding time, and cooperative weather.



Sounds like the pressure wash is the way to go! From how good everyone says the Klasse products are....I'm assuming it'll at least stand up to the pressure wash.



Thanks for the info everybody!



Moose
 
From Previous Post: Wash in the garage with the two bucket enhanced method (it's easier to keep the garage above freezing then outside). Take your mitt put it in the water bucket (use warm water from your bathtub for both buckets) squeeze the water over the panel at hand, dunk in the soap bucket and use the suds to wisk away the dirt. Go back to the rinse bucket and go over the sudsy car and rinse by squeezing the mitt. It's tedious, but you should only do the parts that need to be cleaned (depending on weather and road conditions). My roof gets washed half as much as the back of my car just because it stays fairly clean. Sometimes if the weather is bad (and slushy) i'll just rinse the lower side panels becuase they're going to get rocked anyway. Just depends on how good you want your car to look and how often you're going to do it. I always try to wash it correctly every other week during the winter. In my part of the state, it starts snowing in November and you don't see the ground again till March :)
 
I've learned lots reading the TID forum, and I'm excited to take better care of my car.

Can that include using a claybar, and if so, is there anything I need to know to avoid damage to my paint?

Washing seems safe enough: I'll use a shampoo and a mitt or microfiber towel. Do I then use clay every time, or only for a polish? Can the clay "scrape" the paint if used improperly?
 
DougNew said:
I've learned lots reading the TID forum, and I'm excited to take better care of my car.

Can that include using a claybar, and if so, is there anything I need to know to avoid damage to my paint?

Washing seems safe enough: I'll use a shampoo and a mitt or microfiber towel. Do I then use clay every time, or only for a polish? Can the clay "scrape" the paint if used improperly?
Click to expand...

Hi Doug,

First of all, welcome to TID.

I was a newb not to long ago myself. Using clay really is simple. Only clay if you are planning to polish your car, or want to remove existing wax or sealant. Make sure to use a good clay lube, and do a section at a time. Spray the lube over the area that you are going to clay and lightly rub the clay over that section in one direction. If the clay sticks to the paint, spray a little more lube over the area. When the clay becomes covered with contaminants, fold over and kneed the clay to expose a clean side of the clay and do the next section. Wipe off the lube when the section is done, and move on to the next section.

Just be gentle with it, and you will be good to go.
 
Hi Doug,

Welcome to Truth In Detailing :w00t:

As Barry has already mentioned. Claying the car after washing and drying is 1 way & quite frankly, the proper way :wizard:

Of course, theres always another way :doh:

After giving your bady a proper bath using the 2 bucket method. Give her 1 final rinse. After that get your lube and clay and start on the roof and work down rinsing off the car as you go/one section at a time :wink:

You will need to put adequate pressure on the clay to remove the contaminents, just don't go crazy putting to much pressure on the paint, most importantly keep the surface wet...Play around with it, you'll get the hang of it fast :Swordfight:

Oh yea, be sure and use a mild clay. Stay away from the red stuff if at all possible :2 cents:
 
+1 on the above posts. One additional thing that I learned about 4 years ago with clay - get all the big stuff off the car. Tar/asphalt specs are one thing, chunks will trash the finish :mad:
 
Good advice above. My simple rules for clay are these:

1. Car MUST be clean.

2. Use PLENTY of lube. More is better and lube is cheap.

3. Break the clay into 3 or 4 small pieces before using.

4. Work small areas 2' x 2'.

5. If you drop it on the floor or driveway, throw it away.:driving:
 
I am a newbie myself and was very apprehensive the first time I clayed my car.
Everything turned out fine. And believe me, there is nothing that is too simple for me to screw up.
All the advice above is good. Especially what Luster said about tossing the clay if you drop it. There is no 8 second rule, you will not be able to pick the contaminants out, or kneed the clay to the point that it is safe to use. Just accept the fact that particular piece of clay is done.
Oh, and by the way you will drop the clay sooner or later. Iron clad rule of life.
Just like death & taxes.
 
Welcome DougNew to TID, I myself had drop clay (3 times on same car) and it wasn't fun at all.:banghead:
 
These are great tips - thanks!

  • Do I need to remove the clay lube afterward? Another quick wash?
  • How much use should I expect from a silver-dollar sized lump of clay? Will I save a folded piece (assuming I don't drop it) for multiple uses, or does each piece last through only time?
  • Aside from using too little lube, are there any mistakes people make with clay that I should avoid? Anything that mars the paint?
 
zoomzoom mazda5 said:
Welcome DougNew to TID, I myself had drop clay (3 times on same car) and it wasn't fun at all.:banghead:
Click to expand...

To avoid wasting detailer's clay because you probably will drop it, place a towel on the ground under the area you're applying the clay so that the clay will fall onto the towel without picking up gravel etc.
 
Q & A on Detailer's Clay

1.Does my paint surface require the application of detailer?s clay?

Is the paint surface showing one or more of the following; coloured or yellow stains, water marks (spots) black metallic coloured flecks, a rough texture, etch marks (concave depression) oxidation, bug or bird excrement.

?Bag Test? put some saran wrap or a zip lock bag over your hand and rub it across the finish lightly. Every snag you feel is a surface contaminant that the clay bar can remove but you may not be able to see, especially on white or light coloured vehicle surfaces.

2. How often should I use detailer?s clay?
Usually twice yearly is average, but that would depend upon your environment and how you maintain your car see ?bag test? above, If you find the need to use detailer?s clay on a regular basis use a mild clay- Sonus SFX Ultra Fine or Pinnacle Fine Clay

3. If I?m going to polish the car with an abrasive, do I still need to use detailer?s clay?

Polishing and detailer's clay are very different processes. One good reason to clay before you polish; polishing can result in smoothing and rounding the surface contamination it making it significantly harder to remove later.

Although a polish / compound will remove the contamination there is a risk is that the abrasive particles will become embedded in the foam pad, which will cause surface scratches / marring by making the foam /polish more abrasive than necessary and may cause deep scratches

4. How often can detailer?s clay be reused?

Inspect the clay surface often and fold (knead) clay to present a clean surface to the paint to avoid scratching; when the clay surface becomes really soiled (it becomes more difficult to find a clean surface by kneading, relegate to wheel or glass surfaces and use fresh clay.

5. Do not over use a clay bar; your clay is done when the lubricant starts breaking down the clay and it begins to break up.

Take a 100 gm bar and divide it into 6-8 pieces (this allows you to drop a piece and not have to throw away the whole bar) A mid size car usually takes around 20-30 grams, once the clay becomes too soiled for paintwork, relegate to glass surfaces, and from there to wheel surfaces and finally discard. (See also Cleaning a Detailer?s Clay)

6. Will detailer?s clay remove the applied paint film surface protection?

Its abrasives (dependent up its grade) will remove an organic wax product; any oxidized polymer will be removed; but not a polymer that has formed a molecular bond with the paint surface

7. How long does the process take?

This would be dependent upon many factors, such as how well the car is maintained between detailing clay bar sessions, what type of environment is the vehicle exposed to, how contaminated the vehicle is and of course the size of the vehicle.

An SUV is going to take approximately twice as long as a Mini.

A mid-sized vehicle usually around an hour to an hour and a half; I would suggest 1-2 hours is an average time for this process. Ambient temperature will affect its pliability and may affect how long the clay process takes, if it?s cold place clay in warm / hot water before use
 
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