Does claying really improve the appearance of a finish?

I

imported_Faceman

New member
Hi,



If two identical surfaces with prepped identically with the same materials, but one had been clayed and the other not, would the be a visual difference between the two?



I appreciate that they'd feel different, but just wondering about the 'look'?



Many thanks,



Face
 
~One man’s opinion / observations ~



I think it would be hard to ‘see’ the difference, the flat surface would have better optics, but with just a naked eye I think you’d be hard pressed to tell one from the other



~Hope this helps~



Experience unshared; is knowledge wasted…/



justadumbarchitect *so I question everything*
 
Depends on the contamination that the clay would be removing. Some things, like ferrous deposits, really don't come out well with prep processes other than clay (or ABC). Since those deposits turn to "rust blooms", in that case you could tell (though perhaps not immediately).
 
I guess if the surface was REALLY dirty you would see it.



A friend of mine is not "into" cleaning his cars. His daily driver 1999 F-250 SuperDuty will turn 200,000 miles in the next week or so. He figured that for this big event....he would wax the truck for the first time.



Anyhow, I told him about the clay and he called me over the weekend to let me know that as he clayed...he saw the truck was a different color!
 
I would think that the surface without the clay would still have some minimal swirling. if you do not remove all contaminants from the paint and you apply polish/wax over them then you might be doing more harm than good :nixweiss
 
On a dark color car it might not make that much difference. On a light color like my silver car it makes a big difference. I can see every little speck on my car. I spot clay almost every wash.
 
Try this on a dirty finish. Wash a small area and clay a portion of it. Then attempt to apply some wax or cleaner or whatever to the entire washed area. I think you will answer your own question this way.
 
It does make a big difference if there is a difference there to be made. On my well maintained car, when I clay this year, it will not do much at all. However, when I clayed my Mother-in-law's car last year, it went from a clean looking car with a frosted glass type reflection, to a mirror sharp reflection.



The more neglected the car, the better it does. However, on a neglected car, remove oxidation with a cleaner before claying. Otherwise you just dirty up the clay with stuff that the much cheaper paint cleaner could take care of.
 
Relative Newbie's take:



The real difference will occur after you apply the wax or sealent. It will go on smoother, and bound better. So, even if the claying doesn't have an immediate effect, you'll have a better looking car later on.
 
I've always thought that having a perfectly clean and smooth surface made it easier to remove imperfections in the paint.....I think without clay a person could do the same calibur work, but it would take a little more time to get it right...
 
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