First Synthetic Clay choice help.

Fishing

Fishing

Member
Hello all, I am looking to try a non traditional clay substitute. Hoping to get similar results to using clay with less time swinging my hand/arm. I am thinking of getting the Griots Brilliant Finish Synthetic Clay. As This will be my first time using a substitute, any opinions on a first timer using the Griots ? Should I be looking at something else ? Thnx for any help/suggestions.
 

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Here’s a roundup performed by a well-trusted Australian detailer that echoes my own experiences: https://youtu.be/4QMjt4ztWrs

Look for a synthetic clay with gaps that allows shaved particles to pass through it to reduce marring. Whilst I haven’t used it to compare with the one in the video, I’m certain Optimum make a similar clay towel. However, not all are made equal.
 
wristymanchego said:
Here’s a roundup performed by a well-trusted Australian detailer that echoes my own experiences: https://youtu.be/4QMjt4ztWrs

Look for a synthetic clay with gaps that allows shaved particles to pass through it to reduce marring. Whilst I haven’t used it to compare with the one in the video, I’m certain Optimum make a similar clay towel. However, not all are made equal.
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The rag company produces the optimum clay towel now. I like it a lot. It’s very gentle and great for well maintained cars. My go to was the nanoskin fine autoscrub but the clay towel is much quicker.


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I use Griot`s mitts, nanoskin products-towels, mitts, blocks.

All work well for me! Keep a bunch in different grades.
 
I have used the griots clay (puck?). Worked well bit cars i used on were newer and polished afterwards.

I continue to use it.


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If you want a average synthetic clay pads,towels and disks I use Marflo normal 1/4 the price of everything else I use there king clay. It’s $10 or less for towel, pad,, mitt.
 
WOW thank you all for the great info,,, I have some research to do now :) I have never heard of Marflow before, thnx for letting me know about them.
 
Fishing said:
WOW thank you all for the great info,,, I have some research to do now :) I have never heard of Marflow before, thnx for letting me know about them.
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Sure. Its parent company is barillatech from China I have bought a lot of products from them over last 2 years and have had good experience with them. Marflo is good company the only product that I didn’t like was there pads they were too thick and made for old school rotary. The foam it’s self was great but thickness made them not work well on da’s.

If your looking for pads I use opti pad it’s a Swedish manufacturer maybe I’ll post a review on them. Very similar to lake country for 1/2 the price and they have whole range. I get them for around $5 foam or 6$ fiber or wool and like them alot
 
I`d just do a chemical decontamination with ValuGard`s ABC like the major automakers recommend.

Fishing- IF you do go with those non-clay mechanical decontamination approaches, I sure hope you`re able to do it without instilling any marring.

Are any of those products approved for use on matte/flat finishes? IMO that`s a clue as to their marring potential.
 
Fishing- Glad to hear you`re going into this the right way, fingers crossed that I`m just being Chicken Little and everything goes fine.
 
These products are pretty gentle. Even on soft black Japanese paint marring is minimal. Nothing a quick polish can’t correct. The valguard system looks interesting. How do you get it?


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You can get Valugard products by going to their site and ordering them by phone. I don`t remember the last time the online cart worked.
 
rand0m said:
These products are pretty gentle. Even on soft black Japanese paint marring is minimal. Nothing a quick polish can’t correct.
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But, leaving aside the topic of "knowingly damaging the paint just because you can fix it, lots of clearcoats can`t afford much correction. New cars with thin paint, older cars with thinned paint....and gee, the *time* do do a correction! Yeah, sorry, that`s my usual hard-sell :o But gee, if just washing the car three times can do a full decontamination without marring the paint, that`s always my preference. I just wish the "B" were a bit stronger (but then it would only be Accumulator-proof, and they want it idiot-proof instead).

I haven`t ordered anything from Automotive International/ValuGard for ages (the ABC doesn`t go bad), but when I did I called (800) 543-7156. No idea whether that number`s still good though.

Used to be you could get VG`s ABC at dealerships, Ford, Chrysler...maybe Ron Ketcham will chime in, Ketch is our resident expert on all things ValuGard (and a lotta other topics too).
 
Accumulator said:
But, leaving aside the topic of "knowingly damaging the paint just because you can fix it, lots of clearcoats can`t afford much correction. New cars with thin paint, older cars with thinned paint....and gee, the *time* do do a correction! Yeah, sorry, that`s my usual hard-sell :o But gee, if just washing the car three times can do a full decontamination without marring the paint, that`s always my preference. I just wish the "B" were a bit stronger (but then it would only be Accumulator-proof, and they want it idiot-proof instead).

I haven`t ordered anything from Automotive International/ValuGard for ages (the ABC doesn`t go bad), but when I did I called (800) 543-7156. No idea whether that number`s still good though.

Used to be you could get VG`s ABC at dealerships, Ford, Chrysler...maybe Ron Ketcham will chime in, Ketch is our resident expert on all things ValuGard (and a lotta other topics too).
Click to expand...

Definitely no need to correct unless needed. But even modern thin paints take quite a bit to get through. At least with a DA. I see a lot of value in a chemical decon like that, especially if you’re a detailer or maintaining cars that would benefit from clay more frequently (dailies, neglected, etc...) or just preserving a show piece.


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rand0m said:
Definitely no need to correct unless needed. But even modern thin paints take quite a bit to get through. At least with a DA.
Click to expand...

I wish I had *current* safe-clearcoat-removal guidelines...the only hard data I have is related to Fords from the era of my Crown Vic. (On those, you could only remove ~2/3 mil or ~16microns, which would indeed take a little while via DA.

But the last Mazda I had couldn`t withstand *NEARLY* that much! The only time I ever damaged clear to the point of "gotta repaint" was on that, via PC, with a *VERY* mild pad/product combo (the panel was getting reshot anyhow..). That paint was so thin it could *NEVER* have withstood any kind of "normal correction", let alone the kind of stuff we see/post about here.

Remember that it`s not about "cutting through" or even thinning the clear enough that it can be noticed under any inspection conditions; it`s about not removing the [however many microns of] clear that provide UV protection.

Or...you can just hammer it until there`s no way you can leave it in the sun for long..and then pamper it from that point on, as I did on my `93 Audi :D But I really put that in the "do as I say, not as I did" category!

Heh heh...keep `em long enough and *any* vehicle has to be pampered like a showpiece, which is sure a PIA.
 
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