If you had to pick... CLAY or POLISH?

T

tC_Crazy

New member
Hey guys, noob here. I read through the guides and how-to articles here on autopia, and I pretty much understand what everything does. However, being 15, and on a low budget (no job), I need to make a decision. I can either go for a clay system, or a polish. I'm looking for only OTC stuff, like the Meguiars Deep Crystal Polish and the Perfect Shine/Clay Magic Clay kit. If you guys had to pick just one, what would be better?



Oh, BTW, I have a 2006 Black Scion tC. It's about 4 months old and has been washed almost weekly since April. I plan on topping the car off with 2 layers of NXT Tech Wax, and maybe buying a QD for when the car needs to look good in a hurry.



Thanks
 
tC_Crazy- Welcome to Autopia!



99% of the time I'd go with the clay, but in your case I think I'd choose the DC #1. But really, IMO you oughta do both. I'm all in favor of keeping things simple and not doing unnecessary work (or wasting money), but the clay and polish do different things in different ways and both would be truly beneficial.



I'd skip the QD as that's very likely to mar the black paint, and spend the money on an affordable OTC clay kit (ClayMagic, Mother's) instead.



I'd wash, clay, DC#1, NXT then not touch it until the next wash. But if you really have to choose, on a black car I'd go with the Deep Crystal #1.
 
OK, Thanks a lot Accumulator. I didn't know that QD's would mar black paint. Good to know. I guess I could dig a little deeper into my wallet and get both, considering the DC1 is only like $7.



Thanks
 
The Perfect Shine Clay kit isnt available OTC.

I think I would go with the megs 1-2-3 punch......

Beings as the car is new, your a beginner, low budget to opertate with, the megs would be the best choice. Clays will mar paint, especially if you havent used them before. And if you do mar with clay, your stuck without polish to remove it. When I use clay on client cars, marring is ok, as Im polishing anyway afterwards. Its not preferred, but its not totally avoidable either.
 
AKA Patrick- Yeah, that was my reasoning, though I'd say clays *can* mar paint instead of "will mar paint" ;) That potential for marring *is* a point though...I clay without marring but that doesn't mean tC-Crazy will have it turn out that way :nixweiss





tC_Crazy said:
I didn't know that QD's would mar black paint. Good to know. I guess I could dig a little deeper into my wallet and get both, considering the DC1 is only like $7.
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As with the clay, it's more a matter of "can" as opposed to "will" when it comes to QDs marring paint. The problem is when you QD a car with some abrasive [stuff] on it. It's very common for that abrasive stuff to mar the paint when you try to QD it off instead of doing a proper wash and you won't know the stuff is abrasive until it's too late. Better safe than sorry.



If the paint feels really rough then consider the clay but be very gentle/careful when you do it. Do a section and inspect, don't do the whole car and *then* look to see if anything bad happened. I don't want to scare you off the claying (especially after first recommending it :o ) but I sometimes forget that my ~15 years of clay experience might color my opinion.



Patrick's idea to use all three Deep Crystal products is good, but I'd see if you can find some Collinite wax (autoparts stores often have it) instead as it lasts a lot longer than the Deep Crystal #3. Don't let the DC#2 dry on the paint, wipe on-wipe off.
 
Accumulator said:
AKA Patrick- Yeah, that was my reasoning, though I'd say clays *can* mar paint instead of "will mar paint" ;) That potential for marring *is* a point though...I clay without marring but that doesn't mean tC-Crazy will have it turn out that way :nixweiss



As with the clay, it's more a matter of "can" as opposed to "will" when it comes to QDs marring paint. The problem is when you QD a car with some abrasive [stuff] on it. It's very common for that abrasive stuff to mar the paint when you try to QD it off instead of doing a proper wash and you won't know the stuff is abrasive until it's too late. Better safe than sorry.



If the paint feels really rough then consider the clay but be very gentle/careful when you do it. Do a section and inspect, don't do the whole car and *then* look to see if anything bad happened. I don't want to scare you off the claying (especially after first recommending it :o ) but I sometimes forget that my ~15 years of clay experience might color my opinion.



Patrick's idea to use all three Deep Crystal products is good, but I'd see if you can find some Collinite wax (autoparts stores often have it) instead as it lasts a lot longer than the Deep Crystal #3. Don't let the DC#2 dry on the paint, wipe on-wipe off.
Click to expand...



Well said Accum..I like the Collinite suggestion as well............ :hifive:
 
tC_Crazy said:
OK, Thanks a lot Accumulator. I didn't know that QD's would mar black paint. Good to know. I guess I could dig a little deeper into my wallet and get both, considering the DC1 is only like $7.



Thanks
Click to expand...



Um, if done right, quick detailers wont marr any paint.
 
tc_crazy what do you have for soap and washmit?

id suggest a nice sheepskin mit and use the 2 bucket method to wash

Scion paint is pretty soft and easy to swirl I had a 05 tc indigo ink pearl
 
For soap I'm using Blue Coral (cheap stuff), but it does the job well. I have a Viking chenile washmit that holds quite a bit of soap and works well. What do you mean by 2 bucket method? Is that like one bucket with new soap and one for dipping the mit in after it gets dirty?



Sponge
 
yep one bucket for clean soapy water and one to rinse the mitt clean after washing a panel



it helps prevent marring by keeping your mitt cleaner so your not rubbing any dirt back onto the car
 
If you want to do the detail right, then pick up both the megs deep crystal system and the clay (Right Accumulator??lol!). Judge your surface, because if it is smooth and looks relatively contaminant free, you can skip the clay. You will need the paint cleaning, regardless of the clay if this is the first time in a while that you are cleaning and waxing the paint.
 
Basically what you're telling us is... you can't afford a clay bar, and then tack on $6 more for the Meguiars Deep Crystal Polish? BS. Don't choose 1 or the other, clay and polish EACH have their own specific purpose and should both be used.
 
You do realize that brand new cars sometimes need to be clayed MORE than other cars because of rail dust? What are you one of those "new car paint is perfect" people?
 
Chris,

Where did I say that I couldn't afford the clay? I said that I would much prefer to pick polish OR clay, but if both are needed, I will use both. And when you said I tacked on another $6, and called it BS, that just plain doesn't make sense. There's nothing to tack on to. I am debating a polish SYSTEM like DC #1 and #2 vs a clay system. The clay system would run be about $10, while the DC's would cost me about $13. So I'm debating one vs. the other. The final decision will be made tomorrow right after I finish washing the car. I will then examine the paint and see what it needs.
 
^ I'd still do both. DC system wont remove what a claybar will, similar to how what the DC system will do for your car what a clay bar wont. And if the car has never been clayed... it will need to be clayed, rail dust is the main reason new cars need to be clayed.
 
Oh, I assumed that since you were a young non working teen, that it was one or the other. If you have another $10-15.00, add the clay to your arsenal.......
 
If you've done the big clean (paint clean and polish) no later than 6 months ago, you could skate with just a clay. You should paint clean and polish once a year or no more than two times a year, so don't be too quick to kick the DC system to the curb. DC's system is great for cleaning, but if you're doing it by hand (or even via pc) and if you have some stubborn particles (like metal microspecs and overspray) then the clay will be needed.
 
Yeah. I won't be able to do the detail today, as my sister took the car to work and won't be home till 6:30-7.



I can at least do the wash and see how it looks after that.
 
OK. So I started the detail around 10:30 am today. I washed and then dried with my viking MF towel (nice). After feeling the paint thoroughly, I didn't really feel any roughness or bumps. However, there were quite a bit of smudges and light scratches on the paint. Surprisingly, there was very little to no swirling. So I got the DC system, steps 1 and 2. Step 1, the paint cleaner, was surprisingly effective at cleaning the paint and getting rid of small scratches and almost all swirling. I had to use a ton of elbow grease for about an hour and a half, but the car looks GREAT.



Only problems left are 2 small areas on the hood where birds had some fun with a cruel joke. Yup, it's etched into the paint. 2 spots about 3mm in diameter each.



I thought it would be fun to do before and after pics, along with progress. I still have to use the DC2 pure polish and my NXT tech wax, but my MF polishing towel got caked up with the paint cleaner, so i washed it by hand and now it's drying.



Here are the pics before starting, and after wash/paint cleaner. Note that I edited the darkest picture in order to reflect the "true" color of the car. That's what it really looks like. The rest of the pics are unedited.
 

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