Clayed the car yesterday with the Mothers $17 kit. My finish went from great looking with very little swirling (not noticable) to very, very dry and a heck/heck/heck of a lot more swirls than I remember (overall looked bad to me in the sunlight). Last coat of anything on this car was 3M Imp Hand Glaze. Is it more probable that I screwed up the claying process and was dragging stuff across the paint or that the clay removed all of the slickness and perhaps removed the fillers that were hiding the minor swirling? I was folding the clay often and think I was using sufficient QD. When you guys clay, do you notice your paint finish degrading badly as mine did?
Just clayed my car...did I screw up something?
- Thread starter rjp
- Start date
jaybs02
New member
rjp
claying is done at the beginning of the process, so you most likely did remove whatever fillers were left by the glaze. But you didn't screw anything up, just continue from there.
Now just move on to your next steps.
You can use meg's #9 wich is available locally, to remove some of the swirls (depending on how bad they are) instead of hiding them
then you can reapply your glaze .
I would top with a carnuba, Most glazes have lots of fillers in them to mask the swirls and when they fillers go the swirls return.
If you did this yesterday I would either use S&W or rewash the car berfore moving on.
Good luck
"J"
claying is done at the beginning of the process, so you most likely did remove whatever fillers were left by the glaze. But you didn't screw anything up, just continue from there.
Now just move on to your next steps.
You can use meg's #9 wich is available locally, to remove some of the swirls (depending on how bad they are) instead of hiding them
then you can reapply your glaze .I would top with a carnuba, Most glazes have lots of fillers in them to mask the swirls and when they fillers go the swirls return.
If you did this yesterday I would either use S&W or rewash the car berfore moving on.
Good luck
"J"
Debelli
New member
Looking forward to hearing what others say. I've still not taken on the idea of claying my brand new car. I've read some things on other websites of the pros and cons of doing it. Wonder how important it is, esp. in FL where we don't have industrail fallout or salted road issues.
I've read some people say it takes off the finish, while others say it doesn't. Some say it doesn't affect the clear-coat, others say it does.
I'm a newbie:newbie, so I'm still trying to learn before I take any plunges and really regret doing something to my car that I can't fix.
I've read some people say it takes off the finish, while others say it doesn't. Some say it doesn't affect the clear-coat, others say it does.
I'm a newbie:newbie, so I'm still trying to learn before I take any plunges and really regret doing something to my car that I can't fix.
I'll post back to advise how my next step went (put on a coat of SSR1 via PC/white LC pad) yesterday afternoon and haven't seen the car in sunlight yet). I must say, I think it's looking pretty darn good after that step. Anyway, next steps for me are a coat of AIO, then a coat of UPP. Do multiple coats at any step of the way help out? (I know 2-3 coats of UPP is good but do multiples of AIO or SSR1 help?) This community has helped tremendously and I'm anxious to post pix of my baby when it's done. Thanks again, RJ
jaybs02
New member
SSR1 is a swirl remover, multiple passes will help if there are still swirls after your first pass. Due to the fact that AIO is a cleaner it will probably remove most of what was put down previously.
But due feel free to put down multiple coats of UPP
Look forward to seeing the pics.
Good luck
"J"
But due feel free to put down multiple coats of UPP
Look forward to seeing the pics.
Good luck
"J"
J-
Uh oh...now i'm confused. when i applied SSR1, did I just "shear" off a very small layer OR did I shear off a layer and leave some type of surface-enhancing agent? If it's the latter, then it doesn't make sense to use AIO next since it will take the surface-enhancer right back off, right? I thought AIO is kinda like a next step in polishing (slightly less abrasive than SSR1). Is the process with my products in the correct order? 1) SSR1 2)AIO 3)UPP in 2-3 coats. Sorry to be a pain, but i just want to make sure i do this right. thanks again, RJ
Uh oh...now i'm confused. when i applied SSR1, did I just "shear" off a very small layer OR did I shear off a layer and leave some type of surface-enhancing agent? If it's the latter, then it doesn't make sense to use AIO next since it will take the surface-enhancer right back off, right? I thought AIO is kinda like a next step in polishing (slightly less abrasive than SSR1). Is the process with my products in the correct order? 1) SSR1 2)AIO 3)UPP in 2-3 coats. Sorry to be a pain, but i just want to make sure i do this right. thanks again, RJ
jaybs02
New member
RJ,
Your process is correct, SSR1 isn't leaving anything behind (no fillers or such) that will be removed by AIO it is for swirl removal. The reason that you will make another "pass" is if there are still marks that you are trying to remove, SSR1 may not be abrasive enough to remove what you have, but your approach is correct.
Go with the least agressive combo first, and then go more aggressive if you need to.
Then you can move onto your AIO and your LSP.
I hope this clears thing up a bit.
Good Luck,
"J"
Your process is correct, SSR1 isn't leaving anything behind (no fillers or such) that will be removed by AIO it is for swirl removal. The reason that you will make another "pass" is if there are still marks that you are trying to remove, SSR1 may not be abrasive enough to remove what you have, but your approach is correct.
Go with the least agressive combo first, and then go more aggressive if you need to.
Then you can move onto your AIO and your LSP.
I hope this clears thing up a bit.
Good Luck,
"J"
norahcrv
I wish . . .
rjp,
When you used the SSR1, you "evened" the clear to remove swirls. If they were very light, then you removed a miniscule amount of clear. I don't believe that SSR1 leaves anything behind. AIO is a "chemical" cleaner/polish & I don't believe it has abrasives, but it does leave a slight amount of protection behind. That needs to be topped with UPP (a couple of coats) 24 hours apart if possible, to protect your "new" swirl-free finish.
HTH
Norah
When you used the SSR1, you "evened" the clear to remove swirls. If they were very light, then you removed a miniscule amount of clear. I don't believe that SSR1 leaves anything behind. AIO is a "chemical" cleaner/polish & I don't believe it has abrasives, but it does leave a slight amount of protection behind. That needs to be topped with UPP (a couple of coats) 24 hours apart if possible, to protect your "new" swirl-free finish.
HTH
Norah
B
Boss_429
Guest
Your process looks fine....... SSR1, AIO, and then UPP. The SSR1 will remove some extremely minor swirls. The AIO will clean up any residue/solvents left behind by the SSR1 and leave an acrylic base for the UPP to bond to. In this particular process, the SSR1 is more of a swirl remover........ the acrylic "stuff" that the AIO leaves behind is the "surface-enhancer" prior to UPP.
Hope that helps.
Hope that helps.
Bence
New member
Debelli,
claying a new car IS beneficial, because all cars are transported to the dealer somehow. That means debris, rail dust, dust & dirt. Clay is harmless to the paint if it is lubricated well while claying. Of course, don't use aggressive clay on a new finish. Choose a mild one.
Industrial fallout is about everywhere, and that includes FL, too. Have you ever followed a smoking old beater? Or did you noticed how oily/dirty a racing car/helmet can be? That stuff sticks to the finish. Etc., etc.
And no, clay won't compromise any clearcoat. Because of lubrication, the clay glides over the paint, like a hovercraft, but pulls the embedded particles from it. It is abrasive, but even a good MF towel is abrasive on the microscopic level. Yes, the wedge-shaped fibers can even out some surfaces and lift off even bacterii. So, it is more beneficial if you clay. Try on the horizontal surfaces first. If nothing shows up, you can even put it down. Do the baggie test, or beg a pair of thin plastic gloves from the nice lady behind any meat/fish etc counter. Examine the surface before/after. Try it with polishes between your fingers. You'll be surprised...
rjp,
SSR is surely working fine. AIO is more interesting. No matter what the logic says, it is definitely good to lay down two coats of AIO. First, it has some abrasives; containing a tad more than 10% of cleaners. The chemical cleaner in it is fatty alcohol esther. The first time if you work it in a little harder, it will clean very effectively, breaking down the "Polierkreide" (polishing chalk in German; its abrasive) very fast; laying down some acrylic. The second application (very light and gentle), ensures complete coverage, and makes the surface slicker and a smoother - more acrylic. This time, you don't have to work it in, just use it like a lotion, creaming the car thinly and easily. This will increase the protective side of AIO, too.
Then throw several coats of UPP on it, and yeehaw!
claying a new car IS beneficial, because all cars are transported to the dealer somehow. That means debris, rail dust, dust & dirt. Clay is harmless to the paint if it is lubricated well while claying. Of course, don't use aggressive clay on a new finish. Choose a mild one.
Industrial fallout is about everywhere, and that includes FL, too. Have you ever followed a smoking old beater? Or did you noticed how oily/dirty a racing car/helmet can be? That stuff sticks to the finish. Etc., etc.
And no, clay won't compromise any clearcoat. Because of lubrication, the clay glides over the paint, like a hovercraft, but pulls the embedded particles from it. It is abrasive, but even a good MF towel is abrasive on the microscopic level. Yes, the wedge-shaped fibers can even out some surfaces and lift off even bacterii. So, it is more beneficial if you clay. Try on the horizontal surfaces first. If nothing shows up, you can even put it down. Do the baggie test, or beg a pair of thin plastic gloves from the nice lady behind any meat/fish etc counter. Examine the surface before/after. Try it with polishes between your fingers. You'll be surprised...
rjp,
SSR is surely working fine. AIO is more interesting. No matter what the logic says, it is definitely good to lay down two coats of AIO. First, it has some abrasives; containing a tad more than 10% of cleaners. The chemical cleaner in it is fatty alcohol esther. The first time if you work it in a little harder, it will clean very effectively, breaking down the "Polierkreide" (polishing chalk in German; its abrasive) very fast; laying down some acrylic. The second application (very light and gentle), ensures complete coverage, and makes the surface slicker and a smoother - more acrylic. This time, you don't have to work it in, just use it like a lotion, creaming the car thinly and easily. This will increase the protective side of AIO, too.
Then throw several coats of UPP on it, and yeehaw!
I know this isn't a good "detailing" pic, but it came out great thanks to input from all. went with SSR1 x 2 coats, AIO x 1, UPP x 1 so far. Will be going with another coat or two of UPP this week. Is the Ultimate Gloss Enhancing spray to be used as a QD or is this something to do between coats? (click photo to enlarge) -RJ
cgc2
New member
Luigi....why do you need two seperate clay bars ?
just break off a piece for the top, and another for the bottom and chuck it when its dirty.
maybe I missed something.
just break off a piece for the top, and another for the bottom and chuck it when its dirty.
maybe I missed something.
I've found that using a product like tarminator on an old cotton rag on lower portions of a car helps greatly before claying. There's usually a large accumulation of "road gunk" that is nearly impossible to get off with a claybar because it can get really thick (you'll ruin the claybar before it comes off).