newbie: claying before polishing

J

jabroni

New member
I'm not sure what order to go in. these are the products that I have and want to use: Klasse AIO, SG



So, I wash the car first with a car shampoo. Then, I feel the car's surface and if it's not glass-smooth, I should clay that area? Is this right?



1) Which areas of a car tend to need claying the most?



2) Also, when I finish claying, do I really need to rewash the car all over again, or can I go straight to applying the AIO?



thank you.
 
Definitely wash the car again. There will be residue from the lube that you use while claying and you'll need to get it off before you AIO.



Also, tip for your first time claying: make SURE you change clay surfaces often enough. you can introduce some scratches if you continue claying with a dirty clay surface. i learned that the hard way.



John
 
jaobrien6 said:
Definitely wash the car again. There will be residue from the lube that you use while claying and you'll need to get it off before you AIO.



Also, tip for your first time claying: make SURE you change clay surfaces often enough. you can introduce some scratches if you continue claying with a dirty clay surface. i learned that the hard way.



John
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Agreed.



Normally the hood and nose need the most claying along with the lower bottom of the vehicle on side panels (tire dirt spin-off, etc.) But, my recommendation is if your going to clay, you might as well do the whole vehicle.



Good Luck, and if possible...post some pics of the outcome..:xyxthumbs
 
Would it be beneficial to me if I wash, clay (Mother's), wash, polish, wax?



What I am trying to ask if it will be beneficial to me to polish and wax the car after claying. Especially since I will be using Mother's clay in which the spray/lubricant is a quick detailer.
 
pyropoptrt said:
Would it be beneficial to me if I wash, clay (Mother's), wash, polish, wax?



What I am trying to ask if it will be beneficial to me to polish and wax the car after claying. Especially since I will be using Mother's clay in which the spray/lubricant is a quick detailer.
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I am new to this too, and have never waxed/clayed before. But from what I've read from this forum, yes, it is beneficial to clay before you polish, then wax. Claying will truly clean and prepare the surface so that the polish can do what it's designed to do. this will then prepare the best surface possible to wax over.



Again, I've never done any of this myself yet, but this is my understanding from reading other posts.
 
jabroni said:
I am new to this too, and have never waxed/clayed before. But from what I've read from this forum, yes, it is beneficial to clay before you polish, then wax. Claying will truly clean and prepare the surface so that the polish can do what it's designed to do. this will then prepare the best surface possible to wax over.



Again, I've never done any of this myself yet, but this is my understanding from reading other posts.
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You're exactly right. Claying a car is both quick and easy.



If you're using Klasse, be sure to run a search for the BillNorth method of SG application. It is a much easier way to use the SG, and many people (myself included) have gotten excellent results.



Good luck, and be sure to post some pics of your finished work!
 
I don't re-wash the car after I clay. I use QD as my lube and I just buf it off with a clean MF. I also notice that when I use QD as my lube with A Mothers Clay Bar there is no clay residue to wash off. If there is any residue it is minor and Klasse AIO will clean it no problem.
 
also some of the ppl use the car wash shampoo as the lubrican for ur clay bar , so u can also clay while u washing ur car



i have one question for jaobrien6 though , u said change the surface of the clay bar frequently but so u clean it or u just keep changing side while claying ?
 
mrbean said:
also some of the ppl use the car wash shampoo as the lubrican for ur clay bar , so u can also clay while u washing ur car
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:up Just use the soap as your lube it'll save you a step and works just as well.
 
i have one question for jaobrien6 though , u said change the surface of the clay bar frequently but so u clean it or u just keep changing side while claying ?



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I'd say depends on amount of contaminant on the surface of your paint. Keep a close eye on your clay to see if a lot of grit or other debris is getting lodged in it. If clay becomes very gritty then discard and use a new piece as dirty clay will cause even more swirls and scratches. Ditto if you drop it - throw away and use a new piece.



I usually mould clay into a golf ball sized shape and then flatten it into a disc. I use a mild solution of shampoo as lube as it does save on having to rewash car after claying. Use your fingers to determine paint smoothness - this is for me the biggest learning curve of all as it takes a lot of practice to be able to feel how smooth your paint really is IMO.



Oh and welcome to Autopia!
 
Is there anything wrong with claying in between adding Klasse HG layers? Say I add one layer of SG a week, will claying remove the previous SG layer in any way? is it unnecessary to clay once a week?
 
You'll need Klasse users to chime in here as I've not used it before. I would have thought that claying will remove any product previously applied to surface but I may be wrong.
 
There are two schools of thought on the whole "claying" issue. One is that you clay after you wash and prior to polishing and the other is that you wash, polish and then clay. You then continue on to the final sealing stage.



I almost always opt for the first school of thought BUT I see it as a useless and time consuming step(s) to: Wash - dry the car - clay bar using a clay lube - wash the car again.



I personally don't put out any extra cash for a "clay lube" as you can make your own with a small pinch of car shampoo added to 32oz of water in a spray bottle. To really save time though wash the car, rinse it down and THEN clay the car while the paint is still wet. Add more water as needed.



You can also clay after you have washed and dried the car (using your home made clay lube) only doing one panel or area at a time and then drying with a Mf towel. Any residue left over can be removed in the cleaning/polishing stage.



The other school of thought holds to claying as a "removes anything left over" after it has been buffed with a rotary. I have used this method also and it almost seems to make the surface twice as slick. I am doing a white MB today and will buff it with a "orange" pad and a leveler and then clay it. I'll then continue with the polishing and sealing stages.



It is a good habit to "fold" the clay after every few panels and this way you get new clean areas to use. After one of my clays gets real crappy I'll use it for the lower panels until it is too foul even for that area. Then I'll place that dirty used piece into my "clay ball". I hope to hold the worlds record for the largest ball of clay:bounce :D



Later,

Anthony
 
jabroni said:
Is there anything wrong with claying in between adding Klasse HG layers? Say I add one layer of SG a week, will claying remove the previous SG layer in any way? is it unnecessary to clay once a week?
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*IF* you clay correctly (hardly ANY pressure, lots of lube, etc.) it will NOT remove an appreciable amount of SG (or wax, etc.). I spot-clay my vehicles with almost every wash and I DO NOT need to reapply SG to the areas I've clayed. It might remove a LITTLE, especially if you're a bit aggressive about it, but not enough to worry about.



No problem claying between layers of SG, just don't leave any clay/lube residue on there- I would clay while washing, BTW- eliminates the issue almost entirely.



BUT..don't clay unless you have a reason to. You can probably just wash the vehicle (really well, strong soap solution) and apply more SG without claying.
 
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