Wax after Clay?

J

jerry@robs

New member
I did a search but found no answers...



Do you NEED to re-wax EVERYTIME you clay?



Does clay remove waxes? Even if I swipe the clay lightly (like 3 swipes)
 
That's a good question.



The general consensus is that claying will remove *some* protection as you are abrading the surface to remove contaminents. The question is how much and I don't think anyone can reasonably say since it is impossible to measure the amount of protection on your car at any one time let alone how much protection is removed by claying.



So I feel the best thing to do is rewax the area clayed to be safe.



Question I have is why clay at all if you are not going to add protection? If you have a layer of wax or sealant down then the surface contaminents are sitting on top of that, not the paint. Unless you got hit with fresh paint or tar and need to remove it, contaminents are gonna happen.



It's kinda like shaving. Most of us like the feel and appearance of our faces just shaved. But too much shaving is a bad thing, just for the sake of appearance.
 
thanks bret:



You see, the problem is that here in the Philippines, the weather and pollution is really bad... When waxes last a month or so in the US (I've lived in New England for about 4 years), it won't last a week here.



Very often, our just-waxed car will last at most 2 weeks, after that, beading will start to get larger and larger and usually, after 3 days or so, the just-waxed smoothness is gone, although the beading still indicates a good amount of wax is still present on the paint.



We need to clean our paint every week or so, usually more during the months of June to November where it rains almost everyday but only for like 2 hours or so, and the sun is back out again...



So you can imagine the water spots + severe diesel and atmospheric pollution (figure 5x NYC pollution) + acid rain + 90 degree heat on your paint everyday... at random... There contaminant just clings to our paint, even an immediate QD won't help much...



Claying weekly is more like a cleaning ritual more than a detailing ritual for pochreyes and I (probably the only Philippine Autopians right now hehe)... That's why we're wondering if claying requires immediate waxing/sealing since we do it more often than our US counterparts.



Thanks... :)
 
You really should not clay anymore than 2 times a year. Although it works wonders it's a pretty harsh treatment.
 
Well if the enviroment is that harsh there then I think you should probably be waxing weekly too



Have you thought about a synthetic wax? Might last longer
 
Your kidding right? If not, read this.
Click to expand...
I've read it and I think it's only half-true. Clay is no rougher that the palm of your hand and with the lubrication that you're using makes it less so. Larry's use of the word GRIND is too strong of a description on how clay works. His statement, "Realize that you are also removing some paint with the contaminants, so usage of a clay should be utilized only after all other more gentle methods of cleaning your paint have failed. ", is like saying "Rain erodes rocks into sand." Since the clear coat on your car is as thin as a sheet of paper, Larry's description would leave you to believe using clay more than 5 or 6 times would completely wear away the clear coat. IMO, based on actually using clay for 10+ years, is that it is no harsher than using any of the other properly used, prescribed paint cleaning products.
 
if clay truly is abrasive, then doesn't that mean you should see some paint from a non-clearcoated car on the clay?? i really dont know, just curious.
 
thanks for the replies...



Intel: I do wax weekly, but the finish gets rough (after claying) in about 4-5 days... by the time I re-wax, the surface is already gritty... Should I opt for a mild cleaner wax instead such as Meguiar's 6 or 66?
 
Would using a cleaner wax work? Or using the meguiars 1 out of the 123 system. That is a form of a cleaner. Not as harsh as clay.
 
Well, I know for a fact that a cleaner will work as well, but I'm split between using a clay or cleaner (every 2 weeks or so)... which is more abrasive, which will strip paint more? etc...
 
IMHO, if you feel contaminants in your car's paint that a mild cleaner wax like #66 can't remove, the next best thing to do is clay the affected area, then rewax it.



I think the amount of cleaning/waxing is down to each person's standard. If you feel your car is not clean or needs wax then wax it. If based on your standards your car is clean then don't clean (with cleaner wax/clay) it, QD it to remove fresh contaminants.



Here in the Philippines, the environmental condition is one heck of a problem, just like what theveed said. It's really bad.



In my standards, with the environment problem and being a daily driver, I wax my car every 2 weeks. I wash the car atleast once a week (more if it rains), and QD everyday to get rid of the contaminants. I believe that QD everyday or every other day keeps the contaminants away, lessening the need for claying. I have clayed the car about 3 weeks already, and as of this morning on my QD session, there are no areas that need claying.



Wax here does'nt last very long, about 2-3 weeks max! Although using polymer sealants/glaze would make your cars protection longer, it aint gonna keep your car from being dirty. Don't get me wrong, polymer sealants like #20 works well. I think with our condition here, doing #7 and #20 every 3-4 months you'd do your car good. What do I do in between to clean the car? I use wash, QD and wax (once a week or once every 2 weeks).



IMHO, Meguiars #66 is good for cleaning. It works well especially for white cars.



All I'm saying is, everything is down to your standards. If you think your car is clean, then it's clean, if you think it's dirty, then do something about it.



:)
 
I don't know... from what I read at the Meguiar's site I'd be leery of using #66 on a regular basis. The say "Aggressive cutting action" which says to me "highly abrasive". I'd try something milder or try putting #20 on underneath a wax... unless you have experience to the contrary of course.
 
I use to live in Manila about 10 years ago. Even back then, pollution was really harsh. I couldn't even imagine what it's like now.

Have you guys used the Klasse twins?
 
FocusRun said:
I use to live in Manila about 10 years ago. Even back then, pollution was really harsh. I couldn't even imagine what it's like now.

Have you guys used the Klasse twins?
Click to expand...



All right, a US based Autopian who has been to Manila... :P



It's a lot worse now, add El Nino to the mix... very bad...



No Klasse here... Might just go the #20 route next month...
 
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