Weekly Claying

[imported_Page]

Certainly to each his/her own, and to what works for them.



One consideration. David B and other board members have mentioned that clay does contain some type of abrasive, usually a medium to fine cut depending on the clay.



So if you clay weekly, even lightly, would'nt you introduce some abrasive material to your clear each time you clay, and thereby "thin" your clear each time, even on a minimal level? With weekly use, even minimal thinning can have an impact, because we all know that the UV protection layer of the clear is soooo thin.

Compound that with swirl/scratch removal with polishes and PC's or rotaries, and you may quickly thin the clear beyond the point of return.



It's great to have a slick finish, it's also not great to wear away your uv protection in the clear (.003 mils thick) and have your clear fail prematurely or lose that shine you work so hard to maintain.



I love a slick finish too, and not having swirls etc. As I progress in this sickness called detailing, I am also more and more inclined to perhaps live with a light scratch and fill it with SG rather than pulling out the Menzerna to abrade it away, and further thin the clear.



Claying once/twice a year minimizes the introduction of abrasives to your clear and paint. In theory, the less you use abrasives, and with sufficient protection of your choice, the longer your clear and paint will last.



I also suppose this thinking depends on how long you plan to keep your car.



Anyway, just random musings to consider I certainly am not suggesting that you will wear through the clear with claying alone, but combined with polishing/compounding, it just adds extra risk.

 

[jaim]

2wheelsx2,



This is my idea on what is happening, as follows:



When we do not clay or rarely clay, there are certain contaminants (like small rocky particles) that embed on top of our paint surface or paint protection. These contaminants are not removed by washing... as proof, your paint surface feels rough or may notice certain small particles sticking on your paint surface.



When you wax or QD your paint surface with all of those embeded contaminants, you put pressure on your applicator pad and / or cloth (In my case I use MF Cloth).



As the applicator pad and / or cloth glides on top of your paint surface, you put pressure on it (the applicator pad or cloth) specially when removing residues. It is at this point that those embeded contaminants get the chance to be remove as brought about by the pressure that is being applied on the applicator pad and / or cloth, and when those embeded contaminants starts to roll... it will create micro-scratches and micro-swirls.



Note:

I usually notice those micro-swirls and micro-scratches increasing after I had a QD session back then when I was not claying yet. Also, my MF cloth then did not glide as smooth as it is now when I am claying regularly.



If my MF cloth is not gliding smoothly then, there is that something that is holding the MF cloth to glide which I assume the embeded contaminants... worst some of them might have been rolling already on top of my paint surface creating micro-swirls and micro-scratches.

 

[jaim]

SJ,



Thanks for your insight.



I use Mothers Clay Bar, do you know if it is abbrasive... If yes, how abbrasive it is.

 

[LouisanaJeeper]

I would not clay more than once a month, tops

 

[endus]

Why would you need to clay that often if your car is adequately protected with wax? I do not get an appreciable amount of contaminates on my paint because I wash and wax often. A good wax will make the things that you are claying off not stick to the paint...they will come off when you wash the car.



I post to USENET a lot, and therefore tend to have a 'tude. I curb it here because people are generally nice. If I were releasing the 'tude I would make a comment about how maybe the problem here lies with the sealants people are using...implying that those sealants are inferior to wax if you are having this many problems with contaminates that don't wash off. I won't say any of that though...

 

[Accumulator]

Gee thanks Accumulator, you posted your completely contrasting views while I was typing my message, LoL!



Yeah, in this situation, I agree to disagree with you. Agreed?

Heh heh, it's about TIME we disagreed on something! You and I've been in some kind of Vulcan mind-melt (sp?) recently!



Why clay so often? Well MOST of my contaminants DO wash off. Virtually all of them. But they are ALWAYS paving streets around here and in the summer we get lots of bug splatters from highway driving (gotta try Pro's Bug-Guard).



endus- Believe me, we DO appreciate your "Autopia-grade sensitivity"! I think of this community a little differently than I do MOST on-line interaction: I think of Autopians as people who are invited into my home to discuss a common interest in car stuff. Hence, I expect them to comport themselves as they would face-to-face, here in my study.



I have to do the same amount of claying on all of my vehicles, the wax-only ones and those with sealants. Probably have to do the LEAST on those with sealants, the MOST on cars that only have Souveran/P21S. I see claying as an alternative to strong, protection-removing solvents and (more aggressive-than-clay) abrasives.