When washing and QD is not enough?
- Thread starter G37
- Start date
Dubbin1
I like Cheese
I would use a polish.
Dan
Well-known member
Depends on what sorts of stains. Usually a paint cleaner or AIO. If its etched AIO or a true Polish.
Accumulator
Well-known member
What Yakky said :xyxthumbs
But to be honest, I try to keep things sufficiently protected that this just isn't a problem. It's very rare that I have to do anything more than "clay the LSP clean"...very, very rare.
But to be honest, I try to keep things sufficiently protected that this just isn't a problem. It's very rare that I have to do anything more than "clay the LSP clean"...very, very rare.
imported_DieselMDX
New member
clay/AIO/polish in that order
Dubbin1
I like Cheese
DieselMDX said:
Why would you use an AIO then a polish? Seems a bit backwards.
imported_DieselMDX
New member
one or the other.....ie clay doesnt remove aio if that doesnt remove then polish
less is more approach
less is more approach
this weekend I gave my car a really good wash and a spray wax but noticed a few remains of bugs on the front and some stubborn grime on the paint( stated raining here in CA something might have got stuck) before waxing I had to go over quite a bit with QD to get this stuff off I dont like to rub the paint that much so I was wondering in the future if I should use clay for this or polish or just rub it out with QD??
Accumulator
Well-known member
G37 said:
Clay, or a paint cleaner/AIO, or something other than rubbing with QD. IMO that's not what QD is for.
Accumulator said:
After washing today I had a few stubborn contaminents and used clay for the first time...Clay works like magic..I was just so scared because I have been reading about soft infiniti paint and how clay is aggresive and how it can mar. Clay worked like a magic eraser. I dont remember where I read that clay does contain aggresive polishing properties but it does not remove paint/clear coat like KAIO or some polishes that do right?
G37 said:
I've clayed a couple times on the g and have never seen any scratches and I have a dark blue colour, so with your white it should be no problem at all. I would definitely not worry, but I would also not skimp out on the lube, I always use clay lube very generously. There are different grades of clay, and given you wash your car so often, I would recommend picking up some milder claybar. Aggressive ones will possibly marr the paint but those are for very dirty cars that you will follow up with a polish after.
I guess claybar could remove a bit of clear coat as your removing the contaminants, but you are much better off having the contaminants gone.
Same idea with polish, if your washing your car with proper methods and protecting it, there should never be a need to go to an aggressive polish. So no need to worry about the clear coat being stripped away to dangerous levels.
Accumulator
Well-known member
G37 said:
Glad the claying went well!
(Oh, and I really wouldn't think of KAIO as being abrasive enough to remove paint, it's pretty much functionally nonabrasive even on soft paint.)
The idea with clay is that *USED CORRECTLY* it doesn't even come in contact with the paint. Well, at least not much (hey, things don't always go perfectly in the real world).
In the "gentle cleaning" context we're discussing, clay is supposed to glide along on a film of lubricant..floating across the paint without actually touching the paint. When the clay bumps into some above-surface contamination (think of the contamination as a mountain sticking out of a body of water, which is the film of lube), the clay shears off that contamination, which then gets stuck in the clay. By removing these "bumps of contaminants", the clay makes the paint feel smoother and look cleaner.
Note that at this point the clay kinda becomes sandpaper because it has that contamination stuck to it, which is why you need to knead/replace clay frequently as it gets soiled; the contaminants might cause marring if pressed against the paint and moved (which is what happens if you keep using the dirty clay).
But again, that's when things go perfectly, and they seldom do. IRL the clay might not always float on the lube (maybe you press a bit hard to make it clean better) so it can come into direct contact with the paint. Or at least come into contact with the LSP. Maybe that contact will be significant enough to wear away the LSP, or even mar the paint, maybe it won't.
And then there's aggressive claying, often done witha more aggressive/abrasive clay (e.g., "overspray clay"), which is a whole different ballgame.
Accumulator
Well-known member
G37 said:
Yes, at least as long as you do it correctly. I've never had a problem.
Accumulator said:
Thanks Accumulator, After one use of clay I think I am hooked I hate touching the paint after washing because I always feel contaminents even if its just a little after seeing how clay worked I want to do the whole car or at lest every pannel where I feel contaminents.
Hey Accumulator looks like a good rule of thumb is to clay the car every six months, but my question is will contaminents that get on the paint come off after six months with clay?
Accumulator
Well-known member
G37 said:
Some contamination might bond to the paint, and/or cause permanent stains, if left on too long. But who knows when that is/isn't a concern :nixweiss
The way I approach it is to keep the LSP nice and healthy, and try to "clay the LSP clean" now and then with some very gentle clay (and very careful/gentle technique too) before refreshing that LSP.
In between the re-LSPings, if I notice any staining/other contamination as/after I wash, I use some Sonus extra-fine clay to remove it, just so the problem doesn't get more serious. Or at least that's what I do on the white/silver vehicles, where any such stuff really shows.
Accumulator said:
Accumulator thanks for all your help and knowledge It has helped me be a better detailer and thanks to everyone here at Autopia.
At this time I am washing exterrior once a week and applying a spray wax once a week. I dont do this to have a show car I just enjoy having a clean looking car. This is a reach but I compare washing the car once a week to taking a showe everyday and washing the car once every two weeks to taking a shower every other day. In all reality washing my car once a week is not realistic at least not for someone thats married and works six days a week but at least for the meantime while the car is new I will try. I agree with you completely Accumulator when I read a previous post about you hope everyone is spending equal time with things which are more important than detailing.
Accumulator
Well-known member
G37- The frequent detailing you're doing now oughta make things easier if/when you're not able to do it that often. Especially if you spend a few minutes getting the "normally neglected" areas like the wheelwells/engine compartment/etc. well-prepped.
I spend forever getting a newly acquired vehicle ready, but then it's easy to keep it that way for a long, long time without putting too much time into it. The same idea might carry over for you if/when you get busy with other stuff.
I spend forever getting a newly acquired vehicle ready, but then it's easy to keep it that way for a long, long time without putting too much time into it. The same idea might carry over for you if/when you get busy with other stuff.