civic2uner

iTrader: (3)

So I am gonna do the Ole' caly bar thing and I dont know which is better, clay magic or the mothers clay bar.

so i do this... wash car with dawn to strip wax off, spray the stuff on, rub clay bar on. Then do i let it dry and wipe it off? after all that do i wax my car.

ive been looking for a good wax, is the meguires tech wax good? what about the new eagle one nano wax?

thanks!

EnProceso

iTrader: (11)

what i do is wash the car but dont dry it, leave it wet. i used meguires clay bar and quik detailer spray and the spray SUCKED! it left clay streaks all over. just leave it wet and use the water when rubbing it with the clay bar. after that dry off excess water, and polish and wax as usual.

civic2uner

iTrader: (3)

so if i am rubbing the car with the bar and it gets dry do i spray more stuff on?

EnProceso

iTrader: (11)

if your washing your car you should be in the shade to begin with so it shouldnt dry up that fast but yeah you can use some spray if it does, just use lots of it so you dont leave streaks from the clay bar.

civic2uner

iTrader: (3)

cool so has any one use the meguires tech wax? or nano wax?

ImPulse

iTrader: (32)

I wash my car and leave the soap on the car as i claybar it... And sometimes the claybar will leave a streak, so i will take the sponge and re-soap that area. then after im done, ill rinse the car off.

civic2uner

iTrader: (3)

does it have the same results?

RedDragon333

iTrader: (4)

yea it does and it works wonders if youve never done it

lucky_topher

ugh @ the info here...

please tell me you weren't using the quik detailer spray as a lube for the claybar? that is COMPLETELY wrong...

the claybar must have a wet/lubed surface in order to do its job correctly... it's an easy process

1) wash the car as normal, don't worry about drying it, nor about leaving on soap/water.. just normal

2) get a spray bottle with a diluted water/car-wash-soap mixture...

3) spray the car heavily with the spray bottle in order to wet the surface you're about to clay... run the clay bar with light pressure against the surface... keep spraying the car over and over with the spray bottle to keep it as lubed as possible... it should feel like the bar is gliding like over ice...

4) after you finish the whole car (you can do your paint as well as your windows and your lights if you like...

5) wash car again, then dry properly...

6) *important* apply polish (or wax *cringe*).... when you clay, you are possibly (probably) stripping the protectant coats you already had on the car... after applying polish and probably a detail spray/gloss enhancer after, the car should feel smooth as glass

albs

Instead of washing after a clay job, I just go over the clayed areas with a good Quick Detailer. It usually cleans off the residue pretty well, before I move on to polishing the paint.

http://www.autopia.org/forums/showth...threadid=14212

http://bimmer.roadfly.org/bmw/forums...1443882&page=1

civic2uner

iTrader: (3)

what if i forgot to wash it afteri clayed it and went ahead and waxed it? i did wipe it off well though.

lucky_topher

albs: definitely not something i'd recommend... no lube, whether it be what comes with your claybar, or one you mix on your own using carwash/etc.. is going to be ideal to 'leave on the car' and just wipe over with your polish...

lucky_topher

your second link:

"After finishing the claybar process, then wash the car again with your favorite car wash solution"

albs

umm... I don't get what you are trying to say. QD's usually contain some kind of lubricant. I just think that washing the car again is a bit excessive, and these "enthusiasts" are very excessive excessive. For example, why use Dawn to wash your car to strip off the old wax? Claying, and polishing will do that. I usually don't have any smeared clay on my car, just dried clay lubricant (which is usually a QD anyway).

lucky_topher

well.. quickdetailers do not generally provide a lubricant... they provide something that is wet that seems like a lube but dries very quickly and in a 'firm' method which is anti-lube... washing it again is not excessive... it's just the right method.. being that you'll only clay your car, say, once every 6 months.. an extra wash in 6 months isn't gonna kill ya... and as for claying and polishing = stripping.. another false... only dawn (or something with similar properties.. dawn is just easy to get and cheap) will truly strip down the polishes and waxes.. clay may take areas of it, but not get even close to all of it... polishing most definitely won't remove any existing wax/polish... especially if it's polish, it will just layer... and dried clay lubricant (whether it be a mixture, actual lube, or quick detailer) is not conducive to your paint... you may not tell it in a car 2 or 3 years old, but once it becomes 5-8 years, you're gonna see a huge difference...

albs

Claying and polishing will strip off old wax. Polishes don't "layer". Polishes prepare the surface for waxing (or a glaze before waxing). See below:

http://www.properautocare.com/whatdif.html

"Polishes prepare the surface for waxing, remove old wax or paint sealants"

Some polishes like 3M SMR will leave a filler to hide swirl marks, but it definately won't layer. Einzett MP will leave some carnauba behind, but it won't layer. Which polish are you reffering to that layers? What is it layering, carnauba, sealant, glaze? All polishes contain some type of cleaner or solvent and maybe an abrasive, which will strip and clean the surface.

Refer to the link below:
http://autopia-carcare.com/inf-quick.html
"Next came detailing sprays, which provide the lubrication necessary to remove dirt and dust safely."
I generally use a QD like Megs #34 which doesn't leave any wax or silicates behind. Even if it did, the Einzett Paint Polish or 3M SMR that I use after the QD will strip it off. Most of the QD's that I buy advertise a "high-lubricity" formula.

To Dawn or not to Dawn has been debated before on other detailing forums, I won't go into that here.

If you search for detailing processes that others use, some wash after claying and some don't. I don't. Some Dawn wash, and some don't. I posted what works for me.

lucky_topher

the site about the difference: "In the strictest sense a polish is a gloss-enhancing, cleaner not a protectant"....

any of the enthusiast polishes (zaino, tropicare, meguiars NXT, etc) are protectants.. this is in contrast to that site... there are many types of polishes as well.. a synthetic polymer is the ideal choice, and this is why zaino, tropicare, and NXT are so widely used and respected by high end enthusiasts (exotics, luxury, corvette, viper, etc)... these are products an average joe can afford, yet your rich fatcat will use as well.

detailing sprays provide the lubrication to remove dirt and dust safely.. that is correct... except that is not to be used for claybar lube.. what they are saying is that it is a spray that you can use to detail small areas instead of rewashing the whole car, in order to remove light areas of dust and dirt (i.e. behind your wheels on the paint, etc)... NOT the lube you want to use for a claybar, as it is designed to dry very quickly (and hopefully streak free) .. the lubricity they talk about is for you to be able to wipe it down without great risk of scratching/swirling...

http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/...de=APPLICATION

http://www.tropicarecarproducts.com/...s.php?pageid=1

two good instructions, both which indicate LAYERING... synthetic polymers layer, that provides a greater depth and gloss...

albs

I didn't want to start a debate here, I just want to clarify some generally accepted terms:

http://bimmer.roadfly.org/bmw/forums...3728383&page=1
"Zaino is a polish because Sal named it a polish."
"For us auto/detailing guy’s benefit perhaps, synthetic car wax would be less confusing but based on the negative connotation those products have I understand his choice of name."

http://www.autogeek.net/exterior.html
"Polishing does a few things: it’s an deep cleaner, it removes old wax, diminishes minor scratches and swirls, removes oxidation and replenishes the color and condition of the paint—baring the ultimate surface for applying the protective layer that will lock in this perfect, glass smooth surface."

Einzett will agree:
http://www.1z-usa.com/sys-tmpl/technicalquestions/
Polishes, also known as cleaners and glazes, clean your paintwork while reducing the appearance of swirl marks, light scratches, remove oxidation, and restore oils into the paint. Polishes restore gloss and depth of your paintwork.

From what I've been reading a QD spray is perfectly fine as a clay lube.
The Autopia Store sells clay in bulk:
http://autopia-carcare.com/tps-clay-f80y.html
"Use a bucket of your wash shampoo or your favorite detailing spray as a lubricant."

A lot of people use a QD as a clay lube:
http://bimmer.roadfly.org/bmw/forums...3684876-1.html
http://bimmer.roadfly.org/bmw/forums...4838209-1.html
http://www.autopia.org/forums/showth...ight=clay+lube
http://www.autopia.org/forums/showth...ight=clay+lube
I think Mother's packages their QD as their clay lube:
http://www.mothers.com/products/

Peace