Clay

[Ewazix]

I have a confession, I'm a recovering detailing-slob and only discovered two-buckets, a mitt, micro-fibre drying and clay through the forum a decade ago, I have been 'clean' ever since but still need help

I was about to re-stock with clay but noticed people mentioning clay mitts recently, are they worth bothering with or is it best to stick to bar? (which I actually find quite therapeutic to use)

Also since the Z4 paintwork is fairly cosseted under cover in a garage, rarely seeing rain, does less than 2k miles a year and gets a wax and seal every few washes, which grade clay should I be investing in?

Thanks

[Smartbear]

Hi, I’ve tried both & find the clay mitt much quicker at doing the job with equal results
Rob

[StuCracker]

+1 for the mitt For me its quicker and easier.

Stuart

[Gaffa22]

yes i agree with Rob and Stu clay mitt or cloth much better than a bar unless you are doing wheels

you just need to look after them a bit better than a bar so you can reuse rather than chuck them as they are more expensive

[Bluecat]

Agreed on the clay mitt front takes about 20 mins to do a whole car, need to make sure you dry it out carefully and keep it in the plastic sleeve it comes in otherwise stuff will stick to it.

[louie12]

Another vote for the mitt. Did my whole car with AG Quick Detailing spray in less than half an hour. You do feel a surprising amount through the mitt so progress can still be measured.

[RickRob]

Mitt for me for all of the above reasons, plus it's a lot more difficult to drop the mitt than the clay bar, not that I would know!

[Ewazix]

Cheers guys, I'll give the mitt a go

[jock156]

So I've bought a clay mitt do I just use that to wash the car? Or am I missing the clay part????

[RickRob]

So I've bought a clay mitt do I just use that to wash the car? Or am I missing the clay part????

I wash the car first in the normal way.

Then I get a new bucket of soapy water, wet a panel at a time and go over the panel with the mitt, ensuring that the panel stays wet. You can tell when there's a lot of tar etc. on the panel just by the feel through the mitt. Keep going until you can't feel anything and then lightly rub your fingers over to double-check.

I then wash the car again to make sure that all of the contaminants have gone. Then you're ready to start polishing.

There is no clay part!

Good luck.

[jock156]

Good man! Cheers!

[Ewazix]

Handy guide from Chemical Guys https://youtu.be/SYHZsCIUTUs?t=5m11s

[MACK]

another for the clay mitt here!

[Anmarube]

Clay all the way for me. Different grades for different circumstances but clay.
I feel a mitt can get dirt trapped and scratch the paint whereas clay won't
Never damaged a car with clay as yet.

Just my opinion though.

[mr wilks]

Clay all the way for me. Different grades for different circumstances but clay.
I feel a mitt can get dirt trapped and scratch the paint whereas clay won't
Never damaged a car with clay as yet.

Just my opinion though.

Might sound sad but I like the fingertips on paint connection too