Clay Bar Aftermath
- Thread starter k.leeming
- Start date
k.leeming said:Thanks for all the replies people! I really appreciate it. Looks like either my Saturday or Sunday is a full all out cleaning day on my baby.
Is there any other tips to keep it clean. I only use autoglym and I see a lot of people say that they use a detailer after the wax. Are we referring to the same item in the clay bar kit?
I would like to now start from scratch by removing every layer of everything. All waxes and polishes I want gone. I will redo it all either day on the weekend. What auto glum chemical do I use for this and at which stage below?
Shampoo > clay/ tar remove > polish > wax > detail ?
Many thanks
Kane
If you want to do an initial thorough job to give you a good starting point for keeping the car looking good, I would suggest something along the lines of
- Wash
- Tardis for tar/sap/otherstickystuff removal
- Small wash/rinse/dry where Tardis was used
- Decontaminate using Iron-X or equivalent
- Wash & rinse (no need to dry)
- Clay
- Wipedown with 30% IPA or panel wipes to remove any clay residue and let you see the paint properly
- Polish as required by hand/machine to remove clay marring/swirls/scratches
-- Don't overdo the polishing as you may have to accept that you may not be able to remove some RDS (although they should look better)
- Another wash & dry to get rid of any polishing dust etc.
- Couple of wipedowns with 30% IPA or panel wipes
This should leave you with very smooth, clean and shiny bare paint
Bare paint won't stay this way for long so you need to protect the paintwork. This is very much a personal choice as some people love waxing cars, others prefer sealants or the long-life scratch-resistant 'ceramic' coatings (don't try applying one of these unless you know what you're doing) - you can also throw the glazes into the mix if you wish. As Cueball has said in other posts, there's a lot of hype about products and it's very difficult to justify spending silly amounts of money.
There's nothing to stop you layering the same/different products if you wish and you see people applying multiple layers of all sorts of products but I usually struggle to see the difference after the second coat let alone the 5th/6th/7th. This means that I find it difficult to justify anything more than 2 coats and the second coat is just to ensure that I've not missed any part of a panel with the first coat - to help with this I normally move around the car in the opposite direction when applying the second coat.
If you are applying both a long-life sealant and a wax, IMO it's usually better to apply the sealant to the paint and the wax on top as, if you apply the sealant to the wax, the sealant can't last any longer than the substrate that it's applied to (the wax). Once you have the base wax/sealant layer(s) in place you can then use a Quick Detaling (QD) product to keep everything looking good - a quick wipedown with your QD after a wash should ensure that wax lasts longer or acts as a top-up to the sealant layer.
I've found that, for me anyway, some of the new-generation of products give better and longer-lasting results than wax. I tried waxing with Collenite and it looked nice but I wanted something a bit more 'mmmm' but didn't want to spend a fortune on exotic waxes. So...
I stripped back to bare paint then applied Sonax Polymer Net Shield as a base sealant which gave a very nice finish. On top of the PNS I'm still dithering between Sonax Brilliant Shine and Gtechniq C2v3. Having tried them, they both shed water incredibly well but the C2v3 seems to be a bit slicker/glossier and can also be diluted at about 1:3 as a QD for top-ups
This is what my car looks like with PNS topped with C2v3 (no waxes used at all).
^^^ can't argue with any of that...well except the bit about spending far too much money...been there, and done that! lol
good advice though...
good advice though...
k.leeming said:Thanks for all the replies people! I really appreciate it. Looks like either my Saturday or Sunday is a full all out cleaning day on my baby
Is there any other tips to keep it clean. I only use autoglym and I see a lot of people say that they use a detailer after the wax. Are we referring to the same item in the clay bar kit?
I would like to now start from scratch by removing every layer of everything. All waxes and polishes I want gone. I will redo it all either day on the weekend. What auto glum chemical do I use for this and at which stage below?
Shampoo > clay/ tar remove > polish > wax > detail ?
Many thanks
Kane
Kane,
The detailer in the clay kit is the same as people are talking about. I've started using Meguiars Ultimate Quick Detailer (£12 from Halfords) and am very happy with it:
As for the process, I would (with specific Autoglym products):
Shampoo (Autoglym Bodywork Shampoo) > Rinse > Clay/ Tar > Shampoo (AG B S) > Rinse > Dry > Polish (Autoglym Super Resin Polish) > Wax (Autoglym HD Wax) > Quick Detail (Autoglym Rapid Detailer)
It's also worth investing in decent wash mitts/ microfiber drying towels. What are you currently using?
This thread is an excellent source of information:
http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=41885
EDIT: Just seen Perry's post, very good advice.
Perrigun - very nice detailed post. Thank you very much.
Steven - thanks for confirming the route to take. I will need to go and buy some more quick detailer. I used an entire bottle when claying last time.
I have microfibre towels for wiping, I have a drying towel to get rid of water, I have a water blade for windows and I have a white hard material for scrubbing the roof.
Lux good - I never said I received wax in my kit. I said I own wax along with the clay kit.
Thanks everyone. Will attempt to post pre and post pix for you all
Kane
Steven - thanks for confirming the route to take. I will need to go and buy some more quick detailer. I used an entire bottle when claying last time.
I have microfibre towels for wiping, I have a drying towel to get rid of water, I have a water blade for windows and I have a white hard material for scrubbing the roof.
Lux good - I never said I received wax in my kit. I said I own wax along with the clay kit.
Thanks everyone. Will attempt to post pre and post pix for you all
Kane
I am not a pro detailer. However, my car is very shiny and is in great condition for being 9 yrs old.
Twice a year, I do the following:
Wash (two bucket method)
Clay bar - meguires, with Poorboys Quick Detailer Spray
Rinse and dry using towels, not chamois
Auto Glym Super Resin Polish (at least 2 hits, if not 3) - its a hugely underrated product. Check it out on detailingworld.com where is gets a great review LINK HERE
Poorboys Blackhole Glaze (at least 2 hits, up to 5 hits - depending on how much energy I have)
Poorboys Natty's Paste Wax - 1 or 2 coats
I have a black car, which is prone to swirls etc. However, as anyone who attended the recent Perth meet will agree, the car has little signs of swirls, and has a great shine. Most of the swirls have been filled by the fillers in the SRP and Blackhole.
After doing all that, I usually need a rest, preferably with a glass of wine or ice cold beer 8)
I keep meaning to get a rotary polisher, and it would save me a sore back and allow for proper paint correction. Maybe next year :lol:
Twice a year, I do the following:
Wash (two bucket method)
Clay bar - meguires, with Poorboys Quick Detailer Spray
Rinse and dry using towels, not chamois
Auto Glym Super Resin Polish (at least 2 hits, if not 3) - its a hugely underrated product. Check it out on detailingworld.com where is gets a great review LINK HERE
Poorboys Blackhole Glaze (at least 2 hits, up to 5 hits - depending on how much energy I have)
Poorboys Natty's Paste Wax - 1 or 2 coats
I have a black car, which is prone to swirls etc. However, as anyone who attended the recent Perth meet will agree, the car has little signs of swirls, and has a great shine. Most of the swirls have been filled by the fillers in the SRP and Blackhole.
After doing all that, I usually need a rest, preferably with a glass of wine or ice cold beer 8)
I keep meaning to get a rotary polisher, and it would save me a sore back and allow for proper paint correction. Maybe next year :lol:
I would suggest if you genuinely can't see a reflection in the paint look to using a machine polisher. Which, if used in the correct way will produce a stunning 'night and day' before and after result like nothing else.
A good tried and tested system to use is the 3M, 3 stage method, compound-fine compound-ultra fine polish.
Once done use a decent wax to protect the paint and would avoid anything with silicone in. These have a tendency to smudge and streak with an almost oily haze. They can also be a nightmare to apply successfully especially on darker vehicles.
You could get a local detailer to do this if decided. The results will be pretty much 'as new' and well worth it, if its what your looking for.
A good tried and tested system to use is the 3M, 3 stage method, compound-fine compound-ultra fine polish.
Once done use a decent wax to protect the paint and would avoid anything with silicone in. These have a tendency to smudge and streak with an almost oily haze. They can also be a nightmare to apply successfully especially on darker vehicles.
You could get a local detailer to do this if decided. The results will be pretty much 'as new' and well worth it, if its what your looking for.
Titan said:
IPA = IsoPropyl Alcohol (also called Isopropanol) : easy to buy at 99% pure from places like eBay then dilute to required strength with distilled water (30% = 3 parts IPA to 7 parts water)
RDS = Random Deep Scratches (just what it sounds like)
HTH
Perry
