Clay Baring

[WaZZZZman]

I am putting away my baby for the Winter. I washed, clay bared and waxed it and it looks great. I am not sure however, the clay bar was worth the effort. I did a test I was told to do by taking a baggy over my hand and rubbing it on the surface of the Zed. I was told that if I found bumps and roughness, it may be beneficial to clay bar the Zed before waxing. I did the test and did find some bumpiness and I compared it to a car I have, that has not had as good a treatment over the years as the Zed and it felt the same, maybe a little worse. When I clay bared the Zed there was quite a bit of yellowish “gunky” looking stuff on the bar. I kept doing the clay baring until I could do the baggy test without feeling many bumps etc. What I found however is that the only places I found a lot of gunk was on the hood, front and rear trunk lid. The side were relatively clean. Is this normal any of you guys who have done it, or is there something I am missing? After putting on a good wax, it looks great, but to be honest it looked pretty damn good before I started the process and now I am tired, my hands and back hurt and I am not sure it was worth the effort. :? My baby will look just great when it appears again next Spring but I have other maintenance things planned.

 

[Smokin]

Makes sense that the flat, horizontal surfaces of the hood and trunk were bad-stuff falls down, right? And the front of the car is the part that opens the air for the rest of the car and all the "gutsy" bugs land on it.




(Oh, I don't think I could stand living somewhere I had to put my baby away for the winter-especially starting in October! )

 

[20ducks]

WaZZZZman, this is a zen thing bud. After you clay bar'd the surface you should have felt the smoothest surface you have felt since you had a 20 year old lass.

...When I clay bared the Zed there was quite a bit of yellowish “gunky” looking stuff on the bar.

a) Was this stuff on the clay bar before you worked on the paint?
b) What brand clay bar did you use?
c) How old is this clay bar?
d) Have you used this clay bar since you bought it?
e) What does "gunky" mean? Be specific, please.
f) What kind of car cover will you be using?


btw, wax on most surfaces will make it look shinny, so don't let that fool you.

 

[jokuhl]

I could not bear to part with my car ever, so I can only live in San Diego! Top dowm most every morning still, heat running full blast, but I look good!

 

[20ducks]

I could not bear to part with my car ever, so I can only live in San Diego! Top dowm most every morning still, heat running full blast, but I look good!

 

[WaZZZZman]

WaZZZZman, this is a zen thing bud. After you clay bar'd the surface you should have felt the smoothest surface you have felt since you had a 20 year old lass.

...When I clay bared the Zed there was quite a bit of yellowish “gunky” looking stuff on the bar.

a) Was this stuff on the clay bar before you worked on the paint?
b) What brand clay bar did you use?
c) How old is this clay bar?
d) Have you used this clay bar since you bought it?
e) What does "gunky" mean? Be specific, please.
f) What kind of car cover will you be using?


btw, wax on most surfaces will make it look shinny, so don't let that fool you.

Well never having done this before, I just went to the local auto store and all they had was Meguiar’s and Mother’s kits. I have used Meguiar’s stuff before and it was find so I selected the Clay Kit they sell.

There was nothing on the clay bar it was new in the kit, I kneaded it like the directions said and softened it, but that was all

The clay bar was brand new

I bought it last week and used it today. There was no expiration date on the box so I assume it is still OK to use.

The gunky stuff was kind of a baby s**t brown color. In some areas it was a little gray but all in all not much color at all.

The kit comes with two bars, a container of Quick Detailer which is a lubricant for the bar, A small bottle of cream wax, and a microfiber cloth. When I did the original test on the surfaces I could feel slight bumps kind of like piples on skin. After the clay bar they were gone. I should have but did not test the sides of the Zed before I clayed but they were smooth after the treatment.

I am not sure what you mean by car cover, my vehicles are kept in a heated garage all the time when not on the road. The weather here is very mild with practically no snow or cold weather, but the Zed to me is my toy and I do not need to get it dirty or wet so when it is not sunny I keep it in the garage. So I do not use a car cover as such. I know, I know I am weird.

 

[jokuhl]

I use car cover when my car is parked outside during day at work (no covered parkng available), at night my car sleeps in the warm garage too! I do understand!

 

[AlanL]

It seems interesting that the sides seemed cleaner for your car - for me that is the part of the car that typically suffers the worst from road crud flying up off of the front tires. I like to do a deep cleaning with a clay bar on both of our cars at least twice a year. I usually get Blue Magic clay from Auto Zone just because I like the consistency of their clay for my paint cleaning work.

I always do a really good hand wash to get the surface dirt off first followed by the clay bar session. I then go through a full set of detailing steps with my favorite products from Menzerna (Intensive Polish, Final Polish, Finishing Glaze and FMJ). I like to follow that up a week later with another coat of FMJ to make sure I have sealed in the now clean paint surface from the elements.

The baggie test should now feel smooth for many weeks to come after a good wash job. Mine Z4 is a daily driver so while it gets garaged at night and does have a covered parking place during the working week it still gets a pretty good dose of the elements on a regular basis.

 

[20ducks]

AlanL, for the most part the type of contamination the clay bar removes is stuff washing doesn't. It settles on the clearcoat and takes up residency: tree pollen, road tar and oils, brake dust, e.g. Most of the stuff that sticks to the sides is stuff either removed by a car wash or mild chemicals (tar remover).

btw, I use this "baggie" technique: first, I don't put the bag on my hand and rub. I put my hand in the bag and then feel the inside of the bag on the surface of the car. I don't rub the bag on the surface. It really doesn't take much to feel the smoothness (or not) of the coating.

After the clay bar I use various grades of polish/swirl removers then glaze then wax or synthetic protectant followed by a sealant coat.

If the surface isn't smooth before putting on the wax/protectant then more prep is required. Again, putting a shine on a car is easy, removing surface blemishes, swirls etc., takes time, the right product and technique are all components of proper preparation.

WaZZZZman, if you don't drive your car for a while and it is sitting in a garage, I suggest that you invest in a good indoor cover. They aren't expensive and truly protect the finish and that's is what you want now isn't it?

 

[AlanL]

I have never even tried the baggie test myself - I hate dragging anything over the surface of the paint including my fingers unless I have just washed it. I still get a lot of crud on my clay bar when I do the sides of the car so I usually make a point of getting the top and the hood done first followed by the sides and finally the backside.

 

[20ducks]

Nooooooooo.....don't drag!!!

Put your hand in the bag....feel the inside of the bag that the outside of the bag is in contact with. Don't move the bag, move your fingers inside the bag.



I clay bar the entire car as well, Alan.

 

[WaZZZZman]

Nooooooooo.....don't drag!!!

Put your hand in the bag....feel the inside of the bag that the outside of the bag is in contact with. Don't move the bag, move your fingers inside the bag.



I clay bar the entire car as well, Alan.

Thank you all for the information. I may have incorrectly described the baggy thing. I slightly rubbed the freshly washed surface, but I did rub it. 20Ducks I will use your technique next time. My car was owned by a senior lady before I purchased it and was garaged most all days as she was retired as I am. I have looked for things like road tar, but even with the relative light color, (Silver) I do not see anything. I get down on my hands and knees with a strong light looking for things like that. Before I got the car it had been professionally detailed and probably clay bared then, but I do not know for sure. It appeared to me that most of what came off the top and rear deck was tree sap. I mistakenly parked it several times under trees thinking I was protecting it from the sun, but that probably was not too smart.

Alan L I will look for the clay bar you talked about next time, but as I put less than 3K miles a year on it I don’t think I need to do clay bar more than once a year if that, but I understand your situation.

I had never thought about getting a car cover for it in the garage but that is not a bad idea. It does get dusty and I use one of those large feather dusters now to keep the little dust it gets on it off, but the cover may be a better way to go.

20Ducks after looking at the photos of your wheel wells etc, you have inspired me. Mine are clean and I do wash and wax them but you apparently have even gone to cleaning beyond that point and I will try to emulate your great efforts.

 

[20ducks]

Griot's Under-Carriage Spray is recommended.

Griot's Lots of stuff for the garage as well.