Rough texture, is claying the answer?

P

PhilW

Member
My house backs onto a farm and last Wednesday the farmer was out with the combine. In the morning I woke to my car absolutely covered in wheat dust.

I only got round to cleaning it today, and although it looks nice, when I run my finger over some of the paintwork it feels rough. I can only assume it's some kind of effect from the dusting it got.

I tried a bit of polish by hand but no joy. I've never clayed before but could that be the answer for restoring that nice glossy glass-like texture?

Thanks,
Phil
 
Yes, claying is the way to go. If the car's never been clayed it could be that the rough surface you felt was there prior to last Wednesday.
 
Thanks Marlon. I might give that clay mitt a go discussed in another thread. The car was brand new in March so it was all pretty smooth until recently.
 
Just a word of caution Phil, if you are new to clay watch vids as you could easily scratch your paintwork if the clay picks up grit. As so new tread causiously I would suggest. But clay would be the most obvious way to smooth the finish.
 
Thanks for the advice. I'll make sure it's as clean as possible before starting, and just try a small area first I think.
 
PhilW said:
Thanks for the advice. I'll make sure it's as clean as possible before starting, and just try a small area first I think.
Click to expand...

You will be perfectly fine if you take your time and do it methodically with the right gear, just two tips from me:

- keep the paintwork well lubricated as you use the clay (you do not have to buy a specific lube product, a bucket of soapy (car soap) water would do the same job. That holds true unless the clay you buy says something different - so I have a Bilt Hamber one that only needs water, for instance, although using some kind of lube will never harm; and

- watch a few online vids on UTube on how to clay. I'd recommend searching out the one by AmmoNYC if you can manage it - the guy is excellent in his explanations and show step by step what you should be doing - or, at least, what he does and he's one of the top guys in the US from what I can make out. He explains when you know you need clay and how to use it safely (and also to chuck it in the bin as soon as you've dropped it!). I followed his vid and the difference was unbelievable; that stuff really works.

See how you go. Definitely try a practice area. Definitely be patient. And Definitely protect the car after claying!!!! Your choice of polish/sealant/wax (in that order) - you don't necessarily have to do all of those steps, but you do need to put some protection on the paint to lock-in the good work you will have done by claying the car.

And don't casually lean on the car afterwards - you'll slide straight off it!

Stevo
 
Thanks for the tips Stevo!

I gave it a go last night and have to say I'm very pleased with the result. I used the Farecla G3 clay mitt and could feel the grittiness gradually go as I worked it. By the end the panels were back to being silky smooth :)

I only got one side of the car done before it started to get dark, so will try to do the rest tonight.
 
Glad that worked out for you. Just to re-iterate, unless you're after a famous Del Boy moment, no leaning on the car!! Protect with sealant too, you won't be disappointed :thumbsup: sealant costs F all, is v easy to apply and wipes off really well. Now that you're half way there, don't let yourself down!
Stevo
 
Yes no probs. Only thing is that the wax basically get worn down quicker in my personal experience and you need to reapply say every 3-4 weeks. Sealant will chemically bond with the top of the paint and will last longer - maybe 3 to 6 months kinda thing. You can always wax on top of the sealant once cured if you're after the visual effects of a wax. Put it this way: my understanding is that a few decades ago wax was used as the first protective layer - for shine but also waterproofing. Things have moved on and sealants are (generically speaking) better as the first protective layer; wax tends to be more focused on the visual impact you can achieve. Both products are more specialised is another way of looking at it. There are lots of variables, of course, but the basic point I'm getting at is that you don't want to have to clay your car every three weeks and using a couple of coats of sealant will help with that. With the amount of cars that never see any TLC, claying and waxing is a cracking start :thumbsup:
Stevo
 
captain caveman said:
What would you say is a good sealant?
Click to expand...

Pretty much any of them!
Currently still using PoorBoys EX-P but Chemical Guys (say, JetSeal) or any of the big brands will be fine without doubt. There all about 10-15 quid, can't really go wrong. Couple of coats and you can relax for months...
HTH
Stevo
 
Wax over sealant is not really needed ... as they are both for the same purpose ...
Only difference is one purely synthetic and the wax might be with carnauba and so on ... so pick your choice sealant or wax :)
 
After reading review online and comments on here I bought this wax from Halfords. Applied it yesterday and it lived up to all the reviews. I had already cleaned, clayed, and polished the car so this was the final step. I used about one third of the bottle, the application was quite easy - rub on / rub off - needed a bit of elbow grease to remove, but was very satisfying.
Has left a nice glossy wet look :)

Screen Shot 2016-08-27 at 10.51.04.png

P1040337_zps0aehhu35.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom