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If you love your car, you should clay it

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Much More Better, Apr 24, 2011.

  1. Scaurex

    Scaurex Junior Member

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    I have the same problem with my Prius and an RV. I have figured out what the problem was, and it isn't normal to have your paint look like that. I had my RV in storage behind a boat yard and scrap metal recycling yard, there was lots of metal grinding happening in the area surrounding the RV storage yard. They were grinding the rust off boats, building storage frames, welding, etc. I picked up my RV and left my Prius in its place and went on vacation for a month down south. Once i arrived at my destination in California, i washed my RV, all those little rusty dots didn't come off. The grit from the grinding had adhered to the RV paint and began to rust in the rain.
    At this point i didn't know where the rust and the dots were coming from and thought it was the road through the mountains with the gravel on the roads. I polished out the grit and rust on one side of the RV.

    When i arrived home, i realized the same thing had happened to my Blizzard Pearl Prius which had been sitting in the same environment for 4 weeks. I promptly took it through a carwash, about half of the rust and dots came off. The rest i had to clay away or cut polish out.

    I returned to my RV 1 week later to move it to another storage yard far away from this constant contamination. The freshly polished side had already picked up rusty dots. My RV has full paint, Grey/White/Blue. See attached pic of what the white looked like and you will see it to be similar to what you are experiencing.

    Any time you are near an industrial area with metal recycling, construction, body shop, frame/axle repair... any kind of metal grinding going on, it's going to stick to the paint of your vehicle. If it's raining and you drive through these areas, its going to be kicked up on the car and stick to the paint.
     

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  2. cycledrum

    cycledrum PSOCSOASP

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    .... and do not clay chromed plastic ... it will grab like crazy. Friction, not good.
     
  3. Relesom

    Relesom Junior Member

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    Sorry if this a stupid question:confused:
    But what is claying your car mean?
    Is it the same as waxing?
     
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  4. Paradox

    Paradox Prius Enthusiast / Moderator
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    No far different from waxing. It removes surface contaminants like rail dust, tree sap etc and leaves the surface smooth as glass in preparation for a good polish and then wax or sealant.
     
  5. Relesom

    Relesom Junior Member

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    Do you use it like a wax as far as applying and cleaning off?
    Or do you use a buffer?
    Thankyou very much for the explanation.
     
  6. Paradox

    Paradox Prius Enthusiast / Moderator
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    After washing the car you spray the surface of the vehicle with a spray lubricant, usually one of those quick detailer sprays (griots garage calls theirs speed shine) and rub the clay bar in a back and forth motion in an area say 2 feet by 2 feet. You do this over the vehicle. Takes me 15 minutes now to do my whole car. As you rub the clay back and forth it lifts off contaminants and encapsulated them in the clay so every so often you knead the clay to expose cleaner clay. After rubbing each area use a microfiber to dry the area. That's is, when done polish and or wax/seal.

    Here is a link to griots garage clay, on the page is a video on how to use it and why.

    http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/11153.do


    They do sell an attachment for their polisher which holds the clay to do it mechanically but honestly I see no use for it at all, it is so easy and fast to do it by hand. The polisher would only hamper me in doing it quickly and efficiently.
     
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  7. Relesom

    Relesom Junior Member

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    Thanks for the info.
     
  8. Corwyn

    Corwyn Energy Curmudgeon

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    I live on a dirt road. Washing the car seems a bit futile (other than to get salt off in the spring). That said, I am finding myself quite fond of her, and would like to do what makes sense to keep her in good shape. Can anyone make recommendations for cleaning, protecting a car that drives through either mud or dust everyday?

    Thank You Kindly.
     
  9. Silver NY P3

    Silver NY P3 Junior Member

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    From what I remember reading the same person has a patten on the clay bar so it doesn't really matter if it's Mothers or Megs it's the same. Just make sure you use the retailer spray and keep it wet to avoid swirl marks
     
  10. Silver NY P3

    Silver NY P3 Junior Member

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    Looks great! I had a white grand Cherokee that I would clay bar about 2x a year. Def notice the difference! I'd get what I'd call freckles too. LOL
     
  11. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Yes sir! A good claybar followed by a good wax or sealant will really bring out the shine (and get rid of the paint of contaminants), especially on darker colours (Tideland Pearl and Blue Ribbon Metallic for me)
     
  12. xs650

    xs650 Senior Member

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    Does the Rejex ever build up and need to be stripped off the windshield?
     
  13. xs650

    xs650 Senior Member

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    There are definite differences in the aggressiveness of claybars. Stick with a brand name that is intended for detailing car paint and I agree with you.:cool:

    I think there has to be a difference in quality too, but I haven't heard of anyone that used a brand name bar right having problems.
     
  14. 32kcolors

    32kcolors Senior Member

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    I'd think wearing down is more of a problem, especially with the windshield wipers.
     
  15. stream

    stream Senior Member

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    I do it twice a year. Clay, then RejeX. Never thought about stripping it off, but my guess is after 6 months (probably more like 3 or 4) it's disintegrated on its own.
     
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  16. cycledrum

    cycledrum PSOCSOASP

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    You might want to call up Griots Garage or Meguiars hot line for some tips. I don't go on dirt roads so I can't help you.
     
  17. vinnie97

    vinnie97 Whatever Works

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    My love isn't as strong as most of you (I luv my tendinitis ridden elbows slightly more). ;(
     
  18. Troyroy

    Troyroy Member

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    I'm only guessing......but using this clay on a clear coated paint job......is this OK ???
     
  19. 32kcolors

    32kcolors Senior Member

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    All paints nowadays are clear-coated. Clear coat is simply paint, only clear in color.
     
  20. xs650

    xs650 Senior Member

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    Yes. When you use clay properly, with the lube, the clay slides on the a hydrodynamic layer of lube and doesn't actually touch the paint but it grinds away or pulls out anything sticking up above the paints surface. If you don;t use enough lube you can feel the clay drag on the paint...Don't do that.

    The lube might be the bottle of stuff that cam with your clay bar, or it might be properly diluted car wash in water or a quick detailer spray.

    These instructions and explanation look good.
    Clay Bar Auto Detailing Guide - Detailed Image