What does it mean to 'clay' your car

Just finished a paint correction on our 2013 Nautical Blue Metallic.
Used M105 with a lake country yellow pad followed by M205 with a lake country Orange and wrapped it up with Polymer 2 paint sealant with adequate cure time before seeing moisture (24 hrs)

Its a piece of lubricated resin compound used to remove surface contaminants. Fairly simple to use just stay away from the "heavy" version until you get some practice under your belt.

New here but I use to detail cars for RTM productions ( Horsepower TV on spike network) so if anyone has any detailing questions I would be happy to chime in my 2 cents .

Well it depends on condition of the paint and your goal. The good thing about meguiars is it is readily available at most autoparts stores. There are a ton of great ( someone would even say better) products available through retailers online such as chemicalguys Let me know your goal and car color and how the paint feels when you run your hand across the vehicle (clean).

 

In my opinion it means you have too much time on your hands and probably didn't get enough play time in kindergarten when you were a kid.
In all honesty it's a very thorough way of removing contaminates from your vehicles surface. Unfortunately it also removes wax.

As is with all cleaning, restorative and finish maintenance "plans" it all depends on what you expect or what you want. Claying the surface of your vehicle is a process that people demanding a show room finish or auto show quality finish would often employ.

I'm really NOT that anal. Seems to me, we kept good looking vehicles for decades BEFORE claying the surface became "popular".
I wash, wax, detail and clean. And I think I keep all my vehicles looking way above average.

I feel no need to remove nearly microscopic levels of contamination by rubbing clay all over my vehicle, and then having to replace wax I may of also removed.

Supporters of the action will undoubtedly tell you how smooth their vehicle feels after claying. So what? Is more or less my answer to that.

Clay if you want to. But IMO if you are talking about a daily driver vehicle, I think the benefit is amazingly short lived.

 

Red is pretty simple maintenance wise, the fact that the paint feels smooth is a great start. Sounds to me like you just want the car to be clean and protected. Without addressing any scratches, I would thoroughly clean the vehicle and apply a good paint sealant. Few details below:

1. Washing the car. Avoid car washes with brushes , I always prefer to hand wash when possible.
Items Needed: Wash Mitt ( I prefer wool but there are other available)
Bug block ( optional but very quick at removing bugs off the front of the car and mirrors)
A good car wash ( example readily available would be meguiars gold class or online would be chemical guys max suds)

2 . Drying:
Natural Chamois followed by a dry/clean microfiber or you can use 2 microfibers (wet and dry)
Compressed air ( optional , use an air nozzle to blow around the car esp hidden areas like door handles window seals and mirrors
Air dry in place , if you must air dry try to store in a cool place not in direct sunlight

3. Dress the tires/wheels
Now is the time to wipe down those wheels and shine the tires. Example Meguiars Hot Shine.

4. Apply paint sealant or wax.
There are so so many different products out there. Everyone has their personal preference. I myself prefer polymer2 paint sealant for its 6 month protection. Sometimes followed by a wax. Its not necessary to do both you can pick one or the other.

Remove wax or sealant , clean windows and inspect for wax/sealant again.

This is just a super general overview, I can go into so much more detail. Such as cleaning the engine bay, door jams, trunk jams, gas lid etc. I do not sponsor or support meguiars, by no stretch of the imagination, I just like their products and you can walk into most o'reillys and advance auto parts and pick up what you need. I will admit there are better products out there and a lot of stuff I haven't tried. I can only speak from personal experience..

 

I know that talking about your favorite wax/sealer is like talking about politics ...however, I have been using "Sonax Polymer NetShield" on our cars for a couple of years now and really like it.

In my situation I just don't have ton of time to spend on our cars...so a product that last a long time is a must. I'm glad to sat that this has held up extremely well. It may not shine quite as well as some other products though. However, the durability more than makes up for it. I am extremely impressed with it.

I have also used the 'Klasse' products with good results. However, the Sonax NetShield is easier to work with.

 

Will chime in with my favorite product. Polymer2 paint sealant.
sometimes followed by P21S carnauba wax.

 

1. wax and paint sealant are "equivalent" in a sense. You can use one instead of the other or both.
2. from what I gathered your paint was smooth and does not need clay, to remove the wax a clean microfiber will do great
3. I only gave a general overview of washing the exterior, if you need interior guidance let me know. As far as lights and fenders that's all included in the exterior. Start at the top and work your way down. Don't take the mitt to the wheels. If you want to wash the wheels . Use a completely separate bucket and mitt, don't mix.
4. I do support meguiars but I don't get paid to endorse their products ( I felt I was coming off as a salesman), I have had only good experiences with their products.
5. I have used a huge variety of different lines and products throughout my career, mostly what our local supply guy had on his truck. its hard to compare that stuff to something u go buy at like autozone but I tried to cover that base with providing meguiars products since u can walk into any autoparts stores to purchase.

 

+1 for SilverTN350's advice.
I would add, never wash/wax a car in direct sunlight, When you get fed up with "Wax on/Wax off" look into a good random orbital buffer, this is one of those tasks where taking your time greatly improves your overall satisfaction.

I have used Mothers, & Maguiers. Have been using EagleOne Nanowax the last few years. I would avoid wash-n-wax type junk

 

Excellent point on the direct sunlight. Further I use a Porter cable 7424xp which I highly recommend, there hasn't been a job I've come across where the xp wasn't a beneficial tool. Only thing I do by hand is removing the wax/sealant and that's just a personal preference. I could easily use the xp to do everything except spot check.

 

You are getting some excellent advise for the best methods/products for keeping your new car new. Because I park my car outside and there are redwood trees nearby, I have found an excellent way to keep the car like new with the least amount of effort.

I use Collinite 476s for paint protection, it lasts 6-months while still protecting the paint.

I wash/rince the car with only water, dry with a plush micro-fibre towel and apply Finish Kare #425 as a quick detailer. The FK425 is very slick and keeps environmental elements from sticking to the paint.

 

15 year old neglected paint. I started with a wash with a mild degreaser and then two coats of each: rubbing compound, polishing compound, scratch remover, and carnuba wax. Approximately 7 man hours of labor (hand applied and electric polisher with foam pads).

 

The only time I did clay bar was when the car was new to get some iron/rust particles off. Back in 2006 Zaino was popular car wax system on this site and they had a kit with a clay bar. Hope this stuff doesn't age too bad cause I still got it.

 

Is this the same high mileage (previously taxi) 2010 prius you bought (about 5 years old) ???

Really claying unless it was refinished it is a total waste of time??? I guess you do not tell people there you bought it used ??

 

Let him have his fun. He's not hurting anyone. Maybe he bought what he could afford, and wants to make it look and feel good.

It's a feel good emotional thing. Don't rob him of that by trying to make him feel small because of the car's possible background.

fopoku2k2, I hope you're able to make your car look and feel new. Best wishes!

Cheers

Merged

Nice bike! I rode a lot during my teens and early twenties. I had an accident in 1979 while living in England, 50 miles north of London. Kind of ruined it for me. I was lucky and walked away with just bruises (I T-boned a front fender and went airborne for about 25 feet, hit the ground hard and slid for another 10 feet.)

My last ride was a friend's Goldwing around the block in 1985.

I bought a 2 seat sports car before my 30th birthday, and that became my rush. Acrobatic flying worked too. I just didn't enjoy driving in traffic with so many people not looking for bikes.

Driving at 100 mph plus on a hot bike is a rush. Enjoy!

Cheers

 

Is there something like Finish Kare #425, but for glass? I don't imagine there would be, but you don't know until you ask. have miserable problem with Aphid Honeydew issues.