I’m looking for technical help or recommendations on: claying
Tell me please about claying. I’ve only recently heard about it so it’s all new to me. Is it a DIY job or must I go to a professional? After a month’s ownership, this morning I thoroughly washed the car then waxed it. It was only then that I noticed two areas or roughness in the paitwork - the boot lid and the rear O/S wing. It’s almost as if the car has been sprayed at sometime in a dusty environment as I can feel very fine ‘speckles’ with my hand. I wonder of ‘claying’ would improve this?
Clay barring will certainly help with the roughness of the paint. The clay bar pulls out the contaminates inc overspray, leaving the paint smooth like glass. You don’t need a professional to do the job, its perfectly doable yourself, it just takes abit of time.
There’s quite a few options on the market, I’ve only had experience with the Meguiars kit. You can buy the clay bar seperate as long as you have some quick detailer.
Break a piece off and work it into a disc shape which is big enough to cover 2-3 fingers. Using a clay lube or quick detailer spray (usually supplied in a kit) spray the panel and the clay. Work the clay back and forth in straight lines followed by the opposite direction, wipe with a clean cloth.
You’ll need to re-seal the paint with a polish afterwards.
For best results (and this is much more indepth) after you have washed the car, spray a decontaminate/iron out on the paint work, let it dwell and then rinse. Then use the clay bar > polish > wax.
Its an easy job to do yourself. Clay available from most auto outlets or on line. Make a nice pad of the clay and spry plenty of water on the working area whilst rubbing the paintwork. NEVER ALLOW THE AREA TO DRY. Once dry you will need to polish and re wax the area.
Even brand new unregistered paint is a candidate for clay , mop, and wax sealing.
It’s filthy by the time it comes off a transporter and all that loving “first wax” does is seal the contaminants & oxides in. You’d be surprised, or even shocked.
Be sure to fully decontaminate your paint first with tar&glue remover and a fallout remover, clay barring can remove these spots quite aggressively and potentially cause small amounts of damage
The car will need a polish and wax after being clay barred aswell
Clay bar +1, hard work and use LOTS of lube, i use turtle wax orange car wash in a strong solution sprayed in abundance while using the clay, perfect joy. Once clayed I use autoglym resin polish, which has a slight cut, then a decent wax, carnuba if you’re feeling flash, but any decent solid wax will do. Just take your time, one panel, or part of a panel at a time and stick with it, you’re bound to be impressed with the results, But I stress, patience and time, have fun.
