Liquid Clay

moonpig · April 19, 2009

Hello,

Well i have always been into keeping my car clean and have generally been called a "tart" as i do like keeping it spik and span (or is that supposed to be spam?) I have of course heard people talking about clay and doing the car with it and the results etc but have always been a bit of a coward as a good few years ago (probably well before it was fashonable to clay your car) heard a few horror stories of swirl marks that couldnt be got rid of etc etc after a home attempy at claying.

Technology has moved on i am sure but still being a bit of a wuss i found turtle wax Ice liquid clay bar in Halfrauds and thought it would be a bit "safer"

Just done the car and all i can say is why oh why didnt i do it earlier everything you read from all those people that have used clay before about the car being so much more shiney and "Glass like" is true with i have to say very little effort. not sure if the real clay would be even better than the liquid but over the years i have pretty much tried every kind of polish wash, wax etc but until now never clay.

If you are thinking about it get out there and do it you will notice the results for sure, as most have said all i would say is keep the area's you do pretty small one at a time and keep over and over in this case washing the applicator (for proper clay that would be rolling it i guess) as you do get a hell of a lot of muck on it and wouldnt want that scratching the paint.

Noted the post about using blue tac but of course once i had brought my liquid clay think i'll be using that up and then trying that..... having said that seemed to use next to sod all of it

Patch234 · April 19, 2009

I'm like you. Love to keep the car looking good. In fact, I am anal about it!

When I'm washing/polishing mine, I'm even thinking about the weather forecast for the day's ahead - the longer the dry period, the longer my car will look good. I think it has something to do with the effort that is put in making it look good? Funnily enough, it helps me relax?

Anyways, like the sound of that liquid clay, I have clay bar'd mine recently and the results are great. Even more so after applying a wax afterward. I believe that you should - bar it, polish it, wax it, then seal it. I am looking into products and reviews in a car cleaning forum at the moment. Will be doing this in the near future.....

Did you take any pics? If so, get them posted.....

Cheers

Phil

moonpig · April 20, 2009

I'm like you. Love to keep the car looking good. In fact, I am anal about it!
When I'm washing/polishing mine, I'm even thinking about the weather forecast for the day's ahead - the longer the dry period, the longer my car will look good. I think it has something to do with the effort that is put in making it look good? Funnily enough, it helps me relax?

Anyways, like the sound of that liquid clay, I have clay bar'd mine recently and the results are great. Even more so after applying a wax afterward. I believe that you should - bar it, polish it, wax it, then seal it. I am looking into products and reviews in a car cleaning forum at the moment. Will be doing this in the near future.....

Did you take any pics? If so, get them posted.....

Cheers

Phil

Didnt take any pic's perhaps i should have done!

Yes i have heard that you should wash clay polish wax and seal it. this time i just got up to the polish and it looks good as it is. have only tried sealing once and i either did something wrong or used the wrong stuff as i ended up witha pretty poor finish (looked a lot worse than after the polish alone) i used Halfords own stuff at the time and it put me off to be honest. Any ideas on some good seal to use and also any tips?

Asi · April 20, 2009

i clay'd mines the other day for the first time and the results were amazing mate.

Normski · April 22, 2009

Would recommend you clay the lights and windows too! Also be careful which clay you do use - some are more aggressive than others and may leave marks on your paint. Best to talk to companies like Elite Car Care and Polished Bliss as both have pros that can advise on the best course of action for the type of paint your car has.

BGLister · April 23, 2009

The generally accepted process for cleaning a car to within an inch of its life is:

1. Power wash with snow foam, leaving it to dwell for 5 minutes. This dissolves/slides off most of the dirt. Rinse with water.

2. wash using the 2 bucket method and grit guards. Use a non wax stripping car shampoo and sheepskin mit using tepid water in both buckets. Wash in straight lines so if any swirling is introduced, it will be less visible. This removes stuck on dirt and traffic film. (Don't use washing up liquid - it has salt in it amongst other things and will probably strip wax off too).

3. Rinse with clean water

4. Dry with microfibre towels.

5. clay bar with suitable lubricant. Bilt Hamber clay bar works with water rather than a lubricating/detailing spray.

6. Polish.

7. Seal - whole load of products out there. My favourite is Jet Seal 109 from Chemical Guys. Wipe on, leave 15 minutes, wipe off. Repeat again for extra durability.

8. Glaze - if you really want.

9. Wax. One or two coats. My favourite is P21S. Alot of people like Collinite for its durability.

If you want a good finish without buying loads of products. You can pretty much cover steps 7-9 above using Bilt Hamber Autobalm, but sparingly. There is a bit of a knack to getting it on and then wiping it down, but it has good durability and finish.

Main reason to post this was to say that a sealant is used on freshly cleaned/polished paintwork, and then the wax goes on top of the sealant, not the other way around.

Patch234 · April 23, 2009

Main reason to post this was to say that a sealant is used on freshly cleaned/polished paintwork, and then the wax goes on top of the sealant, not the other way around.

Aaaaagh, now I see the light, thanks BG

In fact, I am going to try this (your method) but use 'Liquid insulator Wax' for the wax and Car-lack 68 for the sealant.

Will post pics of the results.

Phil

moonpig · April 24, 2009

Main reason to post this was to say that a sealant is used on freshly cleaned/polished paintwork, and then the wax goes on top of the sealant, not the other way around.

Aaaaagh, now I see the light, thanks BG

In fact, I am going to try this (your method) but use 'Liquid insulator Wax' for the wax and Car-lack 68 for the sealant.

Will post pics of the results.

Phil

think thats probably the mistake i made then putting the seal on top of the wax and not the other way round. doh!

dgman · April 25, 2009

patch234,i can recommend the carlack system,it gives a glass like seal and superb protection against etching from bird droppings.if you hav'nt used it before,very thin application on cool panels out of the sun and wiping off with a slightly damp mf followed by a dry deep pile mf.

ps,i have used carlack for three years and in that time used 500ml of long life sealant at about £13.

MY-JAP-MISTRESS · April 25, 2009

you dont need to dry the car after washing it and before claying it. also it is a good idea to wash it again after claying as you get a little milky resadue from the clay and you will be working that into your paintwork with the polish. meaguires do a good 3 step polishing system to use after claying as all 3 stages are easy to buff off. also i give a final 3 coats of wax tho usualy just 2 for a nice wet look to the paintwork