I bought a Meguiars quik clay kit and wondered if the are any special

points to follow before taking the plunge and having a go?

I have never done this before and don't want to cause any damage...

Do I have to press firmly or gently on the clay bar for example?

Whats the best kind of weather to attempt this in? Will direct sunlight

cause problems? Will I need to strip previous coats of wax and whatnot

before I start or willl the clay do that by itself... I am a total claying noob

Would really appreciate a step by step mini guide if possible..

Castle Combe coming up and want the car looking as good as possible

since I'll be in such esteemed company.

Thanks in advance

Garry

This should help

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=4829

I bought a Meguiars quik clay kit and wondered if the are any special

points to follow before taking the plunge and having a go?

I have never done this before and don't want to cause any damage...

Do I have to press firmly or gently on the clay bar for example?

Whats the best kind of weather to attempt this in? Will direct sunlight

cause problems? Will I need to strip previous coats of wax and whatnot

before I start or willl the clay do that by itself... I am a total claying noob

Would really appreciate a step by step mini guide if possible..

Castle Combe coming up and want the car looking as good as possible

since I'll be in such esteemed company.

Thanks in advance

Garry

first off insure you use plenty of lube id cut the clay up into decent sized pieces, fill a mug with warm water and put one piece in the mug while your using the other, then once finished a panel, say front wing, swap the clay piece for the one in the mug and continue, then swap again, the first bit you used will now be soft and easily moulded to a clean side as it can be hard to work with when cold and hard. only finger light pressure is needed, ensure that plenty of lube is used and that you swap pieces regularly and make sure that a clean side is used so not to induce surface marring (scratches by moving the dirty around with the clay) i would advise detarring throughly before hand as the tar will stick to the clay and you will go through clay and waste it like nobodys business so def de tar before hand. the clay will remove any polish or wax that may be on the paint as wel as airbourne contaminents, will surprise you the amount of dirt. then id def reccommend a wash afterwards, so clay the entire car at a time then wash then dont forget to add some polish and seal in your hard work witha good wax

hth

jordan

hi guys great topic ...........just wanted to ask when a car shouls actually begin being clayed...as a friend told me not to bother start claying my 8 month old TSI...he told me to just WASH/WAX and every now and then WASH/SEAL/WAX is this right or should i also begin claying before waxing(and when sealing every few months).

Personally I wash the car with heavily sudsy'd water and whilst still wet, begin claying as the water will help ensure surface remains well lubricated. obviously spraying on the lube (in my case merely water & fabric conditioner mix) as I go, ensuring the clay moves effortlessly over the surface. At the slightest hint of any sticking, spray spray spray!

Afterwards, another wash then dry and you have perfect setup to start machine polishing.

I've had a car cleaning day today too.

gave a quick wash to begin with, then de-tarred all lower areas, washed again and clayed whilst still wet spraying more lube when needed, then washed again and dried, AG SRP applied all over then 2 layers of AG HD wax, windows cleaned inside and out, tyres blacked, alloys cleaned and waxed.

A solid days 5 hours work but it looks alot better for it, last timeit was waxed was September last year and the AG HD wax was still beading !, I have to say I love this stuff !

Alan

I've had a car cleaning day today too.

gave a quick wash to begin with, then de-tarred all lower areas, washed again and clayed whilst still wet spraying more lube when needed, then washed again and dried, AG SRP applied all over then 2 layers of AG HD wax, windows cleaned inside and out, tyres blacked, alloys cleaned and waxed.

A solid days 5 hours work but it looks alot better for it, last timeit was waxed was September last year and the AG HD wax was still beading !, I have to say I love this stuff !

Alan

Sounds good, any pics?

I don't see why you have to wash the car after claying with the meguiars clay kit. Wash the car first yes but washing after is pointless imo. You just need to use a good microfibre (like the megs Supreme Shine) to wipe of the excess lube (megs QD) after you've clayed it. This will leave a lovely smooth as glass finish ready for the next step.

I used the very same kit last week. It's a great kit. I just split the clay in two. Started on roof, then the back, front, sides and bottom bits. I used plenty of the detailer you get. You'll know yourself how much pressure to use once you've done a wee bit.

Ps I washed, clayed, polished and then waxed mine. Took about 4 hours but was worth it.

J

....hi guys a bit of a dumb question but what would be the difference between polishing and waxing :S

Some of us don't even need to use lube if she is wet enough already......the car I mean!

Bilt Hamber Clay is what I use and is great stuff, I just use a bucket of warm water to keep the clay soft, and a squirty bottle full of water to use as the lube, no need for more expense using a specific lube.

Just spent two days getting mine ready for Castle Combe as well Garry, so watch out! although I do massive motorway miles so it gets horribly grubby very quickly :'(

....hi guys a bit of a dumb question but what would be the difference between polishing and waxing :S

The main job of a polish is to prepare the paint for waxing. Most polishes contain solvents, minor abrasives, nourishing oils and/or fillers. Some are more abrasive than others, some contain more solvents etc etc. You need to decide what you want the polish to do before purchasing one i.e. do you want it to remove swirls and oxidation, in which case you would choose a polish that contains abrasives. If you want to "fill" swirls and scratches you'd choose a non abrasive polish than contains fillers. Polishing is probably the most important part of detailing your car if you after the best possible finish. Polishing should be done roughly twice a year.

It is essetial to wax/seal your car after its been polished. Waxes dont normally contain any solvents or abrasives (although you can buy some all-in-one products) but they put a layer of protection on the paint. The durability of a wax can vary but as a guide you should wax the car every 2-3 months. Different types of wax offer different levels of shine and durability so again, take time to choose a wax that does what you want it to.

Clear as mud!

HTH, Lee

The main job of a polish is to prepare the paint for waxing. Most polishes contain solvents, minor abrasives, nourishing oils and/or fillers. Some are more abrasive than others, some contain more solvents etc etc. You need to decide what you want the polish to do before purchasing one i.e. do you want it to remove swirls and oxidation, in which case you would choose a polish that contains abrasives. If you want to "fill" swirls and scratches you'd choose a non abrasive polish than contains fillers. Polishing is probably the most important part of detailing your car if you after the best possible finish. Polishing should be done roughly twice a year.

It is essetial to wax/seal your car after its been polished. Waxes dont normally contain any solvents or abrasives (although you can buy some all-in-one products) but they put a layer of protection on the paint. The durability of a wax can vary but as a guide you should wax the car every 2-3 months. Different types of wax offer different levels of shine and durability so again, take time to choose a wax that does what you want it to.

Clear as mud!

HTH, Lee

..thanks for that very informative and well said..............

..one last thing -that means that a brand new car would not really benefit from polishing is this right?

..thanks for that very informative and well said..............

..one last thing -that means that a brand new car would not really benefit from polishing is this right?

Yes thats right. I've never had a brand new car myself but i would say the best thing to do would be to wash (using the two bucket method and a lambs wool wash mitt to keep swirls to a minimum), dry, then put a coat of wax on. Top up the wax every 2-3 months and you shouldn't need to polish the car for at least 6 months. It depends on how in to all you want to get but there are some useful stickies at the top of this section where the whole detailing process is explained in, er, great detail! HTH.

...........thanks for that onmeheadson

...actually my TSI is from july 2010 so coming close to a year old and paint still looks like new...and all i have done during this time is like you mention - wash (using the two bucket method and a lambs wool wash mitt to keep swirls to a minimum), dry, then put a coat of wax on. Top up the wax every 2-3 months -

... but abit confused if i should continue like that or is it time to add some claying and polishing or maybe just abit of claying ?

...........thanks for that onmeheadson

...actually my TSI is from july 2010 so coming close to a year old and paint still looks like new...and all i have done during this time is like you mention - wash (using the two bucket method and a lambs wool wash mitt to keep swirls to a minimum), dry, then put a coat of wax on. Top up the wax every 2-3 months -

... but abit confused if i should continue like that or is it time to add some claying and polishing or maybe just abit of claying ?

No probs John. I think the best thing to do is assess the paint. Does it feel nice and smooth after a wash? It's probably due a claying, polish and a wax which should be done approx every 6 months. Have you ever clayed your car? It's amazing how much crap it pulls off the paint that you didn't think was there! It leaves the surface as smooth as glass, ready for a polish. If your paint is in great condition still i'd use a mild polish which will clean and prepare the surface for waxing, which is the easy bit!

...have never clayed before so im not sure i would know the diference -from washing and from claying -as even just washing every 2 weeks seems to clean and bring the shine back.... but have been reading alot here about claying , by the way have ordered meguiars quick clay to give it a try....

....could also give the polish a try ..any mild polish to recommend as i wouldnt have a clue which one to use...

the wax i use is POORBOYS sealer wax and then normal wax....sealer wax every a couple of months and normal wax a bit more frequent after washing.

....that means WASH first..CLAY...POLISH...WAX would that be the right order?

..is it possible that polishing can be done by hand for the time being?

Edited 23 March, 201115 yr by john123

...have never clayed before so im not sure i would know the diference -from washing and from claying -as even just washing every 2 weeks seems to clean and bring the shine back.... but have been reading alot here about claying , by the way have ordered meguiars quick clay to give it a try....

....could also give the polish a try ..any mild polish to recommend as i wouldnt have a clue which one to use...

the wax i use is POORBOYS sealer wax and then normal wax....sealer wax every a couple of months and normal wax a bit more frequent after washing.

....that means WASH first..CLAY...POLISH...WAX would that be the right order?

..is it possible that polishing can be done by hand for the time being?

The megs quick clay is great, thats what i use. Yes, wash, dry, clay, polish, wax.

A couple of things to remember when claying. Cut the clay in half. Get in warm and soft by squeezing repeatedly, then flatten it out in to a small disc. Use plenty of lube (you cant use too much). Use only fingertip pressure. After each 1/2 to 1 panel fold the clay in and flatten again (it should last a long time). Wipe the excess QD off with good soft microfibre.

Your waxes/sealants are fine.

Hand polishing is fine, as it sounds like you dont need any paint correction. It will be very difficult to remove swirls by hand but if your paint is ok then great. I can recommend DA polishers though, they're excellent. I use mine for polishing, glazing and waxing. Its brilliant for paint correction.

With regards to polish something like AG Super Resin Polish would do the job, or you could try the new Meguiars Ultime Polish which looks excellent especially od dark coloured cars.

What colour is your car?

.............cappuccino beige ..............would prefer to polish with a machine but ive heard that if not careful could damage the paint so maybe its safer to start off manually.....

.............cappuccino beige ..............would prefer to polish with a machine but ive heard that if not careful could damage the paint so maybe its safer to start off manually.....

Rotary polishers can damage the paint if not used properly but DA polishers are much safer to use, even for beginners.

...might need to get one .......

..which polish will work best with cappuccino beige ??