[vivekk]

At the UK4 meet, in September, I was talking to Paul (1stnewcar) about claying.
I'd never really bothered to try it on my car, because I was more worried about potentially damaging the clear coat, than anything else.

So, I tried to find out a bit more about 'claying'.

Mrs Viv found me watching that YouTube video a few times before Christmas, so she bought the Meguiars Smooth Surface Clay Kit for me, which was very kind of her.



As well as being a little worried about using the clay bar, I was also a little dubious about how effective it was likely to be.

So...I tried it out on the wife's car first. I was actually amazed at just how much dirt it managed to remove from the paint surface, even after thoroughly washing the car. There again, the wife's car only gets washed when it looks like it needs it & it's never been clayed anyway.

As I couldn't see any scratching, marking or any other damage to the paintwork, I thought I'd try it out on my own car.


I've got to say that I try to look after the car's paintwork on a regular basis- washing every couple of weeks, polishing every month or so & waxing every 3-4 months.
Same goes for the alloys.
As a result of that regime, successive 'cleanings' are a whole lot easier, that's for sure.
However, I'd still not used a clay bar on the paintwork, in the 2 years I've had the car.

Anyway, I hadn't washed the car in the last 2 weeks, so that was the first job.
I've used various different car shampoos in the past, but my current favourite is Meguiars NXT Car Wash- it's easy to use, smells good & gives a good finish.




Here's some shots after using just the car shampoo:













It was a sunny day in the north-east today & the paintwork was dry within half an hour.

I took out the clay bar, had a 'play' with it, read the instructions a few times & thought I'd 'play' with it a bit more.



It took a while for me to stop acting like a 'kid' & Mrs Viv was watching me, so I thought I'd better go outside & carry on there.

The kit came with 2 clay bars, quick detailing (lubricant) spray, a bottle of cleaning wax & a large microfibre cloth.

The paintwork looked 'clean-as-hell' to me, so I was still dubious about using the kit.

Anyway, I just sprayed the lubricant spray onto the bonnet, to start, moulded the clay bar into a small, flat shape & gently rubbed it across the paintwork, spraying as I went.






I've got to say that I was shocked at the stuff the clay bar was picking up, considering the care I thought I was giving the car already.

Here's what the clay bar looked like after running it across half of the bonnet:



...and this is what it looked like after going over part of the roof & the boot lid:





As the dirt built up, it was a case of rolling the clay around to reveal a clean surface again:



It's important to throw out the clay, when it gets more difficult to roll it into a clean piece.
Otherwise, you're likely to end up rubbing the dirt you've removed, onto the paintwork, and increasing the risk of marking the clear coat.
Similarly, using it after dropping it on the floor is a 'No No'.


The paintwork felt a lot smoother after using the clay bar & it was easy to see that it had done its job.

The final step was to run the cleaning wax over the surface with the microfibre cloth. The smoother paint surface did make this easier than usual.

It was starting to get dark by now, so I'm afraid I couldn't get any good shots of the finished work.
You'll just have to take my word for it, when I say the finished job is 'beautiful'.



All the best.

Viv

[GhostsForge]

Looking good - must confess I've never had the bottle to clay the car (despite owning some clay), I end up paying someone to detail the car

Out of interest, what do you use to process your images, looks like jpeg2 format

[vivekk]

Originally Posted by GhostsForge

Looking good - must confess I've never had the bottle to clay the car (despite owning some clay), I end up paying someone to detail the car

Out of interest, what do you use to process your images, looks like jpeg2 format

Thanks.

I didn't have the 'bottle' either, well, not until talking to Paul about it.

I think looking after the paintwork yourself does become addictive, and as they say, 'prevention' is better than 'cure'.

The images were taken with an ordinary Sony DSC P200 digital camera, processed using Photoshop CS3 & saved as an ordinary jpeg at 60% quality.

All the best.

Viv

[squeezebm]

Nice write up Viv,i used the same stuff on my 335d,i had heard loads about claying so popped off to Halfords one day,and like you say read the destructions a few times and thought is that it
i didn't know untill afterwards looking thru the forums what damage a cleaning numpty like me could have done with it

couldn't believe the amount of shite that came off a new car,but did get caught caressing the bodywork afterwards by 'er indoors - which was strange

good result BTW

[vivekk]

Originally Posted by squeezebm

Nice write up Viv,i used the same stuff on my 335d,i had heard loads about claying so popped off to Halfords one day,and like you say read the destructions a few times and thought is that it
i didn't know untill afterwards looking thru the forums what damage a cleaning numpty like me could have done with it

couldn't believe the amount of shite that came off a new car,but did get caught caressing the bodywork afterwards by 'er indoors - which was strange

good result BTW

Cheers Calvin.

As long as you don't use a 'dropped' clay bar, & you're not a tight a*se & buy a new clay bar when the old one has 'had it', you'll be fine.

Do you mean 'strange getting caught' or 'strange caressing the bodywork'?

Are you going to use the stuff on your new 'M', by any chance?

Viv

[Ascension]

Excellent write-up

[Z4 Beemer]

This is something I have been looking into recently. I'm definitely going to get that Meguiars clay kit with the quik detailer. After giving it a clay I'm planning to use Zymol HD cleanse and then finally get a good coat of wax on... possibly using a machine polisher...?

That is quite amazing how much dirt came off your paintwork though. Did one piece of clay do the bonnet, roof and boot lid? Should other surfaces like the door panels be done also?

Car looks good though!

[squeezebm]

Originally Posted by vivekk

Cheers Calvin.

As long as you don't use a 'dropped' clay bar, & you're not a tight a*se & buy a new clay bar when the old one has 'had it', you'll be fine.

Do you mean 'strange getting caught' or 'strange caressing the bodywork'?

Are you going to use the stuff on your new 'M', by any chance?

Viv

Think i'm gonna get an operative to sort this one

which brings me onto the Q of why you make models of St Calos with your clay bars

[Hotcoupe]

Looks good Viv,you obviously have more patience then me.

I bought the exact same kit about 2 mths ago, tried it for 5 minutes and thought "Nah,can't be arsed", and gave up.

Looking at getting it cleaned (detailed) professionally once the weather gets better (June 18th apparently).

[vivekk]

Originally Posted by Z4 Beemer

This is something I have been looking into recently. I'm definitely going to get that Meguiars clay kit with the quik detailer. After giving it a clay I'm planning to use Zymol HD cleanse and then finally get a good coat of wax on... possibly using a machine polisher...?

That is quite amazing how much dirt came off your paintwork though. Did one piece of clay do the bonnet, roof and boot lid? Should other surfaces like the door panels be done also?

Car looks good though!

Thanks Gordon.

Yes- I started with a clean piece of clay & 'rolled' it after doing each & every panel.
Most of the dirt came off the bonnet, roof, boot lid & rear bumper.

Originally Posted by squeezebm

Think i'm gonna get an operative to sort this one

which brings me onto the Q of why you make models of St Calos with your clay bars

You must have an 'operative' to do a lot of different 'stuff' for you, Calvin.

- mouldings of Carlos- - you should have seen what I was going to make out of that clay bar!


I posted this ages ago- shows you how much I like 'playing'!

Viv

[AlanQS]

For all beginners, try this . This was my first attempt (on my wife's car) and it was amazing at taking off tar without damaging the paintwork. Using it as a pad saves you any effort kneading a clay bar and you can wash it. It is good for 8 - 10 washes.

[vivekk]

Originally Posted by Hotcoupe

Looks good Viv,you obviously have more patience then me.

I bought the exact same kit about 2 mths ago, tried it for 5 minutes and thought "Nah,can't be arsed", and gave up.

Looking at getting it cleaned (detailed) professionally once the weather gets better (June 18th apparently).

Thanks HC.

Originally Posted by AlanQS

For all beginners, try this . This was my first attempt (on my wife's car) and it was amazing at taking off tar without damaging the paintwork. Using it as a pad saves you any effort kneading a clay bar and you can wash it. It is good for 8 - 10 washes.

Alan, It looks a lot easier using that bar, but a little more expensive, considering there's no wax or microfibre to use afterwards.

Viv

[dxb335d]

Very good write up viv, i dont think Sir Carlos will be trying any ''claying'' for the fear of damage.

Bet the motwah looks Stunwah thowah!!

[vivekk]

Originally Posted by dxb335d

Very good write up viv, i dont think Sir Carlos will be trying any ''claying'' for the fear of damage.

Bet the motwah looks Stunwah thowah!!

Thanks Carslosh.

'Wah Wah Whoom', as you might say.

Viv

[Hotcoupe]

This stuff looks quite good,I think I'll give it a whirl:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...MEWA:IT&ih=012

Looks like this when it goes on, (not my car BTW,just read a post on bmwcarmagazine)

[Gibbo]

Viv,

Good stuff you have done a good job today. When the weather is cold you want to role it round in your hands as well to get some heat in the clay so less risk of damaging the car.

I clayed mine the day I got it and the amount of crap that came off the car is shocking. It's mainly the bonnet, roof, boot and top of bumpers where the ariel contminents have collected. When the cars are shipped to the uk BMW do not put the white protective sheeting on the bonnet, roof and boot and hence you get rail fall out and other contaminents. To be honest it's rubbish as I drive past an Audi dealer on the way to work and you can see the cars comming off the transporter with the protection. My Boxster had the same and when I clayed it after delivery only a tiny amount of dirt was on it.

Remember when you clay your car is at it's least protected so a good coat of sealent or wax is needed to protect the paintwork.

Megs clay is a good one to start with as it's a fairly fine grade although there are better products in the market to be honest. A new car only needs fine clay and max twice a yr.

Don't throw your dirty clay, this can be used on the glass and the wheels to get rid of the brake dust, tar build up. Oh, then seal the wheels but thats another topic.

[M3-FAST]

I agreee Viv - the Meg's stuff is superb! Did the missus compact with it and the paint came up like new!

Not done the vert as yet but defo a job for the spring

As for being worried of damage.....just keep the surface wet and keep rolling the clay to keep a clean side up - worked for me

[mjh93sa]

Top work Viv We'll turn you into a detailing freak yet.

I must admit that I've never clayed a car, despite laying in some clay and lube. I might have a go on someone else's in the family first just to try it. As others have said, it just seems to damned scary!

[- Paul -]

Glad to see you tried it Viv - lets see some pics in the daylight. It is quite spooky just what clay gets off the car!!!

5* thread.

[bells0]

Nice write up. Clayed my 350Z and Audi Cab, not yet to give the whitey a claying - but will once the weather improves!

[creepy coupe]

Strange he said clay was non abrasive, I always thought it was.

I'm alway consered these "spray snow" type products take wax off

[- Paul -]

The clay isn't abrasive but if you don't clean the clay by folding or replacing - it soon will be!!

Claying removes everything - including wax.