[tron1043]

Based upon this forum's praise of Chemical Guys' products, I ordered its Clay Block and its purple and gray clays.

First, my car is Jet Black. Daily driver in Michigan, approx. 40,000 miles. I only detail the car from April until early October. In the other months, the car is not exactly pampered.

Yesterday, I used CG's Clay Block. I started with my incredibly 'jacked' front and rear bumpers.

Each bumper was washed with Dawn, then spritzed with a 50/50 alcohol water mix before I started with the Clay Block. Thus, there were no wax or fillers left on the paint.

A prefatory note, a few weeks ago, I was at a detailing seminar. At the seminar, one of the cars used for the demonstration was a Jet Black BMW; an E60 which used the same powder-coat-esque paint application as the E90s.

During the demonstration, the guys used a 2,000 grit wet sandpaper for a scratch on the car. After the 2,000 grit sanding, the infamous "orange peel" from BMW paint was really exposed. The guys at the detailing seminar needed to use a circular polisher to get the clear coat back in shape. Now my experience.

Well, after using the Clay Block, I found a similar exposing of the 'orange peel.' (I made sure to inspect the paint after washing away the Lube residue with an alcohol water mix, before I did anything else to the car so I could evaluate what the Clay Block did.) Actually, had I not had the Flex, the very visible 'orange peel,' would likely still be there. Moreover, the Clay Block induced some very noticeable 'holograms,' granted there were some holograms to start with, but the Clay Block either induced new ones or worsened existing ones.

I think that the problems were related to the Clay Block's aggressiveness and not my technique, as I liberally used Chemical Guys' "Lube" and frequently cleaned the surface of the Clay Block.

Now, the...ehhh...good...? The Clay Block was removing contaminants, I think. After a pass, the surface had a bumpy texture that I presumed were the contaminants that are normally absorbed into actual clay. However, the surface of the clay block is a dark gray, almost black. Visually I couldn't tell what was on the Clay Block's surface. Pass after pass with the Clay Block, I felt the finish with a plastic baggie. It seemed like the Clay Block was loosening the contaminants, but not picking them up. As the surface felt bumpier after passes with the Clay Block. To wrap this up, I don't think that I will use the Clay Block again. I certainly would never use it by itself.

I would love feedback from you guys why I'm wrong and the Clay Block really is the wave of the future in claying. It's a much easier process than having to constantly knead clay. So, if it sounds like I did something wrong, let me know.

After the Clay Block, I used CG' Gray clay on the whole car. The Gray clay was good. It was almost preposterously sticky; like glued to my hand when I first started the claying process. It did a good job, but I found it very difficult to knead when compared to the Zaino clay I used in the past.

The Chemical Guys' "Lube" is one of the best products that I've used. While I may not use CG' clays in the future, I will surely use its "Lube."

As an aside, to remove the 'orange peel,' I used the following process:
(a) The described claying,
(b) Wash car with dish soap,
(c) Spritz Spritz car with 50/50 alcohol and water mix and wipe down,

With a Flex XC 3401, Edge pad conditioning brush, and CG's pad conditioner:
(1) Menzerna PO106 with a LCC Orange pad,
(2) Spritz car with 50/50 alcohol and water mix and wipe down,
(3) Menzerna P85 with a LCC White Pad,
(4) Spritz car with 50/50 alcohol and water mix and wipe down,
(5) Zaino Z-2 with ZFX. (Multiple coats.)*

* I know that most recommend Zaino's Z-5 for Black cars, but I've found that the reflectivity of Z-2 distracts from surface imperfections to the extent that the fillers contained in Z-5 are not needed. I don't like to use fillers period, unless I do a full-blown stand-alone glaze.

That process removed about 99% of the Clay Block induced 'orange peel' effect. In a few months, I will try a more aggressive compound or polish to remove that 1% balance.