Wax? Clay Bar? Polish? Paint Sealant?

[cyberdog]

The Ceramic + Wax sprays last 6 to maybe 12 months if you're lucky. I use Adams Graphene, which lasts up to 24 months (Advanced Spray), and clean or detail with CS3, unless really dirty, then wash. With the draught here on the east coast, we're not supposed to wash the car, and CS3 works as a waterless car-wash, and boosts the Graphene/Ceramic coating. - Leaves a nice shiny mirror like shine, when you prep the surface prior to the initial coating.

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[SLINGSHOT]

Turtle Wax and a couple of old socks.

 

[sprcoop]

Every 6 months:

Clay bar - one hour with Griots synthetic clay bar lasts ~25 applications.

Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions spray - one hour with Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Ceramic Spray

Every 5 weeks or so:

303 Aerospace Protectant on black plastic and tonneau cover - 20 minutes with 303 Protectant

Wash when dirty with - one hour to wash and dry with Turtle Wax Hybrid Solution Ceramic Wash

Initial investment seems large but takes a very small amount of product for each of these operations. Probably less than $3.00 worth of product when I do all of these operations on the same day.

 

[Tom 71 Maverick 24]

I definitely need to read up on this clay thing. Back in my day, clay was either bad gardening soil, or something you used to make pottery.

What step in the cleaning/polishing/protecting process does claying replace?

 

[mepot101]

You wanna talk about a rabbit hole!!!!!
You can spend days on youtube with all the different options, and opinions on which one is better than the next best thing.
Ask me how I know!
And I think I am more confused now than ever.

 

[MavTime]

I just went to O’Reilley’s Auto Parts. This is what was recommended to me. The associate told me he uses it on his vehicles.

I use this. You use the rubberized "clay bar" substitute while you wash, sponge/mitt in one hand and bar in the other. Just keep it wet and sudsy as you use the bar to pull off surface dirt, no pressure needed, just glide it over. Then you can rinse and then leaf blow or drive the car to get most of the water off and then spray wax over the whole truck, glass and plastic. Then dry it with a microfiber and buff it with a dry side of the microfiber. Quick and easy and lasts 6mo to 1yr.

 

[Deleted member 5597]

I use this. You use the rubberized "clay bar" substitute while you wash, sponge/mitt in one hand and bar in the other. Just keep it wet and sudsy as you use the bar to pull off surface dirt, no pressure needed, just glide it over. Then you can rinse and then leaf blow or drive the car to get most of the water off and then spray wax over the whole truck, glass and plastic. Then dry it with a microfiber and buff it with a dry side of the microfiber. Quick and easy and lasts 6mo to 1yr.

I'm going to order a clay mitt. I think the applicator is nice, but the clay mitt will be better and faster.

 

[Superg0]

I definitely need to read up on this clay thing. Back in my day, clay was either bad gardening soil, or something you used to make pottery.

What step in the cleaning/polishing/protecting process does claying replace?

clay is preparing the surface before you add wax/ceramic. You will be surprised how much contaminants is on your paint that a sponge doesn’t clean off. As you use the clay it will grab onto contaminants and not glide. As you use it more it glides freely over a clean surface. You are using the clay with a lubricant like detailing spray to provide a slippery surface.

 

[mfergel]

I like the Chemical Guys stuff. I'd recommend heading over to the Autogeek forum. Great source for learning how to clean and detail your vehicle and products. That's where I learned all the steps to polishing out my vehicles (still need to do the Maverick).

https://www.autogeek.net/

 

[Tom 71 Maverick 24]

clay is preparing the surface before you add wax/ceramic. You will be surprised how much contaminants is on your paint that a sponge doesn’t clean off. As you use the clay it will grab onto contaminants and not glide. As you use it more it glides freely over a clean surface. You are using the clay with a lubricant like detailing spray to provide a slippery surface.

I was kind of comparing to the old days many years ago. I was a youth working in a car wash, and we would do professional detailing jobs as well as the ordinary car wash activity.

The process usually started with rubbing compound, heavy duty compound on really bad cars (and something called White Lightning compound for really, really, REALLY bad ones), then light duty compound, polish, machine glaze, sealer, and finally, wax. Each step, as expected, was less abrasive than the previous one. Of course, this was before clay existed, and before the ceramic coatings existed as well. Meguiar's Mirror Glaze products throughout, except that White Lightning stuff.

Everything was done with a buffer except for the sealer and wax, which were hand polished with cheese cloth.

I'm thinking that the clay would be close to the polish in the progression, not compound, but perhaps prone to leaving a few light swirl marks. Which polish would likely remove. Does this make sense?

I'm certain that today's paint is much better, though thinner than that of the 70s when I was involved with this process. And I think that unless you work at the steel mill or a foundry, the need for something stronger than light duty cleaner or polish level products would be rare. We did have cars that had a buildup of iron on the paint occasionally.

 

[ColoradoShooter]

I definitely need to read up on this clay thing. Back in my day, clay was either bad gardening soil, or something you used to make pottery.

What step in the cleaning/polishing/protecting process does claying replace?

I personally use Adam’s Polishes clay bar mitt for $29. You must use a lubricant like a detail spray or my preferred method, car shampoo/soap lightly sprayed onto the truck after it it’s initial wash and rinsed with a foam cannon. Don’t use heavy pressure on the mitt or you could incur scratches, so just let it glide over the surface. I use my other hand to feel the paint for any contaminants I may have missed. It’s not brain surgery like people make it out to be.

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