Are there any inexpensive lubes to use while claying?

[mckeand13]

Are there any inexpensive lubes to use while claying? (http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17850)


I was claying my car the other day and I feel like I go through a lot of QD.

Are there any cheap alternatives? Any home-brewed ideas?

Car wash soapy water in a spray bottle?

Thanks.

[BlueTooth]

if u want u can clay the vehicle while washing it that will save u some time and money

[ronniejay]

Probably a god idea to keep the wash separate from the claying as grit from the wash water can introduce scratches. Clean and dry first. Get all hoses, buckets, etc. out of the way. Soapy water spray will work. Be sure to NOT DROP the clay. Throw it away if you do! You might even just use a third of the bar, just in case.

[BlueZero]

Last touch at 1:1 works good. It's about $17 a gallon so you get 2 gallons of clay lube out of it. Soapy water works too, however I've heard that it will break down the clay over time. One time when I started claying it started raining really hard so I just finished up using the rain for lube. But I don't think using plain water is the best idea.

How much QD are you going through? You don't need to use much, just enough to the clay doesn't stick.

[Abrasive1]

Using 1/3 of the bar is good and if you do drop it, dont ever use it on the paint again. You could certainly use it on chrome and MAYBE even glass as long as it doesn't have obvious pieces of grit. So dont think you have to throw it away, just use some common sense.

[gb387]

I am with BlueZero, Last Touch works very well. I have use soap and water for a lube and like he mentioned the clay tends to fall apart.

[fishbonezken]

:iagree:

[Mike Phillips]

There's a thread on this forum about this topic that's about 3 pages long, let us take a look and see if we can find it, if memory serves us correctly, it could even be in the Hot Topics forum.

[Mike Phillips]

Doing a search in the Detailing 101 forum using the words,

clay lube

Note Mike Pennington's statements in this thread
http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15171&highlight=clay+lube

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16284&highlight=clay+lube

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8444&highlight=clay+lube

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8278&highlight=clay+lube

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4964&highlight=soapy+water+lubricant

[ridzy]

hi all..

somone told me you can sub QD with water.. is there any better solution? coz im not realli comfy wit the idea of claying with water as lubricant..
i tot of diluting the QD wit water? ehhe crazy idea?

just tryin to find a cheaper alternative...

[BlueZero]

Soapy water will work. I've heard it might break down the clay bar quicker but I've never had a problem using it once and a while.

[Mike Phillips]

There are plenty of threads on this forum on this subject, not sure which search terms would work to pull them up. :confused:


Nutshell version of forum wisdom is the best clay lube is a quick detailer product because it lubricates the surface while you're claying and after you're done claying and wipe the residue off the paint looks good because quick detailers are made to mist on paint, then be wiped off and leave the paint looking good.

This is something that is important to most people but they don't know it, the reason we know this is because in all our Saturday classes, when we work on a demo car, if while claying we leave any residue or a clay smudge people panic and get all worried about the paint. Then we wipe the paint again and the smear or smudge is gone and they calm down.

So we know that after using a product, (any product really), to work on paint, especially a product from Meguiar's, it's important that the paint looks good after its use.

Now let me tie this in to your option, Meguiar's doesn't recommend using car wash soap mixed with water as a spray lubricant for claying, the clay can be affected in a negative way by the soap and soapy water is not designed to be sprayed onto paint, and then wiped off to leave behind a a nice looking shiny paint job. This circles back around to what we typed above. That is, soapy water used as a clay lubricant isn't going to wipe off as easy nor leave your paint looking good after you clay because it's soapy water, not a quick detailer.

Besides all that trivial stuff, we understand that in some countries a bottle of Quik Detailer can be quite expensive and our customer's treat it like gold and would prefer to save it for wiping the car down to remove light dust and restore the 'just detailed look' and thus like you, search for a lest costly substitutes for use as a clay lube.

So just to be clear, Meguiar's does NOT recommend using water with a little car wash soap mixed into it as a clay lube, but that's what some people will use when looking for a less costly substitute.

:)

[Mike Phillips]

Soapy water will work. I've heard it might break down the clay bar quicker but I've never had a problem using it once and a while.

We need to learn how to write shorty copy... :wall:


:)

[Matt97GT]

I basically re-wash the car with Gold Class car soap and then rinse off after finishing a body panel.

[BlueZero]

We need to learn how to write shorty copy... :wall: :)

:rofl:

Your answers are always much more informative. I guess I pick that up from my job. No one wants to 'read' a building plan, just a drawing with short notes. :o

[Mike Phillips]

This questions comes up enough that we're moving this to "Hot Topics"


:)

[ZoranC]

No one wants to 'read' a building plan ...
... or search before asking.

[gioprivatemove]

you can try search on Optimum Non Rinse (washing without water product), it can be clay lubricant if you dilute it.

[gasti_ako]

i found this again. yahoo. i saw this thread before and this is very useful.

[bluey]

Can anyone tell me if the Spray Detailer (step 2 in the waterless system) is the same or similar to Quick Detailer, and can it be used with the clay process?
I can buy the spray detailer in 2 litre lots but the quick detailer only comes in the small spray bottle.

[TH0001]

I agree with Last Touch 1:1. Great combo...

You CAN use soapy water, but as noted, it will break down the clay and CAN leave soap residue on the paint's surface which can: impede waxing (if you are using a wax/sealant with out cleaners), attract dirt, reduce shine.

A good trick (to save time) would be to wash the car normally then rinse. Since the car is still wet with the rinse water, you can use Last Touch undilluted (as the water on the paint will dilute the Last Touch.

Also Last Touch seems to help dry the paint easier (less water smearing) so it is easy to wipe clean.

[Holden_Caulfield04]

ONR Clay Lube is great because you don't really need to wash the car afterward. I assume you would get a similar effect with Last Touch?

I've also used sudsy water before and that gives great lubricity.

[J. A. Michaels]

I have never seen the need to wash the car after using last touch, 1:1 as my clay lube. To me its not that expensive. Getting a gallon for $17.00 then being able to double the product. 2 gallons for $17.00. If my math is correct, it comes out to 0.066 cents per ounce. Works for me.

[redhotchevy2000]

i bought last touch from a local place for 9.99 :) thats about 0.033 cents per ounce ;) jk i didnt feel like doing the math, but i got a good deal :)