is it OK to clay after using a paint cleaner?

[susan70582]

hello, im new here and ran into a couple problems detailing my car. my goal is to complete these steps:
1. wash car (gold class)
2. clay (clay magic)
3. paint cleaner (DC1)
4. polish (DC2)
5. wax (NXT)

ok, i had no idea it would take me and my boyfriend longer then one full day doing all this but anyways, we finished steps 1-3 yesterday and kept my car in the garage so we could finish up today but upon closer examination we noticed that we hadnt fully clayed the car(although it took us over 3 hours to do), i can still see very tiny specs of tar or debris still on the paint(probably about 5-10 very tiny orangish looking specs the size of this dot -->>. on each panel. my question would be should i do step #3 again after claying the second time or can i move onto step #4?

or should i just save the little specs of tar for another full detail later on and continue with steps 4 and 5 without claying again?

i say its fine but my boyfriend refuses to polish and wax over my tar'd vehicle.

thank you in advance.

[veedub Mike]

Re: is it OK to clay after using a paint cleaner?

should i just save the little specs of tar for another full detail later on and continue with steps 4 and 5 without claying again?

Why would you want to?
Polishing and waxing will be much easier on a completely clean surface.
You don't necessarily have to re-apply the cleaner after claying those spots another time.

[Murr1525]

Re: is it OK to clay after using a paint cleaner?

Its one of those things about how perfect you want to be. Plenty of people out there would just wax over the dirt and everything and say it is fine. But you bf is trying to get the best results, so wants it all off.

Naturaly around here, we'd go with the best results and try to clay and get them off. If you do a good job drying up the detailer spray as you move around, you probably wont need to use the cleaner again. Just polish and then wax.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: is it OK to clay after using a paint cleaner?

In most cases you always clay first, that is remove the bonded contaminants off the top of the surface and the use a paint cleaner to remove the below surface defects in the paint and under the bonded contaminants.

The only exception would be if you're working on an extremely oxidized single stage paint and in this case it's a good idea to use the paint cleaner first to remove the dead paint so you don't fill your clay bar up with dead paint and then clay.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: is it OK to clay after using a paint cleaner?

my question would be should i do step #3 again after claying the second time or can i move onto step #4?

No need to do Step #3 again after claying these areas that need an another pass. It sounds like they're pretty random and not covering a lot of surface area anyway. At the very worst you may want to do Step #3 just over the small areas you've clayed a second time, but I honestly don't think even that will be needed. You've already removed the vast majority of bonded contaminants and cleaned the paint, you've just got a few little stubborn bits to fix. Don't overthink it.

Oh, and we want pictures when you're finished. We like that around here.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: is it OK to clay after using a paint cleaner?

List 'O Links

Many of the things we cover in our Saturday Classes are discussed and talked about in the threads found in the sub-forums of the Information Station


Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle
How To Remove Swirls By Hand
How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX
Using the G-100 to remove swirls with the Professional Line
Circles or Straight Lines?
Which LSP is Best for Light Colors
How to locate Meguiar's Professional & Detailer products in your hometown
How to tell when a Meguiar's wax is ready to remove - The Swipe Test
The Dual Action Counterweight "Controversy"
What are the Differences Between Meguiar's Waxes
What's the Deal with "Layering"?
Measuring Clear Coat Thickness
Rotary vs. PC vs. Regular Orbital Buffer
Glass Polishing...Deep Cleaning
NXT Tech Wax Cure Time
Suggested Products for Taking Care of a New Car
Colored Waxes - Do they really work?
PC + #83 not "Cutting" it! - The Limits of the Dual Action Polisher
What it Means to Remove a Scratch
Why Meguiar's Recommends Polishing Paint
A Lesson From White Paint
Each one, teach one... Ferrari Fiorano 355 F1 Spider

[ZoranC]

Re: is it OK to clay after using a paint cleaner?

Its one of those things about how perfect you want to be.

This is the crucial keyword.

Susan, if you and your bf decide you want those tar spots out you will need to see on few of them, in small area, are clay and cleaner efficient enough on them or you would need to do something else.