Clay bar and polishing

[larry0071]

I've attempted to skip clay and go for ultimate compound and the results are immediately disheartening as soon as you rub the back of your hand over the part. It will not give that pure smooth feel that starting out with clay will give you. You can clay fairly quickly and it's not something that wears you out. Your lightly gliding on lubricant, back and forth on the panel in circular motions. Then the UC will take you to that slick glassy feel that your looking for. Finish with UP and a sealant, allow it to cure overnight and final coat with a carnauba. I then do a final wipe with ultimate quick wax using a long knap mf and the paint is so amazingly slick and smooth that it blows your mind!

Clay is something that can not be stressed to much. It is the base that the other steps build off of. Skipping it tends to reduce the final product quality.

That's my opinion.

[Daniel Kinder]

Is clay really necessary though if your using a compound with a cutting pad anyway? The compound with an aggressive pad is going to remove far deeper than what a clay will wipe off, correct? If you plan on following
Wash
Compound
Polish
Wax
Then clay beaten wash and compound just seems like an unnecessary step?

As a matter of fact...I've never used clay...if I've compounded a car once and I'm maintaining it regularly most cleaner/polishes seem to remove deep enough to make any well maintained surface continue to be well maintained. so, the only point of clay would be trying to save my clear coat some wear, and substituting clay for polishing step if all my car really needs is a wax anyway. Therefore simplifying the steps to:
Wash
Clay
Wax?
Again assuming the car has been maintained well.
I'm just trying to understand WHY CLAY? Compound and most polishes will remove more than clay ever will?...my mind is now open, so beat me with some learnin' :-)

Just to help out a little bit and show how important this step is for a complete full polishing job and to get your paint the best it can be! And just to add often times a foam pad will glide over above surface contaminants and not abrade them, claying is the most effective method of removing above surface bonded contaminants, things like tree sap-rail dust-industrial fall out and every day road grime
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfEfLGL59GI

If you want the deep wet look, then after you clay, I recommend Ultimate Compound, then Ultimate Polish, and then Gold Class Wax. That gives you a professional show car look. You then maintain the wax/finish for as long as needed over the coming months with Gold Class Quik Detailer and Quik Wax (in this case, to keep that deep wet look) until you can do this process (called a "correction") all over again.

And If you don't mind me adding to your great answer Top Gear, something I learned years ago from mike Phillips is after the claying,compounding,polishing and the 2 thin coats of your LSP you could apply a thin coat of #7 show car glaze pure polish on top of all that to really make that paint really look dripping wet. A old secret the ol' show/cruise guys used to do for just that purpose. It will only last a week or so but will set your hard work apart from the next polished ride.

[larry0071]

Stang, I don't think we are talking about a meticulously maintained paint. I'm under the impression that this is a first time go at paint correction for this vehicle and as such it will have a great deal of those embedded artifacts on all surfaces. Can you eventually grind through them with a compound? Most likely. But is the insane amount of time and energy necessary? Nope. In 15-30 minutes you can clay the entire car and then set out to doing the paint correction without putting extra effort into trying literally wear/grind away the embedded contamination. It's just easier to clay.

Think about why we clay today and didn't for the last 100 years. Before, clay wasn't out there. We would wet sand and buff. We would compound with a buffer. Then came clay and the job got easier, faster and with better results. Slowly, everyone caught on to the magic of clay and it went mainstream. Your refusal or reluctance to suggest it on a new paint correction says to me that you've not yet proven the technique and results to yourself. If you at some point need to work on an average Joes paint that gets a weekly wash and annual hand wax...... you'll Thank the Lord above for the clay you can buy at Walmart and every auto parts store in the country. It's that popular. You can now buy clay kits in every town across the country and not at specialty detail shops.

Your opinion is valid in that your car may be kept in pristine condition and clay may only offer your situation minimum added value. But when a customer or friend brings his 5 year car or truck over and wants to see what you can do..... You gran for that clay first!

[Daniel Kinder]

Stang, I don't think we are talking about a meticulously maintained paint. I'm under the impression that this is a first time go at paint correction for this vehicle and as such it will have a great deal of those embedded artifacts on all surfaces. Can you eventually grind through them with a compound? Most likely. But is the insane amount of time and energy necessary? Nope. In 15-30 minutes you can clay the entire car and then set out to doing the paint correction without putting extra effort into trying literally wear/grind away the embedded contamination. It's just easier to clay.

Think about why we clay today and didn't for the last 100 years. Before, clay wasn't out there. We would wet sand and buff. We would compound with a buffer. Then came clay and the job got easier, faster and with better results. Slowly, everyone caught on to the magic of clay and it went mainstream. Your refusal or reluctance to suggest it on a new paint correction says to me that you've not yet proven the technique and results to yourself. If you at some point need to work on an average Joes paint that gets a weekly wash and annual hand wax...... you'll Thank the Lord above for the clay you can buy at Walmart and every auto parts store in the country. It's that popular. You can now buy clay kits in every town across the country and not at specialty detail shops.

Your opinion is valid in that your car may be kept in pristine condition and clay may only offer your situation minimum added value. But when a customer or friend brings his 5 year car or truck over and wants to see what you can do..... You gran for that clay first!

Larry buddy why are you telling me this, when I suggested in claying and posted up a link on how to clay? I think you need to reread this thread! your turned around!

[larry0071]

After re reading, I agree. I'm so far of on a tangent that is not relevant to the OP. Sorry. That's what happens when your drinking beer and up until 2am while on vacation from work. It appears that I forgot that he started the thread because he was going to clay and I felt I had to defend the merit of clay.

I'm awake and totally sober now. I'm sorry.

[Daniel Kinder]

It's alright mistakes happen were human buddy but thats why its IMPORTANT to Measure twice cut once Larry.

[peanutskr]

i have a question i have a checy full sixe truck that i would like to clay bar but it been simonized can i still clean / clay / wax . and still not hurt the coating ?

[Nick Winn]

i have a question i have a checy full sixe truck that i would like to clay bar but it been simonized can i still clean / clay / wax . and still not hurt the coating ?

A clay bar or any "paint cleaner/compound" with abrasive, will start to remove the "coating", whether or not it takes it completely off is tough to say.