Anyone addicted to Clay?

[Adam M]

Weekend before last I did my wifes car - mine was in at the repair shop getting the wallaby dent removed...

It's a dark blue 05 Rav4, had never been clayed before though I do regularly wash and wax it. Based on what I read here, I decided to give it a try. The whole process of washing, claying, polishing and waxing took around 4 hours, maybe a bit more. By the end, it looked so freaking good it was unbelievable. Better than when we picked it up new. Such a depth and gloss to it, and because it's mica it reflected the light just so beautifully. I've resolved to do it to both cars at least once a year.

The next day she had to drive through roadworks... dirt road... threw mud all over the sides. She can wash the bloody thing next time!

Thanks so much for the tip on this, it just makes such a huge difference.

[dannywss]

As for telling people to buy a buff and do it yourself.... If you have never used a buf before then my advice is get a professional to do it. Have seen too many people who think " I got told it was easy so I can do it" come to grief doing damage to their paintwork which can only be repaired by repainting panels of the car. Buff burns and not holding the buff correctly can cause damage that will be costly to repair.

If you don't want to do it yourself then there are professional detailers out there who can do the job correctly and attain the best finish and you don't have to sweat a bit!!! They just might ask you to get them a drink every now and then..... sure know that's what i like when i do detailing jobs for people.

Keep the drinks and refreshments coming and the job will get cheaper lol

this is wat i m doing after the last time i ruined my car.. i cant believe i make everything worse.. ended paying the same mate to do it, and he was shocked as what happen to my car..

[Wixy]

As for telling people to buy a buff and do it yourself.... If you have never used a buf before then my advice is get a professional to do it. Have seen too many people who think " I got told it was easy so I can do it" come to grief doing damage to their paintwork which can only be repaired by repainting panels of the car. Buff burns and not holding the buff correctly can cause damage that will be costly to repair.

If you don't want to do it yourself then there are professional detailers out there who can do the job correctly and attain the best finish and you don't have to sweat a bit!!! They just might ask you to get them a drink every now and then..... sure know that's what i like when i do detailing jobs for people.

Keep the drinks and refreshments coming and the job will get cheaper lol

this is wat i m doing after the last time i ruined my car.. i cant believe i make everything worse.. ended paying the same mate to do it, and he was shocked as what happen to my car..

usually if u purchase the professional gear, the brand selling the buffer will give u a tutorial workshop and a set of video instructions on how to use it. if u purchase something from the shop (like superworks from supercheap or something off ebay lol) and try and DYI that way, then troubles will be coming your way.

conventional buffing machines are fragile and need alot of practice, but thats not the case with the meg's dual action polisher. you can either choose the option of attending a workshop and/or follow the step by step instruction on getting it right.

the G220 dual action is designed so that paint burn will not occur - hence one can literally say "I got told it was easy so I can do it" :) It has been the professional detailer's No1 automated polisher in the Asia-Pacific region because its literally so easy, unlike some of the ones out on the market today.

anyway, hope your car wasnt ruined that badly! and hope your paint was a clear coat.

[Wixy]

for those who were wondering if bargains can be had regarding car detailing materials,

kmart is currently having 25% off all automotive materials, including your popular car detailing brands like meguiars, turtle wax and armorall.

also includes cleaning materials!

[¥uri]

thanks for the heads up..

[wil_rolla]

As for telling people to buy a buff and do it yourself.... If you have never used a buf before then my advice is get a professional to do it. Have seen too many people who think " I got told it was easy so I can do it" come to grief doing damage to their paintwork which can only be repaired by repainting panels of the car. Buff burns and not holding the buff correctly can cause damage that will be costly to repair.

If you don't want to do it yourself then there are professional detailers out there who can do the job correctly and attain the best finish and you don't have to sweat a bit!!! They just might ask you to get them a drink every now and then..... sure know that's what i like when i do detailing jobs for people.

Keep the drinks and refreshments coming and the job will get cheaper lol

this is wat i m doing after the last time i ruined my car.. i cant believe i make everything worse.. ended paying the same mate to do it, and he was shocked as what happen to my car..

usually if u purchase the professional gear, the brand selling the buffer will give u a tutorial workshop and a set of video instructions on how to use it. if u purchase something from the shop (like superworks from supercheap or something off ebay lol) and try and DYI that way, then troubles will be coming your way.

conventional buffing machines are fragile and need alot of practice, but thats not the case with the meg's dual action polisher. you can either choose the option of attending a workshop and/or follow the step by step instruction on getting it right.

the G220 dual action is designed so that paint burn will not occur - hence one can literally say "I got told it was easy so I can do it" :) It has been the professional detailer's No1 automated polisher in the Asia-Pacific region because its literally so easy, unlike some of the ones out on the market today.

anyway, hope your car wasnt ruined that badly! and hope your paint was a clear coat.

i recently repainted my front bar, and i'v never buffed before. i got a cutting compound and did it my self and it turned out really good after a polish, but i did it all by hand, no machine tho, nice and slow, small section by section and very careful around edges. i was very scared of paint burn.

it turned out better then what i expected.

[BONDEE]

ok ive NEVER heard of this and have been in the "show car" scene for 4yrs!

im very very excited about this! goign to buy some tomorrow night then bring on the good weather for the weekend :)

thaks peoples! :)

[lateralus]

after having read a lot of people here giving it pretty good feedback, i tried it out myself today.

i have been using the autoglym products since i bought my car, and i have to say, i am much more pleased with autoglym. giving it a wash with the bodywork shampoo, then the super resin polish and extra gloss protection, and it was much more glossy than using the macguires clay and polish.

i didnt really notice the paintwork being any smoother either. but then again, my car is pretty damn clean anyway, as i fully detail it every 3 weeks.

however, i would highly recommend the clay to someone looking to get a good look without the 4+ hours work.

[Wixy]

after having read a lot of people here giving it pretty good feedback, i tried it out myself today.

i have been using the autoglym products since i bought my car, and i have to say, i am much more pleased with autoglym. giving it a wash with the bodywork shampoo, then the super resin polish and extra gloss protection, and it was much more glossy than using the macguires clay and polish.

i didnt really notice the paintwork being any smoother either. but then again, my car is pretty damn clean anyway, as i fully detail it every 3 weeks.

however, i would highly recommend the clay to someone looking to get a good look without the 4+ hours work.

well i dont want to get in2 a product war here, but when it comes to comparing different products from different brands, its pretti much how you use it and what processes are involved inorder for you to achieve the results you achieved.

in autoglym and meguiars forums, both ends swear by there product, and when it comes down to it, both parties can prove to each other that their product is superior, through extreme make overs from abused and highly neglected cars. the difference is in the processes used, and the products are altered to suit those processes/steps. whatever works for you, works for you. but just remember that when it comes to 1st grade products on the same price level, they are...well......mmm, i'll leave that conclusion up to you. to me, they are the same. if i was used to the autoglym process/step, i would use it, however im just too used to meguiars.

its when we compare products such as swiss brand hand application waxes that cost $2,000 per 1Litre to meguiars/autogylm/turtlewax professional/zaino, is where the difference is at.

[lateralus]

after having read a lot of people here giving it pretty good feedback, i tried it out myself today.

i have been using the autoglym products since i bought my car, and i have to say, i am much more pleased with autoglym. giving it a wash with the bodywork shampoo, then the super resin polish and extra gloss protection, and it was much more glossy than using the macguires clay and polish.

i didnt really notice the paintwork being any smoother either. but then again, my car is pretty damn clean anyway, as i fully detail it every 3 weeks.

however, i would highly recommend the clay to someone looking to get a good look without the 4+ hours work.

well i dont want to get in2 a product war here, but when it comes to comparing different products from different brands, its pretti much how you use it and what processes are involved inorder for you to achieve the results you achieved.

in autoglym and meguiars forums, both ends swear by there product, and when it comes down to it, both parties can prove to each other that their product is superior, through extreme make overs from abused and highly neglected cars. the difference is in the processes used, and the products are altered to suit those processes/steps. whatever works for you, works for you. but just remember that when it comes to 1st grade products on the same price level, they are...well......mmm, i'll leave that conclusion up to you. to me, they are the same. if i was used to the autoglym process/step, i would use it, however im just too used to meguiars.

its when we compare products such as swiss brand hand application waxes that cost $2,000 per 1Litre to meguiars/autogylm/turtlewax professional/zaino, is where the difference is at.

true. however, i didn't say that the clay doesn't work, or that it's crappy. it's that i personally didn't notice any difference, which, like you said, the majority of higher end products do the same thing. i don't think the actual process itself matters one bit. it depends on whether the user actually knows what they're doing.

i used to have a celica which i used the maguires products on, using the exact process described on the bottles. comparing the result of that from memory to now, i still think autoglym is the better product for my car. but that's just my opinion ;)

[stinky]

hi guys silverbullet hi again ehehe about the scratch x see how it removes swirls can you use the pad instead of the meguairs dual polisher buff.

Does the pad work as good as the dual polishers cause i think i have plenty of swirls on my bonnet and boot.

thanx cheers.

[Wixy]

hi guys silverbullet hi again ehehe about the scratch x see how it removes swirls can you use the pad instead of the meguairs dual polisher buff.

Does the pad work as good as the dual polishers cause i think i have plenty of swirls on my bonnet and boot.

thanx cheers.

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7011

the pad is preferred if you dont know what youre doing

however the dual action polishers is better in removing deep and heavily neglected surfaces that hand is unable to.

remember on a pad by hand, you need to use the application not once, but up to 5 or 6 times, and it also depends on what paint you have (single stage or clear coated metalic paint)

cheers

[Brad!]

I have the dual action polisher and i had limited sucsess.

I masked my bonnet and split it in two.

I made 5 - 6 passes with DiamondCut Swirl remover 2.0 (Slightly more abrasive then scratch X).

I then made a few passes with Scratch X.

Under some light swirls were gone - Other light they were reduced but still there.

On the other half there is a noticable difference as i made alot less passes. I spent probally 1.5hrs on the first side of the bonnet - .5hrs on the other.

Now im the first to admit i did not do it correct - Mind you i followed all instructions read millions of posts on the net about it, however i didnt get that swirl free look i was after.

I drive a Metalic Black Corolla with toyota Pro Tech clear coat - Maybe thats why i didnt work - Im not sure....

Maybe i was expecting too much - Here is what my car looked like after (Looking for bonnet picture)

[stinky]

hi would u recommand the dual polisher i asked how much yesterday by calling them up they sell for abt 240 ish i think it was.

Is it worth it and easy to use cause havent use the dual polisher be4 hehehe.

ill take some picks of the swirls i have on car and see what u guys think wat i should do getting rid of it.

cheers

[shiok]

came across this thread and I went to get myself a Meguiars clay kit for $30 at repco.

2 words...WHICKEDDDDD SICKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

removed all the paint overspray on my car, and i used it on the windows too. silkyy smooothhh

put on a coat of wax after, and its lookin better than new.

[DHC09]

[Armstrong]

just bought the clay today from autobarn

cant wait to put it on when it stops raining <_<

[DaveXR8]

just bought the clay today from autobarn

cant wait to put it on when it stops raining <_<

Clay is not like a polish or wax which you apply to the vehicle. you can say its more like a tool which you gide over the paint to remove contaminants imbedded into it.

Did you grab yourself some clay lube aswell?

[DHC09]

Heheh yeah... be sure to read up and watch some how-to videos online before going ahead.

I wasn't too sure how to go about it a first (everything I do with paint care is self taught), but you'll soon get a hang of it, and its pretty easy from then on.

[Brad-dreama]

its all sold out where i am. ill ahve to go to a few other shops a bit further out.

my car has alot of swirls! and its black i wish i found a white one ahahaa

ill test out the clay bar.

can anyone also confirm that meguires is too rough for a black car?

i was told autoglym is much finer and better use.....(not sure which autoglym polish i bought though.

[Armstrong]

just bought the clay today from autobarn

cant wait to put it on when it stops raining <_<

Clay is not like a polish or wax which you apply to the vehicle. you can say its more like a tool which you gide over the paint to remove contaminants imbedded into it.

Did you grab yourself some clay lube aswell?

i bought the Meguiars smooth surface quik clay kit.

the one with the clay bar and quik detailer which is the lube im preety sure. the detailer is a spray bottle.

Did i buy the wrong one for my car? i just wanna make sure before applying being a noob to clay

[DJKOR]

i bought the Meguiars smooth surface quik clay kit.

the one with the clay bar and quik detailer which is the lube im preety sure. the detailer is a spray bottle.

Did i buy the wrong one for my car? i just wanna make sure before applying being a noob to clay

Yeah, that one will be fine. That's the one I use. You can cut the clay bar up into 4 pieces and put them into a Zip Lock bag with a few sprays of Quick Detailer inside. That way you can clay your car up to 4 times. If you run out of Quick Detailer, you can easily pick up some more. Just make sure you keep the surface well lubricated when you use the clay bar. Nothing annoys me more during that process when the clay bar hits a dry spot and sticks while your hand slips off it.

Applying polish and wax after a proper clay treatment is heaven. The smoothness of the application is impossible to explain. It feels like waxing ice, but smoother.

[KevO]

that's the finish im looking for

[Armstrong]

just put clay on the car and it turned out pretty well...im impressed.

Now a mate and my parents want me to do their cars

[Madrox]

the way that we use the clay at work and have been for years on detailing jobs is using it like a sponge.

none of this lube ****, plain old jane soapy car shampoo water.

comes up a treat with only 30 mins work.

degrease wheels, gurny, soap up car, clay, gurny, chamoix, tyre shine. done.

then we can polish or buff or whatever we need to do.

or PURMAGUARD