Clayed My Car for the First Time.

[5509433]

Hi Guys,

I ordered some car cleaning products as I decided my car needed a decent clean.

I washed the car using the 2 bucket method and some DoDo Juice Gloss Enhancing Shampoo.

I also clayed the car with a DoDo Juice clay bar. I never had detailer, but I was told I could use a small part shampoo and large part water mix in a spray bottle to use as lube.

So, I stay rubbing the clay on each panel, sliding very smooth over the top as if its not doing any thing...

I finish a couple of panels and notice very small yellow specs (which I assume is the clay).

I washed the car again but some of the specs remain, and IMO, it looks worse off than what it did before..

After the wash I then used some DoDo Rainforest wax. It said to leave it on until it went hazy, I left it for a good 20 mins, and I didn't really notice a haze. Buffed it off with a micro fibre.

Not impressed with the results considering the amount of time I spent on it. Plus, the thing that has let it down the most is the water marks. (was an unavoidable hot day).

 

[n_d_fox]

Did you warm the clay up prior to using it ? you can do this with a jug of hot / warm water... you should also look to fold / kneed the clay over when moving from panel to panel so that a clean surface of the clay is in contact with the car at all times. This also makes sure the clay is soft and pliable.

The shampoo and water based lube should have been sufficient but you need to make sure there is enough shampoo in the mix to make the solution slick enough so that the clay doesnt tack to the surface. if you felt the clay catching / sticking when in use then that will have caused "marring" which is probably the marks you can see afterwards.

The easiest way to prevent marring is to use a dedicated clay lube unless you are using a clay which is designed to be ok when used with water. The only way to properly remove marring is to polish the paint with a dedicated product. You can do this by hand but the most effective way is via machine.

If you didnt see hazing from the wax after 20 minutes i'm guessing you applied it too thick, this isnt a bad thing but it will mean you wasted product. It will have also been harder to remove and you will probably find over the next day or so you will notice small patches of hazing from the excess product which wasnt removed fully.

To be honest, i'm not surprised that you havent been impressed with the results as it doesnt sound as though you have got on that well with the products you have used. Hopefully with a bit of advice and trying different methods you will get the results you are looking for with more practice.

 

[5509433]

It didn't seem to leave the specs when it did occasionally stick, more so when it was gliding smoothly. I will invest in a clay lube next time I use it!

The clay was as soft as I could get it, Ill try the hot water method next time! Thanks for the tip!

Regarding the wax, I applied it so I could see the wax leaving a trial behind the finger sponge. Every time I felt that the sponge was not rubbing smoothly on the paint work I rubbed a bit more on the sponge.

I'll wash the car more equipped next time. Need to invest in a power washer and a drying towel to!

 

[n_d_fox]

When you apply the wax you want the layer to be as thin as possible. Pretty much so can only just see it, if your not sure the wax is going on the paint, wipe the applicator on the glass, if there is wax left on the glass, its going on the paint.

 

[GlanzaV]

Put your clay in a clean sandwich bag in your back pocket when washing the car. By the time you go to clay, voila, it's nice and malleable.

n d fox is right with everything else he's said though, it's not as easy as it looks, different products work differently.