for a negative view of clays. The guy who wrote this seriously knows what he's talking about, and his company, Car Care on Line, is highly regarded among serious concours people in the U.S. It's completely honest, in that he sells a lot of different stuff but will frankly tell you which of it is crap (Zymol, among others) even though he'll be happy to sell it to you if you insist. He was the first Zymol distributor in the U.S. but now has no more to do with it than he has to.
Clay not only removes paint but must be used in a manner that few people outside high-end bodyshops understand. I wouldn't touch the stuff even though I paint my own cars (modified 1983 Porsche 911SC coupe currently).
Clay was first used in the 20s and 30s to remove overspray from sloppy car painting. It has evolved since then, and today's clay bars are mostly, pretty non abrasive. Don't do it too often - perhaps every couple of months if you use the car a lot and if you're pretty obsessive. I do mine every 5 or 6 months, it helps to remove the build up of wax and other polishes that build up. I last did the Alfa (opening shot in this thread) in early Spring so you can see what levels of invisible crud build up. That isn't oxidised paint on the clay, its grime.
I dip into a messageboard for help where people will spend £2,000 a year on detailing gear, and they reckon that waxing should always be done afterwards because a) it has been removed and impaired by the claying process and b) wax should be put on anyway. I use the Bilt Hamber bar because its soft and gentle although I always follow up with a good wax or final top coat of something. I know I'm going to sound anal and obsessive (I'm not!) but I always pre Wash with the Karcher and then use a wax free, totally active specialist Wash.
I haven't yet summoned up the courage to then use a pre paint cleanser before using the clay. Try and avoid Washes or shampoos that are coloured, thickened or perfumed and always use a Wash that is wax free. Its far better to use a pre-Wash or Wash that simply exists to foam as much as possuble in order to move heavier particulates away from the paintwork, rather than one that smells nice.
I usually look after whatever I'm driving and I find detailing cars relaxing. Nothing better than doing it and listening to the footy. I don't mind spending, but this is just well.. daft?
Well, Al-R, I took your advice & bought some Bilt Hamber clay. Just finished doing a number on the motor & weeeeell, it feels nice & smooth & the clay certainly picked up a load of crap, but does it look any better? Not really.
Seeing as I had to wax the beast anyway, seems nice & clean. It is smooth though, I'll give you that.
My god, thats what I call 'grass roots' motorsport.
Sprogget,
Ah, ok. The clay is only one part of the process don't forget.. it preps and conditions the paint before applying the wax or the final product. Its that which gives it the lustre. I don't work for Bilt Hamber, but I use shedloads of their rust, welding and preservative products for my resto projects and the detailing stuff is just as top drawer. The Auto-balm is utterly amazing.
An old boy in the village was selling his 15 year old Rover. He thought it was worth about £3-400, so we went to town on and in the end, he got £750. It looked awful beforehand. I'm not as anal as I might appear, I find car detailing relaxing and rewarding.
Well, possibly. I'm not obsessive about it, or get withdrawl symptoms or feel shame if the car is muddy, but I find it a great chance to dump my brain and think without constant intrusion.
Listening to the footy at the same time.. and my happiness is complete.
I couldn't be a slave to a car. I've has 26 of them and covered close to 2,000,000 miles and never polished one of them. They are tin boxes used to get from A to B.
Mine go through the car wash every few months and look as good as new when the next person gets it. Often been commented on how good they look.
You're missing the point. Claying, polishing, waxing. It's not just for the benefit of the car, it's a way of relaxing. I can switch off as easily doing this as gardening and each time you do it the car becomes easier to clean. A well waxed car doesn't allow bugs and stuff to stick to it plus there's the satisfaction of a job well done.
I can find easier ways to relax than polishing a tin can.
Modern paints don't seem to need cleaning, just a wash once in a while, but it does make lots of money for the polish manufacturers. Car makers have spent millions over the past 10 years to make life easier for you.
I remember seeing a demo at the Earls Court Motor Show, in the 1960s, where they had a car that was on a non-stop car wash to prove that they didn't harm the paintwork. And to prove it they ran it without the water on for 10 hours a day for 10 days.
As for bugs on the car, if they are really bad I drench the car with the garden hose before going to the car wash to facilitate their easy removal by softening them.
No way would I spend £40,000 on a car and then spend hours every year cleaning it.
If I was going to spend £400 on a decent pair of shoes or £400,000 on a home, I'd keep each in good order and take pride in how they looked. There's a stigma about cleaning cars, that, perhaps, it is something only done by the Sunday morning middle classes. It seems to me though, that if I spent £40,000 on a car, I'd be daft not to look after it (properly).
Well, interesting reading. I can't remember the last time I washed any of my cars. I live on a farm, so even if I did they'd be filthy before I got out onto the public road. Can't say I feel any the worse for it!
(Actually, I do remember jetwashing my 1975 Mini Clubman Estate when I was 17. Made memorable by the fact that I blew off about 50% of the paint on the offside front wing).
"It seems to me though, that if I spent £40,000 on a car, I'd be daft not to look after it (properly)."
Depends on what you call properly. Wash it once in a while - that's all that it needs. Get it serviced properly - more impoortant, but don't over do it.
The clear coat of paint is peeling off the top of my 1999 Mitsubishi Magna exposing the main coloured dark green beneath. Looks terrible. Is there a solvent which will remove the clear coat so that I can replace only the clear?
Works for me.
Linear Mode
