# Detailing Clay : Starters' Guide



## Dave KG

A product that has recently come to promenance in the world of detailing is _Detailing Clay_. In this thread I aim to write a general guide to what clay is, what its used for and some generic tips for how to get results from clay.  I will focus on the use of clay for the removal of bonded contaminants.

*What Is Detailing Clay??*
While clay is growing in popularity with many detailers now, it has certainly not become a well known "household" car detailing product. Detailing clay is a substance that is designed to remove bonded contaminatns from paint, leaving the paint smooth as glass, allowing easier and more fruitful applications of polihses, glazes, sealents and waxes. Detailing Clay is wiped gently across the paint which needs to be lubricated with a lubricant such as a Quick Detailer spray.

Clay, like polishes, comes in levels of aggressiveness - if you are a beginner with clay, do start with a mild clay such as Meguiars Quik Clay, Meguiars Professional Mirror Glaze Clay (mild, the blue bar) or Sonus Green Clay. These mild clays should be enough to remove bonded contaminants from most cars, only step up to a more aggressive clay if absolutely needed.

Clay can be used on paintwork, glass, and wheels. Always use separate clay on each - ie dont first clay your wheels then use the same clay to clay your paint, as all the brake dust embedded in the clay from the wheels will scratch the paint.

*What Are Bonded Contaminants??*
When you come to wash your car, the paint will be covered in lots of fresh contiaminats such as dust, mud, possibly bird boms and many others. In addition, the paint will also have a growing amount of bonded contaminants attached to it, which accumulate over time:



When you wash your car, the fresh contaminants are removed from the paint and the paintwork looks clean. However, washing will leave behine the bonded contaminats which are attached to the paint as if they had been glued on:



These bonded contaminats are hard to see, so after washing your paintwork looks clean. However, if you gently run your fingers acorss the paintwork you may feel that the paintwork feels rough - a bit like stubble in a way. This roughness, grittiness that you are feeling is the bonded contaminants in the paint.

Examples of bonded contaminants are:

_> Brake dust - sharp, so embeds itself in the paint_
_> Industrial fallout_
_> Tree sap - very sticky so adheres strongly to the paint_

and there are many others as well which you're car is subjected to on a regular basis.

*Removing Bonded Contaminants - Clay*
In order to remove the bonded contaminats and restore a glassy smooth feel to the paint, detailing clay is used. As well as leaving a pleasingly smooth feel to the paint, when you come to polish, glaze, seal or wax, it means that you are now sealing in remaining bonded contaminants if you have removed them by clay. Simply washing and waxing will not remove bonded contaminants, they will be left behind and then just waxed over.

Clay basically works by grabbing hold of the bonded contaminants and pulling them off of the paint surface:



The contmainats become stuck in the softer clay where they remain. A safety note when using clay here - these bonded contaminats are stuck into the clay and the clay represents a flat surface. Therefore, surface marring can occur if not enough lubricant is used, or the clay is not kneaded regularly enough to a clean side - please see also the section on using clay...

This leaves the paint finish glassy smooth. Clay can remove the bonded contaminants listed above, however some adhesive contaminants such as tar may need a dedicated tar remover as they are very highly adhesive.

*Using Clay*
Before claying, always wash fresh contaminants off of the car. First and foremost, always follow the manufacturers instruction for the correct use of their detailing clay. What follows here is a generic guide of tips for the safe use of clay which I use from experience of using clay.

To clay your car, you will need a clay bar and an associated lubricant to lubricate the surface and the clay bar - examples of such lubricants are:

> Meguiars Quick Detailer Spray
> Meguiars Last Touch Detailing Spray
> Meguiars #34 Final Inspection
> Clearkote Clay Lubricant
> Pinnacle Poly Clay Lubricant

and there are others that can be used too.

About 40 - 50g of clay is sufficient to clay a moderately sized car. If using Meguiars Quick clay, for example, break off one third to one half of the clay bar (the bigger the car, the more clay you may need).

Roll the clay up into a ball, then out into a sausage shape and finally flatten it out into the palm of your hand. When doing this ensure that the clay is warm and quite soft. It clay gets cold, it can be hard or brittle and this can risk inducing surface marring on the paint. Throughout the claying process, always ensure that the clay remains nice and warm and doesn't go brittle or hard.

Work on small areas at a time, I start with the roof, and then the bonnet, then the top half of the sides, then the boot, then the bottom half of the sides (like washing, do the cleaner areas first). I always spray a panel with quick detailer and wipe off before claying it to remove and rogue dust particles that may have blown onto the paint that may induce marring.

Work on small areas of paintwork at a time - about 2' by 2'. Spray the area with the clay lubricant, enough to wet the surface quite thoroughly. Also spray the clay with lubricant as well. Gently wipe the clay in a fore and aft motion over the lubricated area using only finger light pressure:



Never clay over a dry area of paint, and if the paint begins to dry out before you are happy that the surface contaminants have been removed (paint will feel smooth), spray on more lubricant. Keep the clay lubricated as well. Once the paintwork feels smooth, gently wipe the remaining clay lubricant away using a soft microfibre towel.

Knead the clay very regularly - this not only keeps the clay warm, but when kneading expose a clean side of the clay. Remember that clay is picking up sharp particles, if you do the whole car with one side of clay you will induce surface marring as all the sharp particles stuck in the clay will ineveitably come into contact with the paint. For this reason, knead the clay regularly and only ever use finger light pressure. When a clean side of clay can no longer be revealed, discard the clay.

Continue until the car is completed. Note that many clays will remove some or all (depending on aggressiveness) of the wax/sealent protection, so always follow up claying with polishing and glazing if required, followed by sealing and/or waxing.

*Some Notes on Safe Clay Use* 
Clay is safe to use if used with care. However, if not used with care it can induce surface marring.

_Always regularly knead the clay to a clean side.

Always keep both the clay and the paint surface well lubricated.

Use only finger light pressure

If you drop the clay on the ground, discard it as it will pick up tons of dust and grit and dirt from the ground that will inflict damage to paint.

Keep clay warm, and supple - if it gets cold, hard and brittle it will induce marring, so another reason to keep kneading regularly, especially in winter._

And there we have it, a quick generic starters' guide to clay.


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## donnyboy

Another top guide Dave........:thumb: :thumb:


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## johny5

thanks dave very usefull


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## Wmffra

Top job Dave!

Base Coat 
Colour Coat
Base Coat??????

:thumb:


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## blr123

The man's a genius.........typical StAndrews grad eh  :thumb: 

Bryan

PS Dave if you're going to the detailing day........do you fancy a passanger?.......I'm on night shift and can't get a swap


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## Dave KG

PM'd you Bry...


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## Dave KG

Wmffra said:


> Top job Dave!
> 
> Base Coat
> Colour Coat
> Base Coat??????
> 
> :thumb:


Ooops!


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## King Eric

Quality write up


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## aston_87

Very usefull will be doing this this weekend will post photos and let you know how i get on! bit worried about "marring" not sure what this is though!


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## Dave KG

By marring I was just meaning the infliction of light scratches and swirls which is possible with clay if you don't keep the surface well enough lubricated, on knead the clay regularly to a clean side, or if the clay gets too cold and goes hard and brittle. Providing you keep kneading the clay and keep it warm and the clay and paint surface well lubricated you should have nothing to worry about.  

Look forward to seeing the pics. :thumb:


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## DuncHank

Is there a limit as to what clay can remove, as i used my otpiclay and pinnacle lube on my car the other thats NEVER been clayed or had any drastic paint cleaning done and it didnt (the clay) seem to get dirty, and it also didnt remove some of the marks it thought it would, if a stain (bug splat for instance) has been present for years say, will the clay not remove it?!


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## Dave KG

There is a limit to what clay will remove - yes. Clay comes in levels of aggressiveness too, the more aggressive the lay the more it can remove but the more likely it is to cause surface marring. On some cars, I've noticed the clay coming away clean but the paint surface still going from being quite rough to very smooth, so the clay was definitely removing something. 

Clay may not shift caked on bug remains or tar sports foir example, these may require a dedicated tar remover such as Autoglym Tar Remover (which work very well).


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## corksta

Blinding write up mate. I'm gonna clay my car in a while so this write will definately help!


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## ayr320cdmsport04

Dave KG said:


> the more aggressive the lay the more it can remove but the more likely it is to cause surface marring


:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Had a few aggressive LAYS myself in the past and they too left marring on my back!!

joking aside real helpful guides again pal!:thumb:


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## Dave KG

Really must check my threads through for spelling before posting... ! :lol: :lol:


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## charger17

Nice write up. I just have one disagreement. Clay cannot be used for the removal of IFO (industrial fallout). Rather than removing the embedded particle the clay will simply break the top off the particle, leaving the rest in the cars finish. Eventually this will rust back. The only true way to remove IFO is with an acidic fallout remover.


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## The Incredible Hulk

Dave,

Great write up, I'm planning a detailing day later this month and your guides will be studies, printed off and used in anger!

regards, Kevin


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## DuncHank

How aggresive is Opticlay Dave, on an 11 year old, never clayed before car would i need something more aggresive!?


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## Dave KG

I have never used Opticlay myself I'm afriad, so I cannot comment on its aggressiveness, perhaps someone else can chime in here...?

If the car has never been clayed in 11 years, then you may need quite an aggressive clay for its first clay, but take care with aggressive clays are they are far more prone to marring the paint than mild clays. Very aggressive clays, like the Red Meguiars Overspray Clay need to be used with real caution.


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## CleanYourCar

Nice write up. 

Clay doesn't pull contaminants off the paint though, basically it is a clay polybutene base with various levels of abrasives mixed in it. It is actually abrasively grinds the contamination off the surface. The clay shears off any foreign material above the level surface of the paint.

Thats why you need to be careful with agressive clays as they have agressive large abrasives in them which in the wrong hands will cause some damage to the paint which will need correcting.

'Professional' more aggressive clays, are the equivalent to using heavy rubbing compound, finer ones shouldn't be used too often, then there are ones such as the SFX Ulktra Fine from Sonus, which are gentle enough to be used as often as monthly and still do a very good job at removing the contaminants.

Lubrication is also very important. The best are glycerin-based lubricants, but plenty of soapy water will also sufice.


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## L200 Steve

I've tried 'opti' clay -

http://www.meguiars.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2736&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0


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## PugIain

Thats a good bit of writing mate (the above link is good too) Im going to have a bash at claying my car cos its 10 year old nearly and the paint even though its treated well is just starting to get abit gritty.


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## CleanYourCar

Definately have a go. It is my favourite part of detailing a car so satisfyling to see the embedded dirt removed.


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## charlievarley

Love this one Dave gone get claying this weekend


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## Affection to Detail

How long should it roughly take to clay different sized cars? I was only doing a small one and it felt like an eternity, maybe over 2 hrs, not sure.

L8rs

Nad


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## richie.guy

1.5-3 hours i'd say depending on how bad the paint is.

I spent ages doing a friend's white mini, it was covered in contamination


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## Dave KG

Lightly contaminated cars I can do in around an hour... heavily contaminated ones will take me anything up to maybe even three hours to get the way I want.


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## Affection to Detail

Good, not just me taking my time then!!


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## Dave KG

rallymad_nad said:


> Good, not just me taking my time then!!


Best to take your time and get it right and do a good job than to rush... I'm sure most people take their time with claying. :thumb:


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## MattH

A quick Q,

How do you knead your clay ? If you are using a third of the bar I would have thought once the current side has been used its quite hard to fold it in to get a nice clean side of clay again ?

Cheers

Matt


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## Dave KG

When a side of the clay is dirty, just fold the clay in half in on itself, and then use the clean layer... The fold again once dirty and so on... You will be able to expose a clean side often enough to do a full car with ease.


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## kkh120

Can you keep reusing the clay bar or is it use once and throw away?


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## Dave KG

kkh120 said:


> Can you keep reusing the clay bar or is it use once and throw away?


It really depends on how bad the car was that it was used on... I will keep a clay bar until I can no longer fold it to a clean feeling and clean looking side. I generally break clay bars off into small pieces, you dont need a whole car to do a car, and once I've done a car with it, I use older clay on glass and then wheels.


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## kkh120

Makes sense, cheers


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## wilko

This is a FANTASTIC guide - I haven't clayed before and only now have my first lot on delivery, but feel that I have picked up enough fron this guide to get the job done. 

Thanks DaveKG........you are undoubtedly the man!! :wave:


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## myxa

A top quality guide


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## eagleeye

How realistic is to clay your car at this time of year when the temperature generally doesn't get above 10 deg (well here in Scotland at any rate)? It seems one of the most important things during claying is to keep the clay warm and pliable and as near to 35 deg as possible but I just can't see this working when the bodywork of the car is that much colder. Would using warm soapy water as a lube help rather than spraying on detailer.


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## Rinko

I think what some people like to do is to have 2 pieces of clay which they soak in warm water before working with it. They then keep one of the bars in the water whilst working, and as it cools down - they then swap the bars over. You can also warm your QD or lube product - or as you say use a shampoo solution with warm water.


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## Dave KG

As above, I keep a clay bat in a cup of warm water to keep it pliable and use a second clay bar... Then when the second bar starts to go cold, I swap over. :thumb:


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## eagleeye

Thanks for the good suggestions about keeping the clay warm during use. I'll certainly be giving that a go, if the rain ever stops 

Where do most people get their clay from? I bought the Meguiars Quick Clay pack but was slightly disappointed with the size of the bar. I know you don't need much but even so I can't see it going that far (even using half at a time). Are there any UK suppliers that sell the same quality/spec as the Meguiars Quick Clay one but in bigger quantities?


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## Dave KG

I either get the Meguiars Mirror Glaze Mild clay (blue) from Polished Bliss, or the Sonus UltraFine green clay from Clean Your Car. Both are excellent.


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## BananaCar

Excellent thread, thanks :thumb:


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## c0r54

Very informative tutorial, cheers for the know how.

c0r54


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## Dream Machines

charger17 said:


> Nice write up. I just have one disagreement. Clay cannot be used for the removal of IFO (industrial fallout). Rather than removing the embedded particle the clay will simply break the top off the particle, leaving the rest in the cars finish. Eventually this will rust back. The only true way to remove IFO is with an acidic fallout remover.


I disagree with that. 
Use a medium or hard clay and you'll get most of it out
machine polish. Once finished that step, re clay
Do the next step and clay area again
With all polishing completed, one go over with sonus green clay or similar mild clay will have the surface slicker than butter

You can also put some polish on the car, spray with lube and go over it with clay and mildly polish at the same time. Best with chemical polish though

All cars I have done, have never had fallout return
If it's really thick chunky fallout then yes the FK1 system etc is the way to go

Some other things about clay!
It can be used on rubber, urethane, plastic and vinyl trim, door skins (if any fallout flies in when your drivers side window is down. (happened to me)
Ways to extend clay life

Fold each piece of bar up
Cut in half with sharp knife to get access to the untouched inside section of the clay
Get two pieces together and use rolling pin to flatten out
This is especially good when a bar is beginning to fall apart and leave chunks of it on your hand from using soap as lube.


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## Essex-Steve

Great informative instructions, never clayed... but will print this out for reference.

Many Thanks


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## Blueworm

A FANTASTIC write up - even as a concours cleaner, I've never used this before at all so I'm going to look all stupid and ask a question or two 

You wash and dry the car first so you take off all the excess on the bodywork.

You then start to clay the bodywork by spraying the bodywork to keep it wet (and the clay too)

My questions 

Is this all I need to start?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Meguiars-Quik...hZ014QQcategoryZ72201QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

If so, once this is all done, is this the final finish or can I go about the car once clay'd with my usual Autoglym super resin and then a coat of Extra Gloss or does claying take care of it all?

I've got a Volvo 850 Estate in White..it's gonna take all day :doublesho


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## Dave KG

Yes, the Megs QuikClay kit is all you need to get started... its got the clay and the lube in one. One you';ve clayed the car, you've prepped the paint nicely for the polishing stages, so follow up with the SRP and so on as you would before. :thumb:


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## Blueworm

Dave KG said:


> Yes, the Megs QuikClay kit is all you need to get started... its got the clay and the lube in one. One you';ve clayed the car, you've prepped the paint nicely for the polishing stages, so follow up with the SRP and so on as you would before. :thumb:


Excellent! I'll have to book a week off to dry, clay, super resin and extra gloss LOL - anyone want to do 1/2 of my Volvo 850 Estate? :lol:

Many thanks for the reply!!!


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## thebigmcp

Excellent Guide.


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## vauxlady

*Thank you dave just fabulous information gr8 thread :buffer: :thumb: *


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## timb

Great thread :thumb:


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## AGray

Great Guide!

Thanks


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## deano_uk

Super Guide, Ill be giving this a go over the weekend


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## Captain Morgan

Well I can say I clay’d for the first time this weekend on the GF motor and used quite a different method.

Minimal lube thinking it was the stickiness of the clay to pull the contaminants from the paint.

So I’ve ether discovered a new way or the GF will be very unhappy with me. Though after we had run the PC over it, clay’d, cleansed and got the wax on I thought it look sweet as…..

Wished I’d read this guide beforehand. Could I really have mullered her motor???


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## Dave KG

Captain Morgan said:


> Well I can say I clay'd for the first time this weekend on the GF motor and used quite a different method.
> 
> Minimal lube thinking it was the stickiness of the clay to pull the contaminants from the paint.
> 
> So I've ether discovered a new way or the GF will be very unhappy with me. Though after we had run the PC over it, clay'd, cleansed and got the wax on I thought it look sweet as…..
> 
> Wished I'd read this guide beforehand. Could I really have mullered her motor???


Depends on the clay you used... Minimal lube there is a risk of inflcting quite severe clay bar marring to the paint especially with an agressive clay, milder clays will let you away with it more but will still marr with too little lube. PCing afterewards will remove this marring but you're introuble if you have no machine to polish out any marring left.


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## barryscott

Excellent


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## Bigpikle

thanks Dave for a great guide.

Plucked up the courage this weekend and did the new car with Sonus green and tons of CG Synthetic detail that I got at the Notts meet. The car must have been pretty clean as it brought up very little dirt but left the paint feeling incredible. Even made an HDC and wax easier and gave top results.

Please keep sharing your knowledge like this for us learners :thumb:


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## jaggster5

Very informative...thanks.


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## ianc61

Another useful guide


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## Matt G

Had never had the confidence to try claying my car till I read this thread and how easy it sounded. Gave it a go a few weeks ago with Sonus Green and was really impressed with the results and how easy it was.

Thanks alot Dave KG!


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## bxtreme

Excellent guide Dave! I have half a bottle of CK quikshine that I want to save, and ordering products to my country is a little of a *****, so can I replace a QD with water or a water/shampoo mixture? (I have Meg's Gold Class and Simoniz Car Wash..

Thanks!


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## Glossmax

^^^ shampoo water mix works if your shampoo is a well lubed type. I have found Zymo1 autowash works well as a clay lube.


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## bxtreme

Great! Thanks Pug_101!

Would the ratio be similar to car washing ratio though?


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## Glossmax

Yes or maybe a bit stronger


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## Fat Audi 80

bxtreme said:


> Great! Thanks Pug_101!
> 
> Would the ratio be similar to car washing ratio though?


1 to 4 water to shampoo if it was me.

Because of the potential to marr the paintwork with a clay bar I would be a litle cautious of too much water in the mix


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## TOGWT

Quote: Clay basically works by grabbing hold of the bonded contaminants and pulling them off of the paint surface"

Automotive clay is not a replacement for polish or a compound; it is a pliable, petroleum resin product, Polybutene PB-1 (Polyisobutylene) containing a mild abrasive(s) i.e. kaolin, silica sand, calcium carbonate, alumina, ceramics quartz and also *silicon carbide that polishes and exfoliates bonded surface contaminants by shearing, it does not pull or extract contaminants from a paint surface, if this was the case there would be no need for it to be abrasive,* it is then encapsulated by the clay resin. These abrasives are extremely small with an average particle size of 1- µ (micron) dependant on the aggressiveness required, mixed in with a powdered synthetic detergent.

TOGWT


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## Bear

Great write up, thanks.

Just a few questions though.

Have just spent £50.00 at the local Halfords to give my 04 Fabia BLACK vRS a good cleaning.... products bought are

1) Meguiars clay kit complete with 2 x 50g clay bars, Quick Detailer, Cleaner Wax and Gold Class Supreme Shine towel.

2) Soft Foam applicator pads.

3) DeepCrystal Carnauba Wax.

4) AG deep shine or whatever they call it for dark colours. 

5) Meguiars Gold Class Shampoo and conditioner.

So does this sound right? 

Firstly wash the car off with cold water, then two bucket method wash the car, then do I clay it still wet or should I use the quick detailer when its dry?

Next the cleaner wax.

Next the AG deep shine.

Lastly the Carnauba wax.

Will be tackling the job this coming weekend so any help from you guys will be appreciated.

Thanks
Bear


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## Glossmax

^^^ You've posted this in a guide's thread  , maybe the help section would have been a better place  
You can clay while the car is still wet, but rinse off the shampoo first. If it is a hot day your better off drying the car though as water spots may form. On the subject of drying have you got yourself a good Micro Fibre drying towel? if so use the QD with this to help lube the towel so drying does not cause marring. If you run out of QD when claying just refill the sprayer again with a strongish shampoo & water mix.
It may also be worth you investing in a foam gun to use as your first step in washing. For about £10 you can get a Supersprayer:
http://www.superspray.co.uk/index.htm
Which works quite well. Ag Ultra Deep Shine has cleaners in it so you don't need the Megs DC#1, but it won't hurt. Your action plan looks right.


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## Bear

Oops sorry about that.

Thanks for the info:thumb:


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## GP Punto

Thank you, a very helpful guide


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## SpaS2k

About to do my first claying this upcoming week. Thanks for the tips!


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## andyi

As per last post, going to try claying my car this weekend. Cheers for guide


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## Don-R

Just had a car clay bar treatment done last tuesday as i noticed it felt a bit rough when cleaning. Looks really nice and shiny again now too.

My partner paid for it to be done as we are both so busy ATM and we needed a new clay bar. we have done it once before on my previous car (A black CTR)

Really happy with the results but well worth a read through this section as i now understand what the various bottles of liquid are for.

Was thinking of trying the purple haze stuff too as my car is royal navy blue metallic.
Does anyone know if that will work ok on an S2000 in that colour? and be better than auto glym polish and extra gold polish stuff.


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## LostInSpace

Dave,

Thanks for the guide - it will be put to use this weekend on my first clay... :thumb:


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## Dougster

Nice guide which I have come back to read.

Problem is I have used clay many times (Swissol and Chemical Guys) but doing a black Honda today it has marred pretty badly. It will be getting machined soon and I thought I'd prepare it today.

The car was horrifically covered in swirl marks anyway but I was really disappointed to see the marring.

Where did I go wrong?

(CG grey bar and CG Synth QC)


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## PhillipM

Been cold today, was the clay kept warm?

Cold panels?


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## Dougster

Could have been the cold and I never put the clay in warm water.

I also had surgical gloves on which would have kept the temp of the clay down.

Makes for good 50/50 shots though.........

DOH!!


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## esseker

came here to read the guide, since im going to clay my car for the first time.

one quick question:

i cant buy clay lube here in my country, and ive read that the mixture of shampoo and water is good too...

but i was wondering, maybe this is stupid but, would dish washer shampoo be better than car shampoo for this purpose?

car shampoo has to be real dirt-removing and its agressive in nature, as dish washer shampoo (the you clean dishes after dinner) has to remove layers of fat and food dirt, so i suppose they are milder than car shampoo's and also, there are several products that are pH neutral, if that matters...

thanks.


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## Glossmax

esseker said:


> came here to read the guide, since im going to clay my car for the first time.
> 
> one quick question:
> 
> i cant buy clay lube here in my country, and ive read that the mixture of shampoo and water is good too...
> 
> but i was wondering, maybe this is stupid but, would dish washer shampoo be better than car shampoo for this purpose?
> 
> car shampoo has to be real dirt-removing and its agressive in nature, as dish washer shampoo (the you clean dishes after dinner) has to remove layers of fat and food dirt, so i suppose they are milder than car shampoo's and also, there are several products that are pH neutral, if that matters...
> 
> thanks.


Dish washer shampoo is more aggressive to paint than car shampoo, so use a cheap car shampoo with out wax in it.


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## Guest

Nice guide, any chance of an update from someone using Bilt-Hamber?


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## PJS

Update in what way?
Claying is claying, the only difference with using BH's Auto Clay is that it's designed to work solely with water.

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=&t=428206


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## Guest

Update as in: Does B-H Clay work better with a small amount of lube or not.

Whilst this has been answered by B-H themselves on a different thread in the Wash & Clay section, if a guide is to be updated then might as well test a few things to see if they work better with more product (lube) or less product or in the case of B-H no product at all.


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## slindborg

I quickly clayed one pannel (to have a go at detailing lol) with BH autoclay while using the hose to keep a flow of water over the pannel... not quite how their instructions say but it certianly worked well (I wasnt convinced clay would do much... oh how wrong I was).

on the 25th of this month myself and a mate (whos on here) shall be giving the whole car a going over so could try using lube with the clay to see what the difference is etc.


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## PJS

matt1263 said:


> Update as in: Does B-H Clay work better with a small amount of lube or not.
> 
> Whilst this has been answered by B-H themselves on a different thread in the Wash & Clay section, if a guide is to be updated then might as well test a few things to see if they work better with more product (lube) or less product or in the case of B-H no product at all.


You do realise BH don't advocate the use of their Auto Clay with NO lube, but with water (which is a lubricant!) instead of a QD type. You can use QD if you like, but what's the point in using something that costs more than tapwater does, which does the same thing?
A lubricant is a lubricant, and as long as there's sufficient amounts of it to let the bar glide over the surface, it's doing all it needs to.


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## PJS

slindborg said:


> I quickly clayed one pannel (to have a go at detailing lol) with BH autoclay while using the hose to keep a flow of water over the pannel... not quite how their instructions say but it certianly worked well (I wasnt convinced clay would do much... oh how wrong I was).
> 
> on the 25th of this month myself and a mate (whos on here) shall be giving the whole car a going over so could try using lube with the clay to see what the difference is etc.


By all means feel free to experiment, but I'll save you the expense and wasted effort - the Auto Clay works perfectly with just water.
It's not miraculously going to work better or worse with a QD lube, since all that a lube is doing is letting the bar slide across the surface.
There's nothing chemical happening, and it certainly won't let/make the clay grab contamination out of/off the paintwork any easier/better than just water.

Because you've (collective plural, not personal) been conditioned to the fact ALL clays are sold with and to be used with a particular type of lube, you automatically forget the whole claying action is a mechanical process, not a chemical one.
You could use KY Jelly (water based rather than petroleum based Vaseline) if you so desired - it'd probably work just as well, albeit more work to remove afterwards.


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## slindborg

PJS said:


> Because you've (collective plural, not personal) been conditioned to the fact ALL clays are sold with and to be used with a particular type of lube


actually I avoided Clay till I found out about the BH one as I refused to spend so much sodding cash on the concept of a lump of blutack and some "lube"
Now I've found the BH stuff I'll happily have a crack at using clay more often etc, plus is V cheap and I'd rather spend money making the car faster than clean so its a win on BH's part lol


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## Guest

And if you read what I said about the B-H & Lube you would of read that it had already been answered by B-H.

I just think that if a guide is being updated, then it should be updated with at least some of the latest products on the market, and since B-H clay is the only clay which dosnt need a lube it should be included.

Clay is not just Clay!


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## PJS

Ah, now that you've explained what you meant, I concur.
I had visions of you meaning the process of claying, rather than types of clays available.


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## MB^

Another very good guide! should this not be a sticky?


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## -ROM-

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=61625

Dave is currently rewriting all his guides above is the contents page so all the guides are accesible in one place.

He is adding new ones all the time!


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## MB^

Ah I see, so soon all guides will be on "Print Out & Keep" A4 sheets... Nice!


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## swiftshine

Another excellent guide. Cheers Dave.
Just what I needed.


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## TomWilly

Great guide, thanks

Does the car need to be completely dry before claying? (before lubing with QD)

Do you need to wash it again after before polishing?

Thanks, Tom


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## Glossmax

TomWilly said:


> Great guide, thanks
> 
> Does the car need to be completely dry before claying? (before lubing with QD)
> 
> Do you need to wash it again after before polishing?
> 
> Thanks, Tom


If you use Bilt-Hamber clay you can clay when wet. You don't need QD with there clay only water.
The water won't hurt other clays either, but you must use QD for lube.


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## TomWilly

Cheers dude, im using Megs clay so i will dry the car then lube:thumb:

Should I wash between claying and polishing?

Thanks


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## Glossmax

TomWilly said:


> Cheers dude, im using Megs clay so i will dry the car then lube:thumb:
> 
> Should I wash between claying and polishing?
> 
> Thanks


Yes you will have to.


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## TomWilly

Than you!


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## BlackCat

Great guide. Just what I was after.
Thanks.


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## Guest

nice one dave, in depth yet basic and to the point.
read it, got it, done it....... fantastic.
i was looking into using this as a client asked about his rough paint and i mentioned about clay bars and that i was undergoing a couple of running tests.
great stuff to use and one seriouisly happy customer a+


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## titchster

I shuddered at the thought of using clay myself, however after reading this, I think I may attempt it, prepare for a post from me, when it goes terribly wrong.  Great guide. :thumb:


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## swiftshine

Titchster, It couldn't be easier. I just clayed my car this week for the first time after reading Daves guide. It's amazing. On the cleaner panels it was pretty smooth anyway but there was heaps of contaminents near the bottom of the doors, particularly on the drivers side. It's easy to tell when the clay is not gliding smoothly because of lack of lube, or because of heavy contamination (you can hear it as well as feel it). Before I started I thought my car was clean. Now I can feel it's clean!
My tips from a beginners perspective are keep working the clay to keep it soft, and don't skimp on the lube.
Good luck.


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## titchster

Cheers for the tips.


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## cossiemen

Thanks for this great guide, will need it this weekend when claying my car for the first time ever..


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## Jamezm

Thanks, for a beginner I have found very useful, thanks 

Mitch


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## Vail3r

Good guide, Thanks.


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## Tom_O

Thanks for posting up these excellent guides, for novices like me to learn from. Cheers


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## jenic

Excellent guide which i was looking for, deserves a bump


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## -Kev-

talk about thread dig-up :doublesho


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## Thomsen!

^^^^

I need a little clarification here...

I just spent hours watching Junkman's vids on claying, and he said to apply hard pressure on the clay, whereas this guide says use light pressure.

Who is right?

It's not as if JM's vids said what grade of clay he was using, so maybe Dave was using or referring to an aggressive clay?


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## glendog74

Great guide - thanks :thumb:


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## corsaauto

Briliant Guide Dave, you should take this up as a profession!!
TC


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## mastic

Thank you for the guide, keeps newbies like me the confidence to have a go at the more proffesional products we see on the market. Im off to get my clay:car::newbie:


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## TOGWT

By applying just enough pressure to ensure contact with the surface the clay will aquaplaning on a micro-thin film of lubrication between it and the paint surface removing the (protruding) surface contaminants by abrasion and encapsulation by the malleable clay.


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## -Kev-

corsaauto said:


> Briliant Guide Dave, you should take this up as a profession!!
> TC


he does, amongst other things


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## rbj*rbj

would you recommend the AG Clay kit?


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## centenary

Good intro.

However, when I get hold of my clay bar, it sticks like sh*t to a blanket on my fingers! Reading the guide seems to suggest there's something wrong with my clay or my hands! Even if I spray my hands with the lube it still sticks once the lube has dried.

Also, once I've got it into a nice flat shape, I've noticed when using the clay on the bodywork, it starts to break into very small bits which then mix with the lube and start to turn to a grey 'paste.' Is this because I've flattened it to too thin a size? What am I doing wrong?

Im not using heavy pressure when claying. Im using sonus lube but cannot remember the clay. It may be BH Soft auto Clay.

Beep, beep :driver:


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## -Kev-

BH clay only needs water as lube, so that might be the problem..
don't let the lube / clay dry and it won't stick..


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## bazzaboyce

Comprehensive guide and explanation. Thanks


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## leeds2592

Brilliant guide. 

Has given me the confidence to go out, get some clay and have a go on my car as I don't think it's ever been clayed!


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## J90CVC

Big help, cheers for the guide


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## msa1712

Always the best.. Thanks Dave


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## Jonathanmarsh24

Thomsen! said:


> ^^^^
> 
> I need a little clarification here...
> 
> I just spent hours watching Junkman's vids on claying, and he said to apply hard pressure on the clay, whereas this guide says use light pressure.
> 
> Who is right?
> 
> It's not as if JM's vids said what grade of clay he was using, so maybe Dave was using or referring to an aggressive clay?


Only use light pressure, make multiple passes over the contaminated areas until you feel that the clay bar isn't dragging- job done!


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## rnwd202295x

Great tutorial Dave, many thanks, will be purchasing Clay etc to do my car soon...!


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## HARPO

Cheers! This anwers one of those "oh dear it's probably too late to ask now cos you'll look daft" questions I had like: WTF is claying anyway?


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## jorddy66

very good post dave


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## Mikebj

Great tutorial Dave you seem to be the guide master around here.

Cheers
Mike


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## peugeot106

Hi
When claying can I use shampoo and water as lube? And finally do I have to wipe the clayed area as soon as its done with a microfibre cloth or should I only give the car a proper washing before moving to polishing and waxing?


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## dagoatla

Thanks. Had a read of this before I clayed my car for the first time. Great help.


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## Davorr

after I wash my car, should I dry it and than star clay it,or left him wet and clay it.

and after I finish with clay I should again wash it only with water..

is that correct?


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## -Kev-

leave it wet if its in a shade, rinse and dry after claying


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## craigblues

Dave is the ultimate Guide Writer!

**He is a teacher though** 

Cheers for help on Saturday Dave.


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## Davorr

Thank you -Kev-


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## wool

great informative write up 

cheers Dave


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## wool

*claying*

Hi Dave 
Just read your thread on claying (very informative) 
I've got a focus 58 reg the paint work seems in good order ,my question is how often should i clay it ??
For the winter i gave it 3 coats of polish 3 coats of EXP 3 coats of wax all poorboys products & it looks good .

I've just got some clay 3M detailing clay 38070 mid grade I've got some QD I just need to know how often to use it

cheers :newbie: WOOL


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## Junkman2008

wool said:


> Hi Dave
> Just read your thread on claying (very informative)
> I've got a focus 58 reg the paint work seems in good order ,my question is how often should i clay it ??
> For the winter i gave it 3 coats of polish 3 coats of EXP 3 coats of wax all poorboys products & it looks good .
> 
> I've just got some clay 3M detailing clay 38070 mid grade I've got some QD I just need to know how often to use it
> 
> cheers :newbie: WOOL


Two thinks. First, you should not be using a mig grade clay if you are not in the body shop repair business or have knowledge of how all this works. Your question tells me that this does not describe you. Thus, you should be using what I call "consumer grade" clay, which is the lightest clay available. The more aggressive clay is going to create work that you may not be able to address with the equipment/supplies you have.

Second, you only clay when your surface fails the baggie test. There is NO SET AMOUNT OF TIME between claying, just as there is no set amount of time when your car needs gas. You look at your gas guage and when it signals that you are low, you add gas. The same is true with your paint and claying. You test your paint using a plastic bag, and when you feel grit all over the finish, it is now time to clay.


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## HEATH

great thread for this beginner!! question though, when you wipe the clay bar over the lubricant how do you then remove the lubricant and when you have finished claying do you re wash the car before applying a wax or selaer?


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## Junkman2008

That's exactly what I recommend. Rewash so that you have a perfectly clean surface.


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## HEATH

Cheers sun was out today, but it was bloody freezing so just treated her to a wash and dry only!! and that took 4hrs!!


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## Junkman2008

HEATH said:


> Cheers sun was out today, but it was bloody freezing so just treated her to a wash and dry only!! and that took 4hrs!!


My kinda wash. :thumb:


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## HEATH

Junkman2008 said:


> My kinda wash. :thumb:


Then my wife moaned cos I used all the hot water so she couldnt have her bath!! filthy cow ...car looks good though!!


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## Junkman2008

HEATH said:


> Then my wife moaned cos I used all the hot water so she couldnt have her bath!! filthy cow ...car looks good though!!


:lol:


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## Khanage

Great write up, thanks!


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## craigthered

Excellent write up. Everday is a school day after all


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## burtz

After clay, is it best to rinse with a jet wash, then dry ready for polish?


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## nige49

Thanks Dave great post. I get a new Qashqai next week and have bought all the stuff like, DoDo Juice Clay bar, Polish, wax, detailer spray, wheel sealant and a new DA polisher. Have not used any of it yet so a bit nervous.


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## buzzman

Top write up 

Sent from my HTC Desire HD A9191 using Tapatalk 2


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## TomSinclair

Great writeup, will need to get round to claying the car as soon as the weather picks up!


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## a_kerr

Great thread - very useful


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## CFT1000

*5 year old 1 series*

Hi all, I'm new to this forum, but wanted to ask a couple of questions regarding my new car. I'm a total novice!

I've bought a 57 plate 1 series. I'm wanting to use AutoGlym LifeShine on the interior and exterior, is that ok with a car that old? It's only done 32k miles though, and the paint work is in perfect condition (apart from a couple of small chips on the door handles). Also, I was wondering whether I should use clay on the paint work prior to the LifeShine?

Many thanks, any responses would be much appreciated.

Charlie


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## birch1983

Great thread - Ever so useful!!!


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