Clay bar.....
02-11-2012, 10:30 PM
#23
Drifting
I just bought the pinnacle ultra clay and pinnacle sovereign from auto geek. It killed me spending $85 on the wax but in all the years of doing my cars with Zaino, Rejex, Cilajet, etc. the car has never came out as good as it looks now with a combination of clay bar, mild polish to remove light swirls, and the pinnacle sovereign. The shine with the carnauba is unbelievable. Probably won't last early as long in the hot sun as the others, but it looks amazing.
02-11-2012, 10:47 PM
#24
Melting Slicks
Thread Starter
Yep. It'll probably take a chisel to get all of the NuFinish and Turtle Wax off of it first. When I first got it last fall, I must've waxed it 5 or 6 times. I just couldn't resist getting out there at night and playing kissy face huggy bear with it. 
.....So, when it warms up a little, I'll get started on all of this. Thanks again.
.....So, when it warms up a little, I'll get started on all of this. Thanks again.
02-12-2012, 07:56 AM
#25
Racer
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Anytime you have detailing questions a really good source of info is autogeek.net. 
http://www.autogeek.net/detailing-clay-bar.html
http://www.autogeek.net/detailing-clay-bar.html
02-12-2012, 08:26 AM
#26
Le Mans Master
Almost exactly like Silly Putty but it is NOT Silly Putty unfortunately.
And then don't do whatever it is that you did to put the scratches in there in the first place. Start with never touching the car when drying after a wash. Get a leaf blower if you haven't already.
I tried that once when I was running out of the lub that comes with the clay bar. I mixed a spray bottle with Dawn and water. I'm not sure if I used too much water or too much Dawn but the clay fell apart before I finished. It stopped being sticky. I need to try that again because Dawn is a lot less expensive than detail spray. I run out of spray long before I use up all the clay because I use the clay in small ***** rather than the whole bar at once risking dropping it and having to throw away the entire bar. A small ball flattened sticks to your fingers and is almost impossible to drop. I flatten it on the windshield and throw it way when it starts to look at all gray.
And then don't do whatever it is that you did to put the scratches in there in the first place. Start with never touching the car when drying after a wash. Get a leaf blower if you haven't already.I tried that once when I was running out of the lub that comes with the clay bar. I mixed a spray bottle with Dawn and water. I'm not sure if I used too much water or too much Dawn but the clay fell apart before I finished. It stopped being sticky. I need to try that again because Dawn is a lot less expensive than detail spray. I run out of spray long before I use up all the clay because I use the clay in small ***** rather than the whole bar at once risking dropping it and having to throw away the entire bar. A small ball flattened sticks to your fingers and is almost impossible to drop. I flatten it on the windshield and throw it way when it starts to look at all gray.
02-12-2012, 08:36 AM
#27
Race Director
Lots of good advice up there. If you haven't done it, it really seems scary and an unnatural thing to do. I just took a deep breath and did it. It really does work and is part of what I do to keep my car looking good! 
02-12-2012, 09:29 AM
#28
Pro
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St. Jude Donor '12-'13
I would avoid using Dawn on your vehicle as it will dry out the rubber & plastic over time.
The best, and most economical, clay lube is ONR (optimum no rinse) available through Autogeek. The dilution ratio makes this product last forever.
The best, and most economical, clay lube is ONR (optimum no rinse) available through Autogeek. The dilution ratio makes this product last forever.
02-12-2012, 11:16 AM
#29
Le Mans Master
Quote from Adam's Premium Car Care Products, only stuff I use. Clay Bar & detail spray, Eliminate surface roughness. "To determine if you need clay: put your fingers in a plastic sandwich bag & gently rub fingers over the surface. Rough? Clay it! Smooth? Skip it!
H. Discard clay if dropped onto dirty ground."
H. Discard clay if dropped onto dirty ground."
02-12-2012, 01:05 PM
#30
Racer
Good job.
Lmao
02-12-2012, 01:13 PM
#31
Melting Slicks
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Parked my car outside overnight in dusty Tucson. A llight drizzle left tons of small waterspots all over it the next morning. 
Will using clay remove this?
Will using clay remove this?
02-12-2012, 01:15 PM
#32
Le Mans Master
02-13-2012, 07:22 AM
#33
Le Mans Master
I'd even closely inspect it if dropped in an OR. That's why you don't just pull a bar out of the package and start rubbing. You use only a small piece at a time and it is almost impossible to drop. A quarter sized ball flattened into a 3 finger sized disk will stick to your fingers such that you can turn your hand upside down and shake it and it will still grip your hand. I never worry about dropping but if I somehow did I would throw it away immediately. There is little difference between dropped clay and course sandpaper.
02-13-2012, 10:23 AM
#34
Melting Slicks
If you are referring to the small rings left in the paint from drying water spots, the answer is no. Those are caused by the sun burning the rings in the paint where the edge of the water rings make contact with the paint surface. You will have to use a light (non-abrasive) polish to remove them. Clay-bar only removes surface contaminants. I use Mother's Clay and Showtime for lube. No need to wash after the clay (or anything else) but Mother's suggests you follow it with carnauba wax. The paint will pop!
02-13-2012, 03:15 PM
#35
Race Director
Water spots have little or nothing to do with sun. Water spots occur when hard water dries/evaporates on the clear and can be etched into the clear if bad enough. This can happen in your garage, outside overnight or in sunlight.
02-13-2012, 03:21 PM
#36
Melting Slicks
02-13-2012, 04:25 PM
#38
Team Owner
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St. Jude Donor '13
From multiple experiences, I can say that the spots come off easily if I wash the car before the bright sun hits it- early in the morning or later on a cloudy day. But if I don't wash it until about noon on a sunny day, then getting rid of the spots is a real pain. Time + sun is much worse than time alone.
02-13-2012, 04:38 PM
#39
Melting Slicks
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A Florida condo we've stayed at for 4 years has an automatic sprinkler system, sometimes it gets out of schedule and our car ends up getting "watered" during the night.
From multiple experiences, I can say that the spots come off easily if I wash the car before the bright sun hits it- early in the morning or later on a cloudy day. But if I don't wash it until about noon on a sunny day, then getting rid of the spots is a real pain. Time + sun is much worse than time alone.
From multiple experiences, I can say that the spots come off easily if I wash the car before the bright sun hits it- early in the morning or later on a cloudy day. But if I don't wash it until about noon on a sunny day, then getting rid of the spots is a real pain. Time + sun is much worse than time alone.
My question is whether claying the car will remove them.
02-13-2012, 04:52 PM
#40
Race Director
A Florida condo we've stayed at for 4 years has an automatic sprinkler system, sometimes it gets out of schedule and our car ends up getting "watered" during the night.
From multiple experiences, I can say that the spots come off easily if I wash the car before the bright sun hits it- early in the morning or later on a cloudy day. But if I don't wash it until about noon on a sunny day, then getting rid of the spots is a real pain. Time + sun is much worse than time alone.
From multiple experiences, I can say that the spots come off easily if I wash the car before the bright sun hits it- early in the morning or later on a cloudy day. But if I don't wash it until about noon on a sunny day, then getting rid of the spots is a real pain. Time + sun is much worse than time alone.
http://www.inmygarage.com/?p=3903