clay a car ?

[3bvert]

I got a faded black e30. Ive heard of people using clay to get past really dull paint. Im sure its a special clay, how does a person do it ?

[EA8]

look through the sticky(My Detailing Walkthrough - by adept) at the top of the section ... should give you an idea.

cheers

[asubimmer]

the clay isn't anything special...

just don't use red clay out of your yard and you will be ok.

[3bvert]

look through the sticky(My Detailing Walkthrough - by adept) at the top of the section ... should give you an idea.

cheers

very nice and well written , allmost all replya are helpful at that thread.

sounds like you have /use great products. I had already bought the mequires stuff, all the way to the "diamond cut"
my buffer is only one speed,
I used the stuff already on my wifes car so I cant take it back
but in my area I did not see any of he brands you mention or any of the auto stores carry any "clay"
buffing pads etc, all of them only have the generic white "terry cloth"
guess I need to go to a bigger city and find a shop that specializes in detail products

[cactusjacks1]

very nice and well written , allmost all replya are helpful at that thread.

sounds like you have /use great products. I had already bought the mequires stuff, all the way to the "diamond cut"
my buffer is only one speed,
I used the stuff already on my wifes car so I cant take it back
but in my area I did not see any of he brands you mention or any of the auto stores carry any "clay"
buffing pads etc, all of them only have the generic white "terry cloth"
guess I need to go to a bigger city and find a shop that specializes in detail products

Good car clays are available on line from many suppliers - try griotsgarage.com - they have an excellent kit.

[Van Westervelt]

x2, I use all griots stuff, and I neglect my paint all winter lol.

[StereoInstaller1]

JParker is a detailer.

He did my car the week before the Picnic. My paint is shit, scratches everywhere, nasty stains (tree sap or birdshit, who knows) swirl marks from hacks who thought they could buff, just tons of crap, PLUS nasty oxidization.

First step was a thorough wash, then he used claybar (Meguires, I think) rubbing the thing from bumper to bumper. This left tons of weird debris all over the car, which he then used a Porter-Cable orbital buffer and some fairly heavy cut buffing compound.

This got the paint nice and clean, so with a different pad he polished the paint, using a much finer polish. This made the car really smooth...the paint was really slippery and smooth, and very glossy. He said a decent polish will also act as a sealant.

Next step was a true Carnuba hand wax. This shit is hard as a damn brick, very messy (smells nice, though) and we applied this literally with our hands...very hard to wash off, let me tell you!

After a final rubbing with nice Costco microfiber towels, the damn thing just gleams. It is so hard to imagine that most of this car is 22 year old paint, and all of it is in horrible condition. The car gets comments every day from random strangers...pretty cool for a car I bought about 6 years ago for $1000, IMO!

[StereoInstaller1]

Oh yeah, a quick add: Brad is apparently a genius with the camera thingie!

[DarkWing6]

A couple videos here...

http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/car+care/car+polishing/paint+cleaning+clay/paint+cleaning+clay.do?search=basic&keyword=clay&sortby=newArrivals&page=1

[EA8]

very nice and well written , allmost all replya are helpful at that thread.

sounds like you have /use great products. I had already bought the mequires stuff, all the way to the "diamond cut"
my buffer is only one speed,
I used the stuff already on my wifes car so I cant take it back
but in my area I did not see any of he brands you mention or any of the auto stores carry any "clay"
buffing pads etc, all of them only have the generic white "terry cloth"
guess I need to go to a bigger city and find a shop that specializes in detail products

just a clarification 3bvert, I am not the one who wrote the sticky, all the credit goes to adept. Sorry if I confused you there (the name of the sticky might have made you think I was the one that wrote it).

Now regarding where to ge the supplies, I was able to find Meguires at wally world and autozone no problem, so maybe they were just out of stock in your case.

- Cheers

[travis816]

i suggest ussin the red clay from your back yard! shits where its at works better then most products!

[3bvert]

shit shit shit

finaly got my car looking good, but it still need help

now it needs tons of help, while in a meeting this morning I came out to leave and find the drivers side of the car "keyed"

shit shit shit

not sure what I would do if I caught that asshole
maybe plead temporary insanity when the cops catch up to me