Jump to content
Customer Service 866.965.0400
  • 0

Claying Ceramic coating


Twilcox

Question

4 answers to this question

Recommended Posts

  • 0
10 hours ago, Twilcox said:

Should ceramic coating be clayed and if so how often and what do you suggest to lubricate the surface?

 

I wouldn't say "should", but rather a coating "can" be clayed, IF needed.  Coatings are not "scratch proof", so unneeded or frequent claying can mar or scratch the surface of the coating.

 

After a thorough wash, do the baggie test and see if the surface feels rough.  If it does, then there are bonded contaminates that need to be removed by claying.

 

Since typical clay lubricants like Detail Spray or diluted Rinseless Wash will leave behind wax or polymers that you would not want on the coating, I would recommend claying with the suds from Car Wash Shampoo or the new Wash & Coat.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0
17 hours ago, TheWolf said:

 

I wouldn't say "should", but rather a coating "can" be clayed, IF needed.  Coatings are not "scratch proof", so unneeded or frequent claying can mar or scratch the surface of the coating.

 

After a thorough wash, do the baggie test and see if the surface feels rough.  If it does, then there are bonded contaminates that need to be removed by claying.

 

Since typical clay lubricants like Detail Spray or diluted Rinseless Wash will leave behind wax or polymers that you would not want on the coating, I would recommend claying with the suds from Car Wash Shampoo or the new Wash & Coat.

Wouldn't the Ceramic Waterless Wash be an effective product for claying a coated vehicle?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0
2 hours ago, RayS said:

Wouldn't the Ceramic Waterless Wash be an effective product for claying a coated vehicle?

No.  Ceramic Waterless Wash, like regular Waterless Wash, is more of a cleaner and does not have the lubricity to be used for claying.  For typical claying, Detail Spray and diluted Rinseless Wash provide the lubricity.  But since these both leave wax or polymers, I had recommended claying the coating with shampoo suds.

 

Even when claying paint that has not heen coated, I still prefer claying with shampoo suds.  It provides great lubrication, and saves time when the claying is done as part of the wash process.  After the wash and rinse, foam it up again and clay, then rinse again.  This also saves the step of having to remove the claying residue with a towel before polishing or applying protection.  My thought is that this residue removal is a source of marring and scratching the paint.  While some contaminates do stick to the clay or mitt, some or even most are just knocked loose and reside in the residue.  So going after the residue removal with a towel is essentially just rubbing those contaminates around on the paint causing damage.  So, by using suds and claying as part of the wash, the claying residue is rinsed right off, which is safer on your paint.

 

This fact of contaminates getting knocked loose during claying and residing in the residue is why you should NEVER polish right over the residue, or apply wax or sealant right over the residue.  Polishing over the residue is the worst, since any contaminates in the residue get picked up in the pads and worked against the paint by the machine.  Also, the clay residue clogs up the pads making them less effective and increasing the time required for polishing.  And it does not matter that it has been done and people do it, it just does not make any sense. Even the time savings justification that it "skips a step not removing the residue" does not make sense, since the time lost to clogged-up pads far exceeds the minimal time it takes to remove the residue before polishing.

 

I know that I got a little carried away in this reply since that was not part of the original question, but just thought it should be discussed.

Edited by TheWolf
Typos from tiny phone keyboard!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...