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do you always have to polish after clay?

gymrat7953

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gymrat7953

gymrat7953

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2011 5 00h- already polished a couple months back- paint still looks great- raining cats n' dogs in Louisiana today. I wanted to wax the roof and deck lid and decided to clay first to remove old MSW and americanna. Do I have to polish or can I MSW and wax ?

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Chobbs

Chobbs

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Rail dust is not a generic term as far as I'm concerned. It's just rail dust. Nothing more. Sounds like someone is making this up to suit their needs. Not trying to be a smart***, that's just how I see it.

 

As far as the the thread is concerned. I too, will not put MSS or wax on the car without claying first. But I will not clay until I have stripped the old wax off the car first. The claybars are not cheap and I feel it is a waste to use the claybar to strip the wax.

 

First I will wash with dawn (or I'll spray-n-wipe with IPA) THEN clay the car and of course I'll inspect the paint and polish based upon my inspection. If it needs to be polished I'll polish. Which, 9 times outta 10, it will need to be polished and not because of the "claying"(sometimes though) but mostly due to damage that has been unavoidably introduced by washing and people touching the car etc...

 

 

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- Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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goheels

goheels

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No, of course not. I do actually regret being a bit of a smart butt because I just can't imagine a car needing to be clayed every 2 months. Which leads me to...

 

 

Actually, no. I didn't realize that. I mistakenly took that literally which is why I threw in the part about a train. I guess I spend too much time reading a European detailing board as they are much more likely to deliver cars on trains so I didn't really bat an eye when I read "rail dust".

 

You would be surprised about what contaminants can be on the paint over a 2 month period. Regardless, I would never use MSS or any other type of sealant over a nonclayed car. However, not everyone is a detail freak like me :o

 

Point being, if the paint fails the baggy test (irrespective of how long it has been) IPA is not a substitute for clay.

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gymrat7953

gymrat7953

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Until recently my Mustang GT was my company car. I'm an automation & controls salesman ..... I go to oilfield fabrication yards where paint over spray is a normal occurance; hence claying every couple months is normal. Now I have a silver Camry for my DD and the Mustang only comes out on good days.

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chrisguga

chrisguga

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Do you really think that is the only thing that will deposit contaminants on your paint ????

No, of course not. I do actually regret being a bit of a smart butt because I just can't imagine a car needing to be clayed every 2 months. Which leads me to...

 

 

The term rail dust is now, more or less, a generic term for contaminants stuck into paint.
Actually, no. I didn't realize that. I mistakenly took that literally which is why I threw in the part about a train. I guess I spend too much time reading a European detailing board as they are much more likely to deliver cars on trains so I didn't really bat an eye when I read "rail dust".
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Bill-V8V

Bill-V8V

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He said he polished it a couple months ago. I guess I figured his car hadn't picked up that many contaminants in 2 months.

 

Has your car been transported on a train in the past 2 months?

 

 

Do you really think that is the only thing that will deposit contaminants on your paint ????

 

 

The term rail dust is now, more or less, a generic term for contaminants stuck into paint.

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musclejunkie

musclejunkie

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Do the baggie test. If smooth finish forget the clay step. But I will seriously bet your paint is rougher than a night in jail as Adam puts it. As for polishing after clay, depends. I've clayed my car with Adam's clay and only had one tiny marred spot, the last time, no marring whatsoever. If the paint isn't marred or streaked from the clay process, you are good to go with wax of your choice. The clay will remove any wax on the car, but you can use dawn or ISO diluted before clay to get rid of the old wax. I'm going to forgo this step this fall when I wax with MSW as I think the ISO and Dawn do more harm than good to the paint and plastic trim.

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chrisguga

chrisguga

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Hmmm. not sure if this is a true statement. If your car is in need of claying (via baggy test) an IPA wipe down isn't a replacement. It will remove old wax for sure, but will not rid of rail dust, etc.

He said he polished it a couple months ago. I guess I figured his car hadn't picked up that many contaminants in 2 months.

 

Has your car been transported on a train in the past 2 months?

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goheels

goheels

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If you don't feel like claying, you can always do an IPA wipe down which is even easier than using clay.

 

Hmmm. not sure if this is a true statement. If your car is in need of claying (via baggy test) an IPA wipe down isn't a replacement. It will remove old wax for sure, but will not rid of rail dust, etc.

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gymrat7953

gymrat7953

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1 highly motivated old man ( with the help of Jefferson Parish's tornado phone call alert system that woke me up at 03:30 or so) "stuck" inside can get alot done...... clayed / polished and 1 coat of MSW. This means that at half time it'll be 12 hours so then I can put down a 2nd coat of MSW and wipe off after the game.

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Frid

Frid

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You don't have to polish every time if it is not needed. Claying will remove most to all previous wax applications while also removing any dirt/gunk that has gotten into the paint. Also you shouldn't have to clay every time you wax but after a handful of applications it would be smart to strip the wax during a regular wash so you don't get hazing. Hope this answers your question. :D

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gymrat7953

gymrat7953

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Will do; with the rain and tornado warnings I 'm stuck inside anyway. I've already done the rims / wheel wells/tires / lower & cowl trim and clayed the roof , deck lid and spoiler. I have plenty of time and no where to go until its time for my TIGERS to go duck hunting.

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