Claybar without polishing/iron decon Q's

[ColoradoSHObro]

Just curious about the general practice of using a claybar if you don't plan to polish afterwards. I've seen a few people mention that they  intend to use a claybar but don't have polishing listed in there immediate routine. A local detail shop even lists claybar in their basic detail process with no mention of polishing afterwards. 

Is this an acceptable practice? Will the claybar process not leave noticeable marring and surface scratches?   

Personally i don't use a claybar(or any abrasive process) on a car if i'm not polishing afterwards and i've always understood that to be a general rule of detailing. 

What's the general consensus among the detailing community?

 

If i were to detail  a car for the first time and want to apply protection (but not polish)my approach would be as follows:

2 bucket Strip wash

Iron decon then thorough rinse

dry and apply protection and LSP of choice

^Would a paint prep be necessary after rinsing?

 

I figure between the strip wash and iron decon you would get most bonded contaminants removed without introducing any marring and seems like a good thorough wash routine if you're dealing with a car for the first time. It would give you relatively naked paint to let any sealant bond to and save some time skipping the claybar process. Granted you wouldn't be removing ALL contaminants but seems to be the best process if you're not going to polish the car. 

Opinions?

 

TIA

[shane@detailedreflections]

With clay, you can induce marring which is why they push polishing so much after. Many people have used clay without polish after. Just make sure you use plenty of lube...really more than you think you’ll need. And light pressure. 

 

Paint prep is optional. Some say yes. Some say no. It’s not a coating, so we don’t see the benefit with regard to time and simply seal over it. 

 

Wash

Iron

Clay

Seal

Last step product 

[ColoradoSHObro]

26 minutes ago, shane@detailedreflections said:

With clay, you can induce marring which is why they push polishing so much after. Many people have used clay without polish after. Just make sure you use plenty of lube...really more than you think you’ll need. And light pressure. 

 

Paint prep is optional. Some say yes. Some say no. It’s not a coating, so we don’t see the benefit with regard to time and simply seal over it. 

 

Wash

Iron

Clay

Seal

Last step product 

Thanks shane. if a customer brought you their car and requested a detail but didn’t want any polishing done would you omit the claybar from the process quoted above?

 

i just don’t know if i could put clay to a car in good conscience knowing i’m not polishing afterward.

[pirahnah3]

Im with @shane@detailedreflections on this one (as usual) you can do it, but really lightly. I have done it myself with a really fine clay and on a white vehicle I didnt notice much if any beyond the normal wear marks. The vehicle was not polished at the time because I just didnt have time but wanted something decent to look at. I used a coat of BG under some paint sealant to help hide any imperfections before applying some wax to the vehicle. 

[shane@detailedreflections]

53 minutes ago, ColoradoSHObro said:

Thanks shane. if a customer brought you their car and requested a detail but didn’t want any polishing done would you omit the claybar from the process quoted above?

 

i just don’t know if i could put clay to a car in good conscience knowing i’m not polishing afterward.

 

I would. Because it can be done, just plenty of lube and that’s what the client wants. That being said if I mar the paint doing so, I’m fixing it on my time and not my clients. 

[8675309'SS]

I don’t think I have ever marred paint with clay. Maybe I’m doing something wrong..... That being said I have zero qualms about claying even if I’m not going to polish. (Maybe because I’ve never marred my paint.) For example, I’ll always strip, clay, and seal before winter. But it doesn’t make sense for me to polish it before salt season.  Just today I clayed a few areas on the Impala and then just put some ceramic paste wax over it to make sure it was protected.  

 

I do think claying makes a positive difference in how well my sealant bonds to the paint—and also how well towels glide across the paint when drying. All around when the paint is smoother it’s just easier to wash, dry and maintain—in my opinion. 

[ZMAN024]

As an alternate to clay, you could also add a step after the iron decon and hand apply some Revive Hand Polish.  The RHP will remove additional contaminants without the potential for marring as with the clay bar or clay mitt.  Then you can move on to the application of LSP of your choice. Just a thought.  

[ColoradoSHObro]

9 hours ago, ZMAN024 said:

As an alternate to clay, you could also add a step after the iron decon and hand apply some Revive Hand Polish.  The RHP will remove additional contaminants without the potential for marring as with the clay bar or clay mitt.  Then you can move on to the application of LSP of your choice. Just a thought.  

i’ve done this with brilliant glaze several times because of its filling properties etc. always gets great results. i’ve yet to try RHP but it’s on my list