Clay as you wash....

[double vanos]

Ok, we have a new baby at the house, an '09 Ford F150 Platinum 4X4 in Oxford white.

This thing is HUGE! It sat on the lot for 4 months and the need for a good claying was obvious. The thought of that job was daunting....4 hours and a gallon of Griot's Speedshine later...

I elected to clay as I washed by using a whole Griots clay bar and a wash solution of Duragloss and water mixed WAY too strong. I wanted "slickery" if you will and I also wanted to clean off the lovely "dealer predelivery" detail products and get the finish to ground zero.
It worked like a charm! The claying added maybe an extra 30 minutes or so but I was rewarded with smooth paint that was clean as could be.
A fast coat of Insulator wax and she's a fully functioning battlestar!
This was so easy I am contemplating making it a quarterly ritual for all the cars.
What do yall think? Doable?
Sorry for the too long post!
Cheers!

 

[Quattro Pete]

TPIWWP!

 

[adamg]

I tried claying my Civic for the first time back in the spring, and I completely agree with you. It was WAY easier and faster than I expected. I was thinkning maybe twice yearly myself, when I apply the wax.

 

[oilboy123]

I the less nice looking my car looks over time the less inclined I am to clay it. For a new one your regimen seems reasonable.

 

[Crustacean]

Thats what I do clay as I wash. Next time I would use a sealer like Duragloss 105, wait 24 hrs, then do the insulator wax.
You can do the 105 once or twice a year.

THIS THREADS WORTHLESS WITHOUT PICS!

sorry couldn't find the Smiley

 

[LoneRanger]

I'm too lazy to do anything like that. Haven't washed the Forester in a month. I do seal it with REJEX synthetic wax (body shop friendly) twice a year, though.

 

[bretfraz]

Lots of people clay their cars just like that. As long as you can keep the surface wet and slick, the process works just fine.

 

[gizzsdad]

Hadn't thought of it - great idea!!

 

[JHZR2]

wouldn't mind doing such a thing, but the car had better be super clean or pre-washed. I wouldn't want all the junk loading into my clay, when I could have gotten most everything off first.

 

[ArrestMeRedZ]

I'm a believer in doing a couple of washes on a new car before claying to get all the rail dust and other contaminants off the paint. Then I'll clay.
After claying, I put on a sealant like Zaino.
Claying frequency will depend on a lot of things like covered parking/garage use, contaminants in the air, etc. For me, on most of my cars, claying once a year suffices. If you get to the six month point and after washing a baggie snags on the car's finish, more often is indicated.

 

[fito]

Sounds like a great truck. Post some photos...

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
wouldn't mind doing such a thing, but the car had better be super clean or pre-washed. I wouldn't want all the junk loading into my clay, when I could have gotten most everything off first.


+1 Why chance it? Especially on a new rig, wash it first, get it good and clean then clay it. JMO

 

[double vanos]

file:///L:/2009%20F150/IMG_0003.JPG
Don't know anything about posting images on the internet, much less bitog, but this is an attempt to put a pic that is on my c drive into a post. If this doesn't work maybe I need some advice...

 

[double vanos]

OK I try one more time....

 

[fito]

Very nice!

 

[sunfire]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
wouldn't mind doing such a thing, but the car had better be super clean or pre-washed. I wouldn't want all the junk loading into my clay, when I could have gotten most everything off first.


Like JHZR2 said... you want to wash before you clay. If you ever wash using the 2 bucket method then you will know why. A lot of dirt and sand is getting on the clay and you are rubbing it into your paint.

 

[02zx9r]

nice looking truck