Unique clay bar question...

[Matt S.]

Will claying remove sealants and waxes? I have felt it would but would like to know from a pro.

In my experience, claying does remove waxes and sealants.

Using an ultra fine grade like Pinnacle Ultra Poly Clay will diminish the effect if you want to do some spot removal and not have to re-apply your LSP right away. But after using a mild grade like DP, Meguiar's, Clay Magic, I've never found any sign of protection left behind - just a smooth, clean surface.

[Mike Phillips]

Will claying remove sealants and waxes? I have felt it would but would like to know from a pro.

Read the thread, just a lot of back and forth over the subject. Still leaves me with no absolute answer.

Sometimes the scenario becomes a very simple decision...

• Go
• No Go

Go
If after claying your car's paint you think you may have removed enough wax or paint sealant to leave the underlying paint less protected than before you clayed the paint, then apply a fresh coat of wax or paint sealant. Besides insuring a uniform coating of protection, your car will look great and you'll get some relaxing exercise.

No Go
If after you clay your car's paint you don't think you've removed any substantial amount of wax or paint sealant, then skip waxing your car's paint.


I'm sure everyone knows this but just in case....

Automotive detailing clay contains a special type of abrasive that will abrade off above surface bonded contaminants but won't scratch the paint under normal conditions.

Normal Conditions = You're not using an aggressive formula clay bar for Professionals and you're using common sense when you move the clay over the paint, not Caveman Technique.

So in essence, detailing clay works like sandpaper to some degree except that after you've finished removing the above surface bonded contaminants, the idea is the clay bar glides over the lubricated paint, (which it does).

The above being true, the coating of wax or paint sealant is measured in microns and even sub-microns, it doesn't take much to abrade off most commonly available waxes or paint sealants.

So if you clay your car's paint, it's a good best practice to apply a fresh coat of wax or paint sealant to your car's now naked paint.

If you don't think you removed any wax then let it go but in the real world, if you're claying your car's paint it's usually because after washing and drying the paint you then FELT the paint with your clean hand and felt contaminants, thus the reason you're claying in the first place.

Now follow me on this....
If you car has been exposed to the elements enough to have bonded contaminants to the degree that you feel the need to clay the paint, then it's probably been exposed to the elements enough that it's time to re-apply a fresh coat of wax or paint sealant.

Remember, car waxes and paint sealants are Sacrificial Barrier Coatings. The layer of wax or paint sealant sacrifices itself, (when it's attacked by something corrosive or abrasive), and gives itself up so your paint doesn't have to give itself up.


Make sense?

Clay on... wax on....

[Kurt_s]

I'm in Mike's camp.

I always assumed that I had to reprep the paint and wax after claying. Better safe than sorry.

[superwhite]

I just replied to that thread and I'll stand by my comment made in post #11 on page 2 and my new post #63 on page 7




My first answer in that thread is a form of presenting ideas in their extreme which helps sometimes on discussion forums because there's always a segment of members that take everything to extremes...

So to quote myself,





That's a reply to this question,

Does Claying Really Remove Wax?

And while everyone can discuss and disect the idea into enternety, here's was my reply to my good friend Mikejl's conclusion,




Makes sense.

Of course the huge variables here are,

• Downward pressure
• Number of passes
• Thoroughness of claying over each square inch being clayed
• Aggressiveness of the clay
• Lubricity of the clay lube

I'm a big fan of keeping things simple but I notice the trend for at least a segment of online enthusiasts is to take things that are very simple and over complicate them.

Scenario I
If you use a medium to aggressive clay bar with firm downward pressure for a dozen passes over a section about 12" square and you do this thoroughly with a normal spray detailer, say Quik Detailer, at a minimum the wax or sealant coating will be compromised and if it's my car it will be compromised enough that I"m going to add a fresh coat of wax or paint sealant.

Scenario II
If you use an Ultra Fine Clay with very light pressure for just a few passes to say you made a few passes over a section about 12" square using a high lubricity detailer like Last Touch NOT diluted, then at a minimum, the wax or paint sealant will be compromised enough that afterwards I'm going to re-apply a fresh coat of wax or paint sealant to that area.


The argument could be made in the last scenario that not enough wax or paint sealant would be removed to make a difference and if that's what a person thinks then I'm okay with that, detailing is so subjective.

Where the rubber meets the road...
But in either scenario, if it's my car that's being clayed, I'm going to re-apply a fresh coat of wax or paint sealant and that's the only scenario that matters... at least to me...




Another aspect of detailing discussion forums is that members will discuss and dissect a topic to death until everyone has their say and everyone's made up their mind. That's what makes a public discussion forum a public discussion forum.

Cyberfun in the Cyberworld!

I think most os including mself are somewhat pickey that subscribe to forums like this, i enjoy it. Whith that said if there is even a chance I've removed some wax when claying, proven or not I will error on the safe side and apply more so , have fun and like the saying goes; wax on, waxoff!