Clay Baring?

[asap2stacks]

Whats up everyone? Do you always clay bar a car before polishing ? even if its clean free from sap and tar? So if its completely clean from wash can you just go straight to buffing? or can you just clay bar the spots on the car that need it done with out doing the whole car then move onto buffing?

[Kamakaz1961]

IMO the only way to determine if you need claying or not is the "Baggie Test". If you washed and clay your ride a couple of weeks ago I would say probably do not need claying. I think the best way to let you know one way or another is the baggie test. If it's rough in some areas than clay away. If its smooth no need to.

[asap2stacks]

Thanks for the help bro, can you explain the baggie test to me?

[Phaze Automotive]

I personally feel claybar is essential to the process regardless of how clean YOU think the paint might be, it's an added peace of mind to know you took all the precautions. Do a search of the forum or Google baggie test.

[Paul A.]

Mike Phillips has a great video here on claying and the baggie test. Basically you place your hand in a plastic zip lock or sandwich baggie and lightly run that hand over the paint. The plastic amplifies your tactile feedback of your fingertips. If it feels rough you should clay. The roughness is predominantly imbedded contaminates stuck on or in the paint.

[GSKR]

99.9 percent of cars need to be clayed.mike Phillips has a very unique way of detectecting if a car needs claying.Take a sandwich Baggie aka ziplock put it over your hand and use your fingers to feel any contaminates.

[Kamakaz1961]

Thanks for the help bro, can you explain the baggie test to me?

Get a plastic bag (preferably the shopping bags at Wally's World or grocery store) or a thin type plastic bag. Put your hand in the bag and then gently go back and forth or side to side with your baggie hand over the areas of your ride. If it feels like sand paper you need to clay.

Another option would be to get the clay wash mitt by Nanoskin or Cobra. Get the fine (Blue for Nanoskin). You can wash you car and then re-wash with the clay mitt to clay. It can be done real fast. No need for clay lube as the soapy water is the lube. That way you will wash and clay in one step (the wash and rinse and wash step).

I know there is a Mike Phillips how to video to show you how to do the Baggie test. Check that out

[LSNAutoDetailing]

Mike Phillips Video Part 1
http://youtu.be/gfxAesk4Po4

Part 2

http://youtu.be/opfK408uIxM

[kaliagent2001]

I would think if you're polishing for a reason it must feel like it needs to be clayed. You can only tell by the way ur car feels. If like a baby butt no need too but if not, clay it. Cuz if there is contamination left on your car while you polish, you will do some harm to the paint

[GSKR]

I would think if you're polishing for a reason it must feel like it needs to be clayed. You can only tell by the way ur car feels. If like a baby butt no need too but if not, clay it. Cuz if there is contamination left on your car while you polish, you will do some harm to the paint
That's a first.how does it harm the paint,the only thing it will do is make your job harder.when a customer spends 250 on a detail it better be smooth,if not they will question and for some reason the day after.

[JSou]

^ I think he meant if there's contamination stuck on the paint while polishing, it will do harm to the paint.

[Setec Astronomy]

Cuz if there is contamination left on your car while you polish, you will do some harm to the paint


That's a first.how does it harm the paint

Well, that's easy, if you have a big piece of embedded or stuck-on contamination, like rail dust or tar, which isn't removed prior to polishing, it can get picked up in the buffing pad and...well, you know the rest.

The whole question of "always" claying comes down to familiarity with the car and the conditions it lives in. If it's your car or one you regularly work on, you generally know how contaminated it gets and when the last time it was clayed. Here in the NE, for cars that are regularly maintained, I don't find much on the horizontal surfaces, but because they patch a lot of potholes here, we wind up with a lot of tar on the lower body panels (kicked up from the wheels).

[Desertnate]

Put me in the camp with those who always clay if I'm going to polish. In fact I always clay before applying an LSP even if I don't polish.

Many years ago when I first clayed, I was working in my silver BMW which I had owned for a number of years. As I worked, I started to notice the color of the car actually changing. It was very subtle, but I could see the color looking sharper and cleaner than simply washing ever could achieve. The difference in feel was very noticeable even with a bare hand.

[zx10r Elle]

Mr asap2stacks,

If i'm polishing i'm claying. The thought of self-installing RIDS or pigtails from some errant piece of detritus the wash failed to remove that got lodged in the polishing pad is too uncomfortable to allow.

I'll also be Iron-x'ing. And if there are other contaminants like tar and/or tree sap etc. i'll be Tar-x'ing as well beforehand.


Steve

[Kamakaz1961]

Whats up everyone? Do you always clay bar a car before polishing ? even if its clean free from sap and tar? So if its completely clean from wash can you just go straight to buffing? or can you just clay bar the spots on the car that need it done with out doing the whole car then move onto buffing?

I just realized I did not read your post correctly. I always clay (or in my case Nanoskin) before I polish. I misread your post. For some reason I though you meant washing and waxing....My apologies. But IMO Claying/Nanoskin; it is a MUST before polishing no questions. Again, my apologies.