Why no P21S Clay Bar? Not necessary

[Emile]

Hey,

Messed up on thread title, I meant to put a question mark at the end of "Not necessary"...should be "Not necessary???"

Judging from the popularity of P21S products among pro detailers on this forum, particularly their wax, their wheel cleaners, and their Total Auto Wash, howcome P21S does not offer their own clay bar? Claying our vehicles seems to be widely accepted as a necessity when it comes to proper paint care.

P21S does have a Paintwork Cleansing Lotion which is supposed to do a thorough paint cleaning, but is this meant to be their alternative to claying your vehicle? I know there are plenty of other companies that do not offer their own clay bar, but I am very curious as to why P21S does not do this because they are all about gentle paint care with show-quality results.

Thanks,
Emile

[heatgain]

It could be because one company owns the patent in the US and all clays in the US are either made by that company or made with the same formula with $ going to the patent holder company.
Or, it could be because P21S isn't in the clay business.
Any paintwork cleansing lotion such as P21S cleans the paint by chemical action, not by using using abrasives, so it doesn't abrade away bonded contaminants as clay does.

[Emile]

Clay is abrasive to the paint? I thought the point of clay bars is that they do a deep clean without being at all abrasive.

[heatgain]

The clay abrades the embedded contaminates from the surface of the paint and holds them in its clay-like material. The abrasives in the clay are the reason you need to lubricate the paint surface while you clay and the reason you keep folding the clay to get a clean piece of it on the paint.
The "stickiness" of the clay also helps to pull some contaminants from the paint, but it mostly shaves off the portion of the contaminants that are above the paint.

[Emile]

Thanks heatgain. How often do you clay? I typically clay bar every 18,000 miles (basically every 18 months) but it seems there are clays out there designed for more and less frequent use.

[charliehaley]

First of all clay is not abrasive in any way when used correctly with a good lube nor does it contain abrasives. It simply pulls contaminants away from or in some cases does sheer off the tops of the contaminants due to the texture of the clay. Some clays are more harder than others to remove more stubborn contaminants but this also increases the risk of marring the paint due to the contaminants not being absorbed into the clay as easily. A clay such as Pinnacles Ultra Poly Clay Bar (very soft) should be all you need if you clay your car often (at least once a year, every six months would be better) and has a very low chance of marring.

[TOGWT]

Heatgain 100% correct

charliehaley; for more information see article “Automotive Detailers Clay ” - ############# a series of informative, unbiased articles dedicated to automotive detailing.

[heatgain]

Thanks heatgain. How often do you clay? I typically clay bar every 18,000 miles (basically every 18 months) but it seems there are clays out there designed for more and less frequent use.

The frequency of claying depends on different things: Is the car garaged or parked outside 24/7? The amount of particulates in the air where you live, work, and travel. How often and how you wash the car. And I have a theory that it also might depend on what you use for an LSP.
I use a mild clay and clay my car about twice a year, but if it needed claying more often, I wouldn't hesitate to use it more often. Make sure to lubricate generously.

[ScottB]

so because P21S doesnt offer polishes it must not be necessary either ?? We all know claying and polishing are both vital steps but not every product line with compete in those categories.