Pinnacle Clay

[smokin' mark]

Some time ago I bought Pinnacle clays on BOGO. I used it today to get some tar-gunk off of a 2010 Tundra. I have to say I was not impressed. It took quite a bit of rubbing and lubricant for it to work. Is this a very very mild clay or what?

Mark

[ScottB]

the green colored clay is indeed the lightest of clays. Best for use on well kept cars. I dont use clay to remove tar anyhoo ... get a can of 3M Wax and Adhesive Remover. Poorboys Bug Squash works well in a pinch too.

[smokin' mark]

the green colored clay is indeed the lightest of clays. Best for use on well kept cars. I dont use clay to remove tar anyhoo ... get a can of 3M Wax and Adhesive Remover. Poorboys Bug Squash works well in a pinch too.

Roger that thanks for the information. I've used lots of different clays. Some of them will pull off even the worst crap build up. I may not be the sharpest pin in the box, but why would you need to use clay on a well kept car?

[supercharged]

If you have heavy tar, try to remove/weeken it with P21S TAW first...Then use a harder clay, like Megs Red Clay (professional line) and lots of lube. Keep in mind this clay will give you micro marring, and you will need to repolish the paintwork.

[Rsurfer]

Roger that thanks for the information. I've used lots of different clays. Some of them will pull off even the worst crap build up. I may not be the sharpest pin in the box, but why would you need to use clay on a well kept car?
Because you will still get contaminates trapped in your clear coat. I QD everyday, but still need to clay about every 3 months when I strip everything off. I like Pinnacle's clay, works perfect for me.

[ScottB]

Roger that thanks for the information. I've used lots of different clays. Some of them will pull off even the worst crap build up. I may not be the sharpest pin in the box, but why would you need to use clay on a well kept car?

Well .... thats a very good question indeed. I dunno, just feels like one of the necessary steps in proper prepping of a finish so less aggressive is always best. I would not use it for my first claying but going forward its often enough IMO.

[Mike Phillips]

I may not be the sharpest pin in the box, but why would you need to use clay on a well kept car?




How often do I need to clay my car? (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/hot-topics-frequently-asked-questions/22015-how-often-do-i-need-clay-my-car.html)


I taught my first detailing class in 1988, and sometime in the early 1990's, detailing clay was introduced to the U.S. market. Ever since then, one of the most common questions that comes up in all of the detailing classes I've taught goes like this,


Questions: How often do I need to clay my car?


Most people think of claying like an oil change, you know, every 3000 miles you change your oil and in the claying world that might go like this,

Clay your car's paint every 6 months


Here's the skinny....
How often you need to clay your car's paint depends
upon what's in the air where you park your car.


Make sense? Pretty simple really.


If you car never leaves the garage except to show-off at the local Cars & Coffee event on a sunny Saturday morning then you probably don't need to clay your car very often because you car is not exposed to the w-o-r-l-d.


If your like 99.9% of the rest of us working class dogs, then your car is a Daily Driver that you drive every day and that means it's parked outside at least while you're at work and possibly 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

What this means if there's any kind of contaminants in the air over your car and they land on your car then some of them are going to bond to the paint if you don't wash your car every day. I actually don't know anyone that washes their car every day so chances are good if you park your car outside for a portion of each day, for example Monday through Friday while you're working for the man, then chances are good your car's paint is getting a build-up of air-borne contaminants and this means periodically you need to use some detailing clay to clay your car's paint.

Now back to the question,


Question: How often do I need to clay my car?
Answer: As often as needed as dictated by your hands-on inspection.


By hands-on inspection here's what I mean.

Feel the paint with the fingertips of your clean hand


1. First, wash and dry your car.

2. Now take your clean hand and feel the paint.

Does the paint finish feel smooth and glassy? If the answer is yes you don't need to clay your car's paint.

Does the paint feel rough or textured? If you feel little bumps or any kind of roughness or surface imperfections, this is a strong indicator that you need to clay your car's paint.


Feel the horizontal surfaces of your car's paint with your clean hand after you wash and dry the car.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/719/feelpaint01.jpg




Here's a tip, to increase your sensitivity when inspecting, place your hand inside a plastic baggie like a sandwich baggie.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/719/feelpaint02.jpg



It's not a matter of time but a matter of concentration of air-borne pollution
It doesn't matter if you clayed the paint 2 days ago or 2 years ago, if after washing and drying your car and then feeling the paint it DOES NOT feel smooth and glassy, then you need to clay the paint.j

It's not a matter of time intervals for example, some might say, "we recommend that you clay your paint every 6 months". While that might work for some people that's not an accurate way to maintain a nice finish, an accurate way to maintain a nice finish is to be pro-active by simply feeling the horizontal panels on your car and check to see if there are any above surface bonded contaminants like,


Tree Sap Mist
Paint Overspray
Industrial Pollution
Jet Fuel Exhaust - (If you live close to an airport)
Car and Truck Pollution
Brake Dust
Road Grime
Dirt and dust in the air


How often you need to clay your car's paint is a matter of what's in the air where your car is parked day-in and day-out.


Make sense?


Further Resources
Tips and Tricks for using detailing clay (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-articles/20259-tips-techniques-using-detailing-clay.html)
Wolfgang Elastic Poly Clay Bar - Review and How-to (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/product-reviews/21823-wolfgang-elastic-poly-clay-bar-review-how.html)


:)

[smokin' mark]

Because you will still get contaminates trapped in your clear coat. I QD everyday, but still need to clay about every 3 months when I strip everything off. I like Pinnacle's clay, works perfect for me.

You QD every single day Rsurfer? Then i guess you would know QD's. I'll save myself some time and money and just ask you which one is the best and easiest to use?

Mark

I'll go out on a limb here and assume there is no smoking in your car :)