claybaring. how do you guys do it?

T

threezero

Member
Location
Vansterdam
so i just spend the whole day claybaring my car. This is the first time i've done this in about a year of ownership. I took my time, it took me close to 12 hours to wash, dry, claybar, sealant + wax and I still didn't do the engine bay yet and skimp a little on the roof.

So my fx is quite shiny clean and SMOOOTH. however i notice that my claybaring has now left ALOT of swirl marks there weren't there before. I'm using optimum claybar with ONR diluted as lube.

I've heard of people claybaring like every other wash, how can people manage to claybar swirl free without having to polish later? Is my technique wrong? I go back and forth following the flow of the car and i don't scrub hard. I can feel when stuff gets caught on the bar and it feel rough, at the point i immediately play with the clay until i get a clean surface, but everytime by the time i've notice its already left swirls.

Am i not using enough lube? should i just go even slower? is polisher a must after claybar?

How long do you guys take for the whole process on the fx? I'm planning to get myself a PC 7425 soon and judging by how slow i'm i think it will take a week to fully detail my fx.....
 
If you're not claybaring in circles, it shouldn't leave swirls. Must just be from something else. Swirls are pretty much inevitable, especially on black.
 
If the claybar caused the swirls, then you are probably may not have used enough lube. I'd say you maybe you were pressing too hard but you already said you don't. Are you kneading the claybar often?

It may be that the swirls were already there and claying just made them more apparent. Just throwing things out there. I'm no detailing expert by any means.
 
i clay bar alot not just to my fx but to other cars and ive never got any swirls . i doubt the motion u do it will cause swirls . maybe ur putting to much pressure. u dont need to put pressure at alll just gently glide the clay over until u feel the roughness go away . it could also be ur not putting enough lube . the area ur doing should always be soaked . never let it get dry . this could also cause swirls . i use mequires quick detailer or ice quick detailer for lube .
 
Claybar will not cause swirls unless it was used improperly. Not enough lube is my guess or your claybar was extremely dirty. I've claybarred my 09 FX a couple of times with no problems.
 
Should I just claybar when I wash my car next time so there is plenty of lube? Anybody else here have a porter cable? Seeing all these swirls is making me what to get te pc asap. Is it possible to work various curves and crease on the body of our fx?my 2 gen has many curves and area like the headlight which has weird shape, any advice and encouragement for te noobie?
 
The paint on these cars are the biggest load of bullshit I ever seen. It's so soft. Mine swirls real easy too and on top of it the Scratch Shield Paint does not work at all. The paint is easily prone to rock chips and swirl marks. I noticed just running your hand across the paint swirls it. I had Andrew Big A Detailing remove the swirls on my car and they came back again cause the clear is soft as hell.
 
the paint does work, you just have to park it under the sun for it to work. when i first got the car the dealership let some deep scratch and some swirl mark on the car. after a few month some of the swirl marks were gone but it took alot of parking outside in the sun which i don't do anymore. It heals way to slow to be effective, by the time one swirl heals there are already a dozen more on top of it due to the soft clearcoat i guess? i believe the clear coat being soft is the one of the reason why it heals, but it also attract rock chips like crazy. I guess infiniti thinks people would like more rocks chips instead of swirls :err:

the speed depandant wiper on the other hand is a load of crap.
 
I will join this tread - Can I use a water with shampoo instead of Meguiar's product ( its almost over and getting them in Poland is real problem)?
 
Clay Bar

You say you made sure you moved back and forth with the clay bar, how about when you wash, waxed and polished? That's just as important. Make sure your wax applicator and sponge is free or any grit. I use two buckets to wash, one for soap and one to rinse the sponge after wringing it out over the drive. This helps keep a lot of the grit out of the soapy water. Good luck with it.
 
sirtrojan said:
I will join this tread - Can I use a water with shampoo instead of Meguiar's product ( its almost over and getting them in Poland is real problem)?
Click to expand...

yeaa u can use soapy water also . i recommend using the mequires or ice quick detailers but soapy water works also . my friends clay bar with just soapy water on their cars all the time
 
threezero said:
so i just spend the whole day claybaring my car. This is the first time i've done this in about a year of ownership. I took my time, it took me close to 12 hours to wash, dry, claybar, sealant + wax and I still didn't do the engine bay yet and skimp a little on the roof.

So my fx is quite shiny clean and SMOOOTH. however i notice that my claybaring has now left ALOT of swirl marks there weren't there before. I'm using optimum claybar with ONR diluted as lube.

I've heard of people claybaring like every other wash, how can people manage to claybar swirl free without having to polish later? Is my technique wrong? I go back and forth following the flow of the car and i don't scrub hard. I can feel when stuff gets caught on the bar and it feel rough, at the point i immediately play with the clay until i get a clean surface, but everytime by the time i've notice its already left swirls.

Am i not using enough lube? should i just go even slower? is polisher a must after claybar?

How long do you guys take for the whole process on the fx? I'm planning to get myself a PC 7425 soon and judging by how slow i'm i think it will take a week to fully detail my fx.....
Click to expand...

I don't
Clay is abrasive, used for taking off particles stuck in wax, but it will damage your paint too.
Your paint will never look the same again.
The only people I know of who use clay are people who use wax. I don't use either.
I would throw the clay away and get some dishwashing liquid and get the rest of the contamination off your paint and opt for an acrylic paint conditioner.
Check out a video on You tube.
Acrylic paint conditioner on a FX35
 
Atom, I totally disagree about your claybar statement. Just using dishwasher detergent will totally strip your wax and oils off your paint's finish, but it will NOT remove the contaminants imbedded in your paint finish. That is what clay-barring does, I have never harmed my finish yet by using clay.
I use clay once a year and do not use wax. I use Zaino paint sealant a few times a year. Also my ride is not a garage Queen, I have no garage:frown:, so it gets the elements thrown at all season long.
 
I used the ICE clay kit. my paint felt like it had overspray and was rough. after i clayed it, it's smooth and feels like new. use lots of lube!
 
GEE35FX said:
Atom, I totally disagree about your claybar statement. Just using dishwasher detergent will totally strip your wax and oils off your paint's finish, but it will NOT remove the contaminants imbedded in your paint finish. That is what clay-barring does, I have never harmed my finish yet by using clay.
I use clay once a year and do not use wax. I use Zaino paint sealant a few times a year. Also my ride is not a garage Queen, I have no garage:frown:, so it gets the elements thrown at all season long.
Click to expand...
I am not saying that clay does not serve a purpose but I have yet to hear of anyone using it that did not use wax.
Wax creates a surface condition that allows debris to stick to it.
Wax sticks to your paint and almost every thing else, So it's not unreasonable to consider that it is the wax and not the paint that debris is getting stuck into.
Paint is actually hard and it looses it's adhesive ability once it cures.
So something may very well get stuck on the paint but being stuck in the paint is a stretch.
I submit that after claying and waxing a car the paint will loose it's natural shine.
If you remove all the wax from your car will it still shine like it did when it was new?
To me that is the real test of a products viability.
Any abrasive that is rubbed on a painted surface will diminish the paints original shine.
With that in mind why would you put something on your paint that you know you will have to use abrasives to remove?
In fact why put anything on your pant that has to be removed?
Wax is a organic, it will decay over time
Paint is a synthetic it will last virtually forever.
A synthetic paint protectant that did not decay or have to be removed would be a better choice to me.
 
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