I have an Atlas gray CS with clear bra.

The paint is beginning to feel a bit greety to the touch so I purchased a Maguayer's clay kit at the local Autozone. The kit recommends that the quick detail spray be used as the lubricant for the clay. Can clean water be used instead? Claying with water would alow me to do the whole car without worrying about the quick detail drying on parts of the car.

Also, the clear bra. The warranty says that the clear bra has a clear coat applyed to it. Should I/ can I clay it as well?

All help and comments are greatly appreciated.

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formerly cebotech1

i too have atlas grey, cool color. i can't speak about the clear bra, although i would say put line of blue tape at the point the bra ends and meets with the paint otherwise you will get the clay jammed along that line.

with regards to the clay and spray, i have used soapy water but why not just spent a few dollars and buy the spray that goes with the clay bar? money well spent. just do a body panel at a time, dry it off with microfiber and move along to the next part of the car. make sure you use plent of spray so you don't skid the bar over dry paint. as others will agree, claying the car befoe waxing makes a major difference in the overall process.

If the car feels gritty, wash the car before claying. If you want to save the detail spray for detailing, use clean soapy water as the lubricant. If the clay sticks to the paint, add a little more soap to the mix.

I'd recommend washing the car with Dawn, claying using the lubricant supplied with the kit, washing again with dawn, then applying you wax or sealant. I found that when soapy water is used the clay doesn't glide as easily on the paint.

I'd also recommend in investing in a good paint sealant (Klasse or Zaino). I have it on my car and it still beads after 6 months. It also makes washing the car faster since I've found dirt doesn't stick to the paint as bad. The sealants seem expensive at first, until you use it. I have the Klasse twins and I'd guess the kit would last for about 10 applications which are done 1-2 times per year. After the paint sealant is cured apply a high quality wax, like P21s, and the result will blow you away.

As for the clear bra, I would think it much better just to wash and wax it rather than using the clay bar which I think is too harsh for it.

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As others have said, it's fine to use clean, soapy water with your clay bar, assuming you're using a good, high lubricity car shampoo. There's no problem claying the clear bra, although be careful at the edges.

I'm not a big fan of Meguire's clay. I found it prone to smearing, although that was a few years ago and perhaps it's been improved.

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Dan

You can use clean soapy water as your clay lube. Water alone does not provide enough lubrication though, so you'll get some marring. Like Tach said, you may have to play w/ the mixture. The quick detailer can dry on the car, its not a big deal really. Just rewash after you're done, or use some fresh qd to remove any residue. Claying the clear bra should cause no problem either. Clay only removes surface contaminents, so it should not cause any damage to the bra.
And I would recommend against washing w/ dawn. Dawn does a good job of cleaning, however, its designed to remove oils... which could, over time, dry out your moldings and trim. There is no need to use it. Stick with your auto specific shampoos for any washing of your vehicle.

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I use Dawn only before I do a major detail (claying, and reapplying acrylic sealant) which is at most twice a year. If you don't use it everytime, which shouldn't be done, I don't think there is a risk of drying out yoru molding. IMHO. For my regular washings I use Meguiars NXT shampoo, and treat the moldings with FK108 from Finish Kare.

Here is a complete thread on detailing AG

http://www.planetporsche.net/cayman-car...tlas-grey.html

Guys,
Thank you so much for all the suggestions. Today I tryed out the claying on my wife's Zink yellow Mustang GT. It came out pretty good. I used the quick detailer as the lubricant and it worked well. I found that in some spots I still had to resort back to a mild compound to get some of the blemishes off of the paint. After waxing I can still see some of the places where I had to use the compound. Also, I'm still a bit unsure as to how much pressuere to apply on the clay. Any thoughts on this.

Thanks again.

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formerly cebotech1

Spend your money and Time use all the Zaino products. I used the claybar on my clear panels and it took the yellow off them. The web site will inform you how to do a great detail job. Buy it all it will cost $200.00 total if you want more info Email me. Claybar,paint prep,Z-2, Z-5,Z-6, Z-7,Z-8, and Sealant.

I would say to use light/moderate pressure. Kinda hard to explain in words how much pressure to apply though. In some tough areas you may need to apply more, which may cause some slight marring, but generally cleans up easily w/ some polish.
What compound were you using? I wouldnt use anything real abrasive by hand b/c you wont be able to break it down which would cause some hazing like you mentioned.

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daytona, you should also log on to www.griotsgarage.com and get on the mailing list. you will enjoy looking through their catalog with tips on the different steps involved in detailing your car along with selling some very good products.

Chris(NJ),
Thanks for the tips. The compound that I used was some Dupont white compound diluted in a bit of water. I did not apply much pressure when using it as it is agreesive all by its self. It did remove all stains and blemishes but now I can still see some of it even after waxing. I did all this work by hand although I do have an orbital polisher from 27 years ago. I was a bit concerned about using it since I haven't used the buffer in a very long time and it is a fairly heavy buffer, not lite like some of the buffers of today.

All suggestions are welcomed.

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formerly cebotech1

It sounds like the product may have just caused some hazing like I mentioned earlier. It doesnt sound like you'd want to use your 27 year old buffer either. I might hold off on that one

If you're looking for something to correct the hazing, you can try a product like ssr1 (ssr2 will do more correction, but is as strong as I'd go by hand), and AIO product like polish w/ sealant or something like vanilla moose hand glaze wax. They're all very light polishes. And like I mentioned, something like ssr2 by hand would be the strongest I'd suggest to remove defects when working by hand.
I'll post up a few pics of what it can do by hand when I get on my home comp.

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Chris(NJ),
Thanks for the tips. I appreciate your willingness to help. Would you mind also translating some of the information such as AIO and ssr1 ? I have no idea what this means.
About my 27 year old orbital buffer; I actually owned a detail shop in Daytona Beach back then. The buffer and some of the glaze polishing compounds is all that is left from those days. There are so many new products and buffers today, not to mention paints. Back then there was only one professional buffer. This is a buffer with a 10" pad that is covered with bonnets, and an all aluminum construction. It still functions great but I don't know if it is compatible with the new chemicals being used today.

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formerly cebotech1

Autiopia has a decoder link. It is a great sight for detailing info. Here is the link - AIO and SSR1 are listed.

Acronym Decoder COMPLETE 11/26/07 - Autopia Car Detailing Forum

haha, sorry, I'm used to abbreviating them AIO is an all in one product. Does some slight correction and minor protection. Its a great one step type product that can save a lot of time. again, my personal favorite is polish w/ sealant. It provides such a slick feeling, its really nice. I typically use it as a base coat in terms of protection though. Usually topping it w/ optiseal or if I want some more warmth, top it w/ a carnauba.
SSR1 is one of the poorboys super swirl removers. Its their least aggressive polish. It gets more aggressive as it goes up. ssr1, ssr2, ssr2.5, and ssr3. All are awesome on the machine, but I'd only do 1 and 2 by hand.
If those products you mentioned are really that old, I'd toss them. The machine you have can probably still be used, but I'd see what type of compatibility there is w/ flexible backing plates and new pads. I'm not fond of bonnets at all. If you plan to use the rotary for any type of correction, Id suggest using wool or foamed wool pads for cutting. the foam is going to run slightly cooler than a foam cutting pad will. Then do your polishing w/ foam pads. Additionally, I prefer to use smaller pads. 10" pads are huge, lol. I like using 6.5" pads for control, but 7.5 and 8.5 are pretty common too.
Heres is a link to the polishes page. YOu'll find the ssr's, vanilla moose, polish w/ carnauba or sealant, etc all on here.

Polishes, Swirl Removers, Paint Cleaners & Compounds

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For reference, here was a test section using ssr2 on a microfiber applicator pad. This is just after ssr2, no other products used.

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/b...BeforeSSR2.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/b.../AfterSSR2.jpg

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Shellshocked,
Thanks for the link to all the acronims. That is really helpful.

Chris(NJ),
Man you are full of good info. Thanks.
I visited the poorboys site and now I am more confused. So, for my new dark Atlas gray CS, what pad and polish would you recommend after I clay it?
About my buffer, I think that some one makes foam pads for it now. If not, I was thinking of making some bonnets out of MF towels. What do you think?
I also have a new DA buffer (6.5" pad) from an Italian company that used to make the buffers for Potter & Cable. It is certainly lighter than my old buffer but I have never used this one. I think that it has adjustable speed. Should I practice with this one ?
Years ago, when we taped off the high and sharp parts of a car we would go back and polish those areas by hand. Is that what you do?

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formerly cebotech1