Clayed the paint

Yes. Every red car I have ever waxed has done that, as well as other dark colors.

Your car looks great, by the way.

 

+1

It's oxidized paint. Red is more visible than, say, white. I don't think the clearcoats (metallics) do it though.

 

Hah, you should hve seen the yellow M3 I did with clay. No clear coat on the BMW yellow. What a mess! Yellow scum everywhere. Which reminds me, if you have too much color haze coming off the car with the clay, do not overrub. The clay is only to remove impurities from the paint surface, not to grind down into the color coat. Use Maguires Haze Remover to clean up the surface before waxing.

 

Wow you car looks great!!! Was it difficult to do?I was thinking of doing the same thing myself? It would be interesting to know the process.What products you bought from Meguiers .I was thinking of getting some stuff from Griot's.Let us know what you think. Thanks

 

+1 looks awesome... Need to get out the clay for my cars soon! It is amazing how a good detail can make you fall in love with your car(s) again.

 

Car looks great. Should bring it down to Pittsburgh one day. Love the wheels....

 

I've used the Griot's clay with speedshine and it is super easy to do and works great. He has a kit with some microfiber towels that saves you some money. I'd recommend it....

 

Did you just do the clay or did you wax it after?I see they have a whole kit with the car wash,clay and the wax.What do you think?

 

Hey I think I,m going to the concourse they have in pitt.Are you going?I think its July 14th.

 

I had limited time and just clayed the front hood since it was really rough to the touch (just got my car). I still need to do the entire car and then polish and wax (or use sealant, can't decide). I won't get around to it until july when the family is out of town....

 

You need to be more careful on the hood since the surface is more prone to scratching (or showing it) than elsewhere. I could never get my red Spider hood looking as nice as the rest of the car. My black TS hood isn't as problematic and I wish I knew why.

 

Just curious, can anyone point me to a website that has detailed instructions on how to clay a car? I sorta know what it is (automotive clay you use prior to waxing I surmised), I've seen a thread or 2 about it in the past, but I'm not 100% how the process works.

Just curious.

James in Denver

 

griotsgarage.com has their detail instruction manual available as a pdf here:

http://www.griotsgarage.com/pdfs/DetailersHB_BW.pdf

that might help.

-Eric

 

James,

It is a pretty brainless process. Use lots of lubricant - this is usually spray-on detailer. Flatten the clay bar in your palms. Using your body temp helps to smooth it.

Work small portions of about 2'x2' and stroke the clay in a single direction. Do not cross cut. However, I have stroked laterally then finished longitudinally (that's from sider-to-side then finished front to back) when I have had to clay deep haze. Use your palm and a light touch. It is not necessary to grind the clay into the finish. You only want the clay to pull off the impurities in the paint surface.

Before the residue dries, wipe it off with a clean lint free towel. Old T-shirts work well and cost far less than those detail diapers they sell. If there is excess dried residue, spray it and wipe it off. If there is a hazy finish on the paint, do not use the clay to pull it off. This is best done with a haze remover/polisher.

When done, immediately apply a good wax coat to the clean unprotected surface. In fact, feel free to apply several coats. I use Griots white carnuba or Zymol. They are different products, but leave a really nice finish.