buster205 0 Posted March 31, 2009 hi all i'm after getting more of a shine to my paintwork (alpine white) when i polish it it soons loses it's shine again. my mate as been round today doing some plastering and he said try maguiars clay kit. is it any good ? and how does it work exactly ? cheers Ste Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rom 0 Posted March 31, 2009 (edited) Clay works by removing contaminants from the paintwork, they litterally stick to it. Even what you think is clean paint, will surprise you by how much it removes. Megs is a common brand, and easy to get, halfrauds have a 3 for 2 offer on atm i think. In the kit you get a lubricant, and the clay bar. You can just use water, or some car weak mix shampoo and water. The trick is to keep the panel wet. Better to be too wet than too dry, too wet just means more work, too dry can marr the paintwork. Its real easy to do, and youll see what it removes on the first few rubs Quick guide... Warm clay in a bowl of warm water...it has to be pliable. Wash and rinsh car. Tear off some clay, maybe a 1/4 of the bar max. Kneed it a bit, mould it like a little pancake. Spray some lube onto the panel, few squirts for every square foot roughly. Can squirt the clay too if you like. Rub the clay over the paint, as if its a cloth. Making sure panel remains lubed. Youll feel it get easier to do as it removes the crap. You can re kneed the clay once it starts to look grubby, then flatten it back out. Do whole car. then wash, rinse, polish, seal, whatever you want to do. If you drop the clay, bin it ! Dont try and salvage it. Edited March 31, 2009 by Rom Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dk73 1 Posted March 31, 2009 Clay works by removing contaminants from the paintwork. Even what you think is clean paint, will surprise you by how much it removes. Megs is a common brand, and easy to get, halfrauds have a 3 for 2 offer on atm i think. In the kit you get a lubricant, and the clay bar. You can just use water, or some car weak mix shampoo and water. The trick is to keep the panel wet. Better to be too wet than too dry, too wet just means more work, too dry can marr the paintwork. Its real easy to do, and youll see what it removes on the first few rubs It simple, G-10. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pug_101 0 Posted March 31, 2009 I don't think it's clay you need, but a good Wax or Sealant. If your achieving a good finish, but it fades then either the 'polish' is using fillers (that wash away) or the paint needs better protection after the polish (maybe even more polishing) to keep the gloss in. What polish are you using? Take a look here for products: http://forum.205gtidrivers.com/index.php?s...amp;hl=glossmax Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
buster205 0 Posted April 1, 2009 I don't think it's clay you need, but a good Wax or Sealant.If your achieving a good finish, but it fades then either the 'polish' is using fillers (that wash away) or the paint needs better protection after the polish (maybe even more polishing) to keep the gloss in. What polish are you using? Take a look here for products: http://forum.205gtidrivers.com/index.php?s...amp;hl=glossmax i'm using autoglym super resin polish, not sure how good it is ? Ste Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pug_101 0 Posted April 1, 2009 i'm using autoglym super resin polish, not sure how good it is ? Ste That explains it. SRP as it's sometimes called is not really a polish (ie. it has very little cutting action to it), but uses fillers to fill even smallest scratches (which dull the paint) and make the paint look like it has been polished. No bad thing doing it like this, but the effect will always be short lived. SRP will only last 3 weeks at most and after that all your fillers will be gone and the paint returns to it's dull state. The easiest way to stop this happening is to use a good wax or sealant over the SRP, Autoglym's own Extra Gloss Protection for example, or polish the car every other week. Although SRP is not a bad product if it gets wash off (using harsh shampoo/fairy) your back to square one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MrG 3 Posted April 1, 2009 also look at getting the meguirs 3 stage cleaning products, 1 cuts the paint back, 2 is a polish, 3 is a sealer. If you bar the paint before step 2 or 3 it looks amazing when done. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pugdamo 111 2 Cars Posted April 1, 2009 My car was resprayed about 6months ago,iv waxed it regularly and my good valetor friend at work clay barred it for me and the dirt that came out of the paint was unbelievable (considering it was pretty fresh paint). Id say Clay bar it than when your done give it a good treatment with some wax/sealant to preserve it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MerlinGTI 3 Posted April 1, 2009 Ive been using super resin polish for two years with fantastic results on my alpine white, though I do do it every other time I wash it at least. After reading the waxing guide in the forum I tried Ultra gloss protection after as well and its bloody great AutoGlym FTW! Clay bar'ed it when I first got it and it did seem to remove a fair bit of dirt although it didnt really make that much difference. Maybe I did it wrong? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rom 0 Posted April 1, 2009 Its always worth claying a car. For the little time it takes, you will feel the paint is much smoother. Sometimes even when polished, it looks ok, but doesnt feel that smooth. Polish can leave behind a lot of contaminants. Even aggressive polish struggles with some stuff. Claying is something that can be done twice yearly roughly. It doesnt need doing too often. And as said, sealing will help maintain the shine. But if its not great to start with, id work on getting the finish better, before trying to prolong it Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
