Claying

[BLACKBMW]

I keep hearing about "claying" your cars - is this a product name in the US or a type of product?

Being in the UK I have never heard of it - but the results look amazing

Also, does anyone know if zaino is available in the uK?

thanks

J...

[doughboyea]

Originally posted by BLACKBMW@Oct 13 2004, 08:54 AM
I keep hearing about "claying" your cars - is this a product name in the US or a type of product?

Being in the UK I have never heard of it - but the results look amazing

Also, does anyone know if zaino is available in the uK?

thanks

J...

[snapback]210431[/snapback]

Claying is a process, not really a specific name of a product. Companies like Meguiar's and such have their versions of it. It's merely a clay bar that is lubricated and gently rubbed on the car then washed off. You can buy it off line from them. As far as getting Zaino in the UK? I dont know, their finiky about even sending it to NJ directly, I'd have to go to a neighboring state to purchase it from one of thier distributers. Email them >Here<
Maybe that will help ya.

Dough

[TMac325is]

in the US you can find clay bars at the local car parts stores, most of them atleast...

but if you are interested, id definately pursue in using it on your car, i got great results and the paint now feels amazingly smooth

[exceldetail]

My write up from another forum......

Proper claying techniques.....

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No complete detail is complete unless you have "clayed" your vehicles surface. Kind of a strange name for a product, but I assure you its completely safe when used as directed. It can be rather intimidating if you have never used before, but once you have, you’ll wonder why you waited so long. Clay is designed to pull contaminants away or simply sheer them from your paint surface, safely, and this is accomplished with ease.
So what equipment or materials is needed? There’s no equipment needed at all! All you need is clay, and a lubricant, and a micro fiber towel for wiping upon completion. Now you can skip the towel if you elect to clay while washing.
There are many brands of clay available, and at least two are usually available at your local auto paint supply store or Automotive parts store (Kragen, Pep Boys). Meguiars makes a new version, better than its preceding version, Mothers makes a nice kit, comes with the clay, a lubricant (Showtime QD), and a small sample of Pre Wax Cleaner. The original Clay Magic I believe still comes with a lubricant as well. Make sure you buy or are using “Fine grade” in the beginning stages.

So lets get started !
Lets assume, it’s the beginning of summer, and you want your ride looking the ultimate! You begin with your normal wash routine (see Proper washing techniques), you’ve removed any tar, gum, and assorted crap stuck to the lower panels with a citrus cleaner or tar/adhesive remover (3M comes to mind). Now you have dried the surfaces with a waffle weave drying towel, and "she" looks good, you rub your hand along the top of the hood, and you feel what seems like specs of sand (If you think it feels good at this point, put your hand in a sandwich baggy)..... Close analysis, its actually tiny bits of metal (Brake linings, rail dust), or just normal industrial fallout. Its inescapable, pollutants happen to everyone, and the reason we need to remove these pollutants is, metal contributes to rust, and once rust starts, it’s usually not good! Not to mention physical appearance anyway.
Make sure your working in a shaded area, on a cool surface. Once you get started, the whole process can be completed in about ½ hr. Lets start with the hood. Unwrap your clay product, and take about 1/3 to ½ of it in the palm of your hand. Place the other portion back in the wrapper it came in, you may need this in case you drop the 1st half. If you do drop it, discard it. Spray the lubricant on about ½ to 1/3 of the surface, just as you would while quick detailing it. Take the clay in your hand and knead it until its somewhat soft. Mold to about the size of a small pancake, and place at your fingertips for easy control. Gently place the clay on the surface and glide it back in a front to back motion (grill to window). Use about 10-12 inch passes and overlap each pass. Fold the clay after each area has been cleaned. You will feel some resistance at first, but with passing motions, you’ll be able to tell the clay is removing pollutants! If you feel too much resistance, your either not using enough lubricant or your surface is REAL dirty. A good way to tell you’re not using enough lube or if your surface is too warm, is the clay is leaving product on the surface. This can be removed, with a micro fiber towel. After each area has been clayed, wipe and buff dry with a micro fiber towel.
Clay will remove a portion of wax or sealant protection, so you should follow up with polishing and sealing/waxing. Clay is not a polish! It will remove contaminants, small areas of road tar, road paint, over spray, fallout, and light oxidation. Any areas larger than an eraser tip should be cleaned with a cleaner prior to using clay, otherwise you will end up polluting your clay for future use. You should be able to clay your surface half a dozen times, depending on the quantity of contaminants.
If anyone has additional comments or concerns, feel free to post, or PM me !
__________________
Somewhere between the clear and Blackfire....

[_1634_]

http://www.bettercarcare.com/ is a place i often visit for turtorials on such processes.

[BLACKBMW]

thank you all very much - the results do look fantastic - just not sure where to buy in the UK

You US guys all seem to have much more rigorous cleaning techniques - in the UK we just wash and that's it - we might wax once or twice a year generally!

I guess the fact that it constantly rains here doesnt help - if it was sunny all the time I would spend much more time cleaning my gal!

[frw73]

Originally posted by BLACKBMW@Oct 14 2004, 04:32 AM
thank you all very much - the results do look fantastic - just not sure where to buy in the UK

You US guys all seem to have much more rigorous cleaning techniques - in the UK we just wash and that's it - we might wax once or twice a year generally!

I guess the fact that it constantly rains here doesnt help - if it was sunny all the time I would spend much more time cleaning my gal!

[snapback]210961[/snapback]

You may have better luck getting the Zaino from the Canadian distributor.
Also, Mother's California Gold makes a claybar. I have used the Zaino claybar, but not the one from Mother's. I'm sure there are other companies out there that make a claybar if that's all you want.
Good luck!

[Steve530]

There are several mail order places that can supply you with clay products. The stuff is supposed to pull embedded particles out of the paint that cannot be removed by washing. Mother's or Clay Magic are supposed to be good products.

I've used Mother's and it seemed to work well. The car was very clean to start with, but it still picked up a lot of dirt.

I've stayed away from Zaino because I've heard you're never supposed to use anything else on the car after you use that. That scares me. I'm afraid that you might have trouble removing it if you decide you don't like it. OTOH, a lot of people swear by the stuff.

You might want to try the Klasse products. Acrylic compounds. They're made in Germany, so you should have no problem getting them in the UK.

[tonyspears]

Hi guys
swissol is what you need check out www.autoshinespecialistvaleting.co.uk.
I have just bought 520se 2000 v reg and i will put pics on when i have given it a full swissol treatment.