Right way to clay mmm..ok?

You can wash it, rinse off the suds and dirt, then lather it up again and clay away. Give it a final rinse when you are finished and then dry it off. A good rinse after the claying should negate the need to wash it again.
JMO
 
6cyl's_of_fury said:
You can wash it, rinse off the suds and dirt, then lather it up again and clay away. Give it a final rinse when you are finished and then dry it off. A good rinse after the claying should negate the need to wash it again.
JMO
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Agreed.
 
My steps are:
Wash and dry
Tar removal if needed
Clay using Meguiars Final Inspection as a lube and wiping off any residue with a MF and additional Final Inspection if needed.
I use Clay Magic (Blue) and this has always worked great, plus less water dripping as I proceed to the polishing steps.
Just my .02
 
There are several ways you could clay.
- Clay while washing. Use the soapy water as a lube. Finish the wash & dry. This eliminates a second wash/dry.

- Wash, clay, wash.

- Clay after wash, using the clay lube and wipe the residue off with a MF. I have never really found a need to wash after this due to the fact that the residue is gone and I am about to apply polish.

I am sure there are other ways also. Good luck in whatever path choose.
 
The results I get using soapy water (using NXT shampoo) are the same as using a clay lube.

I don't get any marring, smearing, or residue of any kind & I'm using ClayMagic from AutoZone.
 
I always ckay using QD spary that saves me time having to wash the car again. However claying during wash saves you some time and QD spray. Either way you get the job done and I don't anyone is a wrong way.
 
NYV6Coupe said:
The results I get using soapy water (using NXT shampoo) are the same as using a clay lube.

I don't get any marring, smearing, or residue of any kind & I'm using ClayMagic from AutoZone.
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Similar method as me but I'll now be using my Pinncacle Clay bar. No marring or smearing here and if there is any residue left, I get rid of it when I polish.
 
I usually wash the car again just because I want to get all the clay residue off. I leave some of the rinse water on the surface, so the car gets pretty sloppy while claying. I think its a waste of QD to try and clean all that up. All it does is soak your towels and use up product. Washing the car and drying it doesn't take much time at all. I guess since the next step beyond clay is to polish the car, the washing step really isn't absloutely necessary. I mean, if you are just going to whip out the AIO or something like that, then what is a little streaking from clay lube going to matter? Still... I would suggest washing it all off after you clay anyway.
 
I like to wash the car and then clay while it is drying. One way I've done it was to go over with the clay and a QD spray and then I let the clay residue dry on the car. Once I am finished with the car I spray some more QD spray on the car and remove the residue with a MF that way. Sure it may induce some swirls but if i'm going to be polishing thats not a big deal.
I have washed, clayed and then washed again, but my wash method actually left the paint surface very dirty for the polishing steps. Sure I probably didnt have clean water or a clean mitt, but after you wash the second time you have to dry it again. The reason I like the clay and then go over and wipe is that the car has a chance to dry before I start with the polishing and sealing. No matter the process, as long as you clay you will have results.
 
budman3 said:
I like to wash the car and then clay while it is drying. One way I've done it was to go over with the clay and a QD spray and then I let the clay residue dry on the car. Once I am finished with the car I spray some more QD spray on the car and remove the residue with a MF that way.
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:bigscream I must say that I can't believe you do this. If there is any way to marr your paintjob this is it. It's almost as bad as dropping the clay on the ground and just picking it right back up and claying some more. I'd highly suggest you wash you car for a second time and for clay to work correctly, it needs to be well lubricated. I'm not trying to flame you or anything, I just hate to see you mess up your paintjob.
 
I really don't see a difference between doing it this way and wiping the residue off at first. Both ways the paint is lubercated with the QD and has the residue on it so why not? Well I really didnt think about it but S+W is probably better than a norm QD spray. Anyways, I checked to see if there was marring and there wasnt so I continued. I tried the 2 wash method and it didnt work so I do what works with me. Thanks for your cation though.
 
I think budman summed it up perfectly. Find what works for you and do it that way. As long as you keep the clay lubed, ther eis no one "right" way to do it. Find what works and enjoy!
 
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