How often do you need to clay?
- Thread starter buster
- Start date
Do the lower panels around the wheels etc feel smooth as well? I'm guessing your Clay job would be quick if the car is that clean.
It depends on how smooth the paint feels. The horizontal areas tend to load up fairly quickly on cars parked outside that do not receive frequent washes.
I don't clay unless I intend to polish. Max once a year.
When you clay you WILL mar the finish to some degree. Only do it if it's 100% necessary.
Do what's called a baggie test, which is putting a ziplock over your hand and feel your paint. If there are a lot of contaminants, you will feel it. With something like Griot's Ceramic spray, I don't think it would make a big difference as oppose to the more pro level ceramics. Griots you can basically reapply whenever as it's so easy.
You can always spot clay the areas that need it like behind the wheels. But in all likelihood those areas will be fine also. It will be good to wash the car and add some protection then call it a day.
even with a lot of lube and making sure the surface stays wet? Just asking
I clayed my truck twice a year when I lived in FL. Now my son does it once a year for me here in La.
Maybe once a year.
Never is it needed.
I use a Griot's Garage brilliant shine synthetic clay once a year.
Twice a year is about right in Loozy-ana. Say, December and March. Otherwise, January.
It's cool right now -- unusual for this sweathole -- so I'm going to do the claying and waxing today while I have a chance.
Just being honest. A normal car should never NEED it. Keep it clean and waxed and it looks good enough for 99% of people. When neglected is when it’s good for clay to bring it back to where it should be. I don’t live in salted road country so I can’t relate to that.Keep your day job......auto detailing advice is not your cup of tea.
Depends on the sensitivity of the finish, the existing condition of the paint, the aggressiveness of the clay bar (or clay mitt), type of lube, how loaded the bar/mitt gets, etc.
"Need" and "good enough" are very subjective terms. Keeping the car washed frequently (e.g. weekly) and parking indoors every night seems to greatly reduce the quantity of contaminants that adhere to the surface. But even the best garage-kept vehicles will still need to be clayed, eventually.qu
Every new car I've purchased since the 90's needed to be clayed. They were all bright and shiny but the finish was rough as a cob not smooth. Every one got a clay and machine polish the day it came home. Admittedly some folks are pickier than others. As mentioned above by Critic all cars will need it eventually.
I couldn’t imagine a scenario where you have to clay a car four months from the last clay job. It will depend on your environment and whether the car is garaged or not. If you keep up on washing it regularly then perhaps once a year or every two years is sufficient. The baggie test mentioned above is a good way to test.
Once clayed and protected with a good LSP, the intervals between clay jobs should diminish.
Once clayed and protected with a good LSP, the intervals between clay jobs should diminish.
Yeah this is some terrible advice. New cars off the dealership lot have tons of rail dust. Heck they leave the factory often times with paint contamination. Jesus you’d think we were talking about aggressive compounding or wet sanding. Claybar is mild and will have no Ill effects on a daily driver if you use it with proper lubricants.
