Nanoskin Autoscrub

[gofast182]

I've had my Nanoskin Autoscrub pad for a while now but haven't really used it until this weekend when I did both the MDX and TSX (seemed like the last mild weekend of the year so a good time to get a coat of wax on before winter). Now that I got a sense of how it works I'm impressed. I have the 6" fine pad and I used it with Nanoskin Glide as lubricant.

MDX: the challenge here was some particulate matter from the brakes (which shows up as red/orange on the lower 1/3 of the car) but mainly particles from the exhaust on the rear liftgate (tiny black spots). It didn't take everything off but it got most of the spots which I thought was good because you can't really feel them on the surface. Anyone who tells you they drive a white car because it's easy to keep clean is driving a dirty car.

TSX: the TSX got some overspray on the hood and roof in spring when I was repainting a battery bracket for the S2000 in satin black, I thought I parked it far enough away but apparently I did not. The hood and roof had a slightly gritty texture even though you couldn't visibly see any evidence of overspray. Anyway the pad took it all off as well as some stubborn bug marks on the front bumper.

Both cars were then waxed with Collinite 845 applied by machine and they shine brilliantly. I can say I'll never use a clay bar again after this. The Autoscrub pad, Glide, and the AWESOME Kwazar Mercury dual-action spray bottle made this a good experience.

 

[SatinSilver]

Yikes, sounds like you need some Iron-X spray or paste before using the Nanoskin. Then it will pick up a lot less stuff.

 

[gofast182]

Originally Posted By: satinsilver
Yikes, sounds like you need some Iron-X spray or paste before using the Nanoskin. Then it will pick up a lot less stuff.

The spots from the brakes were very sporadic, barely worth mentioning. The big thing was the fallout from the exhaust on the liftgate. And even that's relative since I notice every micro spec of everything that most people don't.

 

[dparm]

This is for machine-use only, correct?

 

[gofast182]

Originally Posted By: dparm
This is for machine-use only, correct?

The one I got is but they have pad/mitt that's meant for use by hand. The other advantages to the machine application is your hands stay clean/dry and the machine helps you cover area much more quickly.

 

[jimbrewer]

I got the sponge. It worked OK. I don't see what the big hoop-de-doo about Nanoskin is about unless you are keen on mechanizing the process. Unless you have a lot of cars, detail for a living, or clay more than twice per year per car, I don't see much advantage.

 

[gofast182]

Originally Posted By: jimbrewer
I got the sponge. It worked OK. I don't see what the big hoop-de-doo about Nanoskin is about unless you are keen on mechanizing the process. Unless you have a lot of cars, detail for a living, or clay more than twice per year per car, I don't see much advantage.

I can understand why you'd say that using it by hand. The advantages are if you drop it you can rinse and reuse and if you accidentally hit a dry spot it won't smear clay on the finish. But by machine you have those things and add a huge speed factor, the motion of the DA is surely working more effectively than a hand motion, and your hands stay clean.

 

[SatinSilver]

After you use the nanoskin and lube do you hose it off and dry or re-wash it?

 

[gofast182]

Originally Posted By: satinsilver
After you use the nanoskin and lube do you hose it off and dry or re-wash it?

They claim that Glide is actually a quick detail spray (it's concentrated so you have to mix it down) so I just wiped it off with a MF towel and put the wax on right after. As an aside, I would not use Glide as a straight detail spray because it left a haze if the MF wasn't perfectly dry.

 

[Mykl]

Originally Posted By: jimbrewer
I got the sponge. It worked OK. I don't see what the big hoop-de-doo about Nanoskin is about unless you are keen on mechanizing the process. Unless you have a lot of cars, detail for a living, or clay more than twice per year per car, I don't see much advantage.


I think the advantage is that because when mechanized it's so much easier to use there's a greater chance that you'll use it more often. To me, claying a car is an annoying chore that has to be done every once in a while. Anything that gives similar results with less effort is A-OK with me.

 

[R2d2]

I used a nanoskin autoscrub medium hand pad, after hearing about Critics good results with it. I was able to do my car in half the time it would take to do a traditional clay, I used lots of lube, and was very happy with the results.

 

[gofast182]

Originally Posted By: Mykl
Originally Posted By: jimbrewer
I got the sponge. It worked OK. I don't see what the big hoop-de-doo about Nanoskin is about unless you are keen on mechanizing the process. Unless you have a lot of cars, detail for a living, or clay more than twice per year per car, I don't see much advantage.


I think the advantage is that because when mechanized it's so much easier to use there's a greater chance that you'll use it more often. To me, claying a car is an annoying chore that has to be done every once in a while. Anything that gives similar results with less effort is A-OK with me.

I always found claying to be an annoying chore as well, so much so I tended to wax without doing it more than not. I'm not sure whether it's because it was messy, slow, or dealing with the clay itself. Whatever it was, this was bordering on a pleasure to work with.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: R2d2
I used a nanoskin autoscrub medium hand pad, after hearing about Critics good results with it. I was able to do my car in half the time it would take to do a traditional clay, I used lots of lube, and was very happy with the results.


Lately, I've been using Iron-X paste before using the nano skin med-grade mitt. As a result, I have been able to de-contaminate most panels with 2-3 passes versus 6-7 before. I would definitely encourage everyone to check out Iron-X paste. The 500mL bottle lasts a long time - I've done 3 cars and still have 80% of the bottle left.

 

[SatinSilver]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
Lately, I've been using Iron-X paste before using the nano skin med-grade mitt. As a result, I have been able to de-contaminate most panels with 2-3 passes versus 6-7 before. I would definitely encourage everyone to check out Iron-X paste. The 500mL bottle lasts a long time - I've done 3 cars and still have 80% of the bottle left.


How do you go about applying the paste? Just put it on a pad then wipe on the car, I'm guessing. It's more concentrated than the spray.

 

[RTexasF]

Quote:
How do you go about applying the paste? Just put it on a pad then wipe on the car, I'm guessing. It's more concentrated than the spray.


From Autogeek:

Directions:
Wash the car or wheels surfaces, make sure surface is in cool temp.
Apply Iron X Paste to contaminated areas. Wait 5 min. while contaminants change its color to purple/red. Wipe off with damp soft sponge. Don’t let the IronX Paste dry completely on surface!
Rinse well or power wash the whole surface. The vehicle is ready to clay now.


Not crystal clear to me either. I have not used the product.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: satinsilver
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Lately, I've been using Iron-X paste before using the nano skin med-grade mitt. As a result, I have been able to de-contaminate most panels with 2-3 passes versus 6-7 before. I would definitely encourage everyone to check out Iron-X paste. The 500mL bottle lasts a long time - I've done 3 cars and still have 80% of the bottle left.


How do you go about applying the paste? Just put it on a pad then wipe on the car, I'm guessing. It's more concentrated than the spray.

Here's how I do it: 1) wash car, 2) use a drying waffle-weave towel to soak up 80-90% of the water, 3) apply iron-x using a large microfiber applicator (mask or holding your breathe is suggested, as it smells awful), 4) wait 5-7 min in the shade, 5) rinse off.

After rinsing off, I wash the car down with a very concentrated (and slick) solution of car wash soap and use the nanoskin mitt. This ensures plenty of lubrication and fully removes any traces of iron-x that may have been left behind.

 

[VicVinegar]

I saw the "speed" element of using this mitt in that you could theoretically use some "heavy" soapy water (like Critic mentioned) as a lube instead of spraying quick detailer or other clay lube. Plus a larger surface area and no need to knead the clay every other minutes.

Still debating if I buy one of these or get another Mother's clay set. I would like it to go faster, but I have read about some marring. I don't intend to do a full polish before waxing, just want to get the car clean and put on some 845 before the brine covers the roads.