Clay Virgin

[rikimaru]

Good weather today so decided to get the clay bar that has been sitting unopened in my cupboard for a few weeks.

Started off by spraying panels with degreaser in the absence of a foam lance, let it stand for 5 minutes then hosed down.
Next washed entire car using 2 bucket method. The results were already pleasing.
Next got the clay bar out. Used plain old water as a lubricant as seems a lot of detailers do this and actually worked just fine. having been hesitant to do this i was very careful.
Decided to stop after claying bonnet (was the worst marred with worst swirling and defects) to see what results were thus far and hosed down and re-washed car. leathered off and to say i was pleased with the result would be an understatement. The bonnet looked like I've never seen it. Must have been ruddy filthy before. The flake in the paint really stood out now i could see the paint in all its glory. Wish i had built up courage to do this sooner.

Now got the Blackfire polish out to see how much correction i could get from just using this. After going over the onnet just 3 times, the reduction in swirling was astonishing. I can honestly say that the way it looks now is the best i have ever had my car looking. the swirling was visibly reduced and was barely noticeable. Following 3 pics were taken at this stage. apologies for quality as taken on my mobile (5.2 mega pix) and had a smudge on the lens as youll notice;





This is my favourite pic and really shows how much difference claying has made. The surfaces is like glass and i have never had it like this before.



Am just about to go out and buff out the first coat of Blackfire all finish paint protection, its getting dark quick so probably can't get any pics. Will however bee doing the rest of the car tomorrow so will post pics of the finished thing.

[2002pete]

Looks like the clay bar worked.

Will however bee doing the rest of the car tomorrow so will post pics of the finished thing.

Look forward to it.

[stiimpreza1984]

that is crazy v v good........................

[uk dave]

He he waynes got the bug bonnet looks cool mate,after claying mine wash the complete car again to lose any of the residue the clay/quick detailer leaves then always use poorboys professional polish,blackfires not a cutting polish as such more of a cleanser/conditioner ( blackfire gloss enhancing if its that)whereas poorboys professional polish is slightly agressive so theres a better finish to be had yet believe it or not and then further still if ya go over the sealant with a good wax.


Always polish/sealant/wax after claying if you`ve got time or at least polish/sealant.


Anyway where do i apologise to ya missus for the forthcoming time not spent with her ...........doin your car


Wayne i know ya struggle to get stuff out there but rate that four star stuff i bought the other week,apparently theres a new version out soon but love this stuff for the price, washed then went over mine once last night with it(finished by floodlight again-neighbours think im mad but knew it were gonna be a crap weekend weatherwise)looked wicked later that night(fri)-want to get 3 coats on the same day but just havent had the weather or space between showers whilst dry to do it.(then maybe follow with collinite 915)
If anyones wondering why only 3 coats ive found with sealants much more than this ya start to lose the smooth reflection down the side of the car and almost build up on the orange peel finish or start to create one-havent described it very well really but imagine going from totally flat paint to orange peel effect from some angles through build up.Will get more shiny through more applications but lose it in other areas (this is based on 3 coats at once the same day if the cars being washed between applications ie following week/whatever doesnt seem to be an issue-possibly more of a bonding issue to be fair)

Aboves just based on my experience with mine-not saying its gospel


Definately worth anyone reading this trying the four star stuff though believe me (polish your car first though for best results with any sealant unless your cars pretty good already)
Four star ultimate paint protection link-Products - Serious Performance

[rikimaru]

Cheers guys. Effort definitely worth it i would say. Looks even better this morning. Dave, pics were taken after using the 'Blackfire gloss enhancing polish' and before applying first coat of 'all finish paint protection'. Won't use any of the Japanese polishes and can't get any polishes i would consider using here with any knid of decent cut so i'm kinds stuck with what i've got at the moment. Lost the website address withe the G3/G10 polishes you recommended and can't for the life of me find it again.

Don't rate the blackfire much even as a cleanser tbh though and am really trying to get hold of something better soon or I'll be back on Autoglym. Still loving the Blackfire sealant but will maybe consider getting a load of stuff in bulk from states if i can't find any polishes here, so will finally try out the Collonite as its winter soon so will go back to wax again until it begins to heat up again. Lucky for me wife is into the car too (she chose the car and lent me the money to buy it) and she usually comes out and helps me clean the car. Usually as hose operator but shes getting pretty handy at doing the interior too. If i'm honest i dont have the patience to do more than a perfunctory clean of inside, so she does that and i get to concentrate on outside.

[rikimaru]

Well, got the car washed, clayed and then re-washed this morning. Started with the polishing only for the forecast rain to come 12 hours early. Be next week now. Not a happy bunny.

On a positive note, after claying and washing the paintwork is so much more vibrant. Couldn't believe the amount of crap i pulled out of the paint work. Could almost see the car heave a sigh of relief. Can't wait to get it finished.

[uk dave]

Looking at your paintwork now wayne would pretty much rule out G3, and the g10`s more of a fine finishing polish for finishing off after G3 which is harsh.Think at the time i recommended it it were something to do with bad scratches on your car or some heavy abrasion on your paint.


Looking at where your cars at poorboys professional polish will be fine(if ya can get it)its good stuff-if its possible to gently cut/clean the paintwork in one stage this is it.
The last car i did for a neighbour werent even clayed i just used professional polish then a sealant.



(car above were 8yr old)


Im not saying it`d be ideal for every car some will need something with a bit more bite ie sonus/menzerna or the likes but for the cars i`ve done its been fine.


By the way wayne, if ya get any when you use it it will strip you some shine off in the first instance as the sealant/or wax layers will be removed that are creating the finish at the mo,just its a finish created on top of old weathered paint/clearcoat to an extent(though alot will have been removed by claying, a good polish will improve it further-though i only use this after claying,you wont need it frequently)


Poorboys professional polish will clean your paint and increase depth in your overall finish,it doesnt leave a slick silky finish as some polishes, though if im honest"believe" this creates a better surface for sealants to bond too.
You will need to build bk up the shine after with the sealants/waxes you`ve used previously.

[rikimaru]

Cheers for that Dave. Might order the poorboys along with the collonite then. What polishes would you recommend (and in what order) to really get the best out of the paintwork after claying?

Will still be getting the G10 if i can find it as those issues still exist. There are several actually but most are beyond me at the moment. I'll take some pics next weekend of the main issues and get your advice if ya don't mind.

Also toying with the idea of a dual action polisher. Slowly but surely working on getting the car looking as good as i can though a full respray will be required to really get that effect. Thats at least a year away as will do it when i replace front and rear bumpers as they'll need spraying anyway so will work out cheaper to just for the whole thing in one go. when the wife questions all the outlay I'll just point her in your direction.

[uk dave]

Gotta be honest wayne with a polisher you should be able to get a finish way beyond mine,when i get another car will definately buy a polisher-its only really because theres not the thickness of laquer/clearcote left on mine for it to be worth it or safe to use one without going through the laquer.


Polishers build up heat which in turn make the surface of your paint easier to work to a great shine through it being softer,though there is a fine line between getting enough heat into it and burning through hence dont leave em in one position too long, though heat build up depends on the products your using and RPM of the polisher/type of pad used,i know some ppl put a mist of water via a spray bottle on the surface first to help prevent this,also some manufacturers paints are harder than others for other ppl reading this.
Its still a grey area for me as i dont own one,have done cars where daz me mates used his on them but generally dont like to advise anyone unless ive done it or used the product myself.


If you want to use polishes with the rotary or dual action either sonus Sfx 1/2/3 (coarse through to fine finishing polish), or ya may find ya could get away with just menzerna intensive polish but again youve then got a choice of pads (different density`s for different jobs/products)


Have a look here for a bit more info wayne theres more info about individual pads Lake Country - CCS Technology™ Pads


But either way post the pics of the issues that are bothering you an i`ll try my best to advise you.

[rikimaru]

I'd love to see what kind of results you could get with a machine Dave. I'd say what you get by hand is not far off some of the stuff I've seen using machines, and in some cases even better. I've spent a lot of time recently looking at detailing sites and whilst there are a lot of awesome (professional) detailers out there, there are also quite a few i'm not too impressed with if im honest. With your knowledge of products and what works on what etc you could certainly give a lot of the decent pros a run for their money if you were so inclined.

Anyway, clearcoat/paint thickness will also have to be a consideration for me too i guess. How much do the paint thickness gauges cost? Might be worth investing in if they're not too pricey, though i suspect they probably are. Tbh though I'd be surprised if my car had ever been polished before i got it as the Japanese generally wash, wax, dry (in that order) then drive home. Look great from a distance, very shiny, but paintwork is pretty naff looking up close. Very swirly. Never, ever seen or heard tell of anyone here using any kind of polish.

[uk dave]

lol its just a shame my cars been the guinea pig of testing products mate-i wouldnt like to guess how many times ive been round it-ive probably walked as far round it as miles ive put on the clock


Paint thickness gauges arent cheap mate but youve gotta be sure the cars not been sprayed before or the results will be inconclusive though i`d presume from there being alot more thickness of paint you could guess it`d been painted on top.


Also check every panel as if one alones been done with a thinner coating of paint through accident damage/detailed before/wetsanded whatever you may find youre able to get a great finish on the rest but the thinly painted panel wont take machine polishing an ya gonna end up with an odd looking car lol (more for everyone else than you wayne)dont get me wrong i guess ya could compensate by using a less abrasive polish and maybe more coats of sealant would still have to be careful though-its something you dont think of really.

[DJBenz]

Some nice results there. Love the reflection of the Japanese telegraph pole in the bonnet, it always used to amaze me what a mess of cables they run above ground when I was working out there.

I clayed my FTO once, in the days before having kids when I could spend 7 hours on the driveway making the car look fantastic. Still got most of the clay bar left, but it's probably dried out by now. Anyway, once I can actually get my Scooby taxed, I'm going to give it a long day of TLC and give it the Poorboy's treatment.

I've been a big fan of their polishes for a while, finding them so much less dusty that the Autoglym that I used previously. On a black car it's paramount that the products leave as little dust as possible - Autoglym used to highlight all the panel gaps in white!

Look forward to your results from some serious polishing sessions, rikimaru, and I'll get some pictures of mine up once it's all nice and shiny.

[rikimaru]

Originally Posted by DJBenz

Autoglym used to highlight all the panel gaps in white!

Aint wrong about that. Bit of a pain to have to go round tidying that stuff up.

Originally Posted by DJBenz

I'll get some pictures of mine up once it's all nice and shiny.

Yes please!

Btw, what did you do out here?

[DJBenz]

Originally Posted by rikimaru

Btw, what did you do out here?

I work for a supplier to Nissan, so I was a resident engineer at their design centre in Yokosuka (I think that's where it is. I stayed in Hon-Atsugi nearby.) working on Qashqai.

[rikimaru]

You'd know if it was Yokosuka due to the enormous US Naval base there. There's also a huge Nissan something just down the road from here (Sagamihara).

Often drive past Atsugi on Route 246 when on way to Fuji area or Hakone. you ever head into Machida on your nights out?