Clay bar a car at carwash before waxing, where can they do it ?

[questionsreplies]

Hi, I see so many people waxing a car after wash without using a clay bat first to decontaminate it, don't they know that it's stupid to wax a car if you do not clean it deeply first ?

So the question is, do you know anybody or any car wash / car care where they can claybar your car to decontaminate it (and get smooth paint) before waxing it ?

Bangkok or Pattaya location welcome, thanks guys.

Edited November 24, 2015 by questionsreplies

[steve187]

thread here that may help - http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/685596-ceramic-car-coating-is-it-worth-it/

[IMHO]

The thing with claying is, while it cleans the paint (and removes any previous wax too), it also puts tiny scratches in the paint - so needs to be followed up with a polishing (cutting) step to remove those. But then, once you've used a compound to polish paint, you then need to use Isopropyl Alcohol / Eraser type cleaner to remove 100% of the compound residue before applying the wax.

Before you clay, you need to have as clean a surface as possible too - so that means washing it twice - once before claying, once again after. So overall it's:

Wash

Clay

Wash

Dry

Polish

Chemical clean (IPA / Eraser)

Wax

Well, that's the concours level method anyway

If you don't want to go to those extremes, I suppose you could just:

Wash

Clay

Wash

Dry

Wax

There will be detailing centres that do both methods - just make sure you know what you're paying for I guess.

Edited November 24, 2015 by IMHO

[OMGImInPattaya]

IMHO is correct...But wash-clay-rinse-polish-wax would be sufficient for most folks. This would be best for a brand new car (even better if you tell the dealer not to "prep" it for you). Then a was-polish-wax once a year with wash-wax 2-3x per year to maintain.

More standard in LOS is to polish and wax. If done right, only needs to be done annually, with waxing after washing in between.

[IMHO]

IMHO is correct...But wash-clay-rinse-polish-wax would be sufficient for most folks. This would be best for a brand new car (even better if you tell the dealer not to "prep" it for you). Then a was-polish-wax once a year with wash-wax 2-3x per year to maintain.

More standard in LOS is to polish and wax. If done right, only needs to be done annually, with waxing after washing in between.

In my experience, you can ask dealers not to prep a new car, but they still do it - they all want their "shiny handover photo" ....

And in my experience, that first prep always comes with a bunch of "free" swirls marks too - so yes, new cars always need immediate correction work - unless I'm just unlucky 100% of the time?

[OMGImInPattaya]

IMHO is correct...But wash-clay-rinse-polish-wax would be sufficient for most folks. This would be best for a brand new car (even better if you tell the dealer not to "prep" it for you). Then a was-polish-wax once a year with wash-wax 2-3x per year to maintain.

More standard in LOS is to polish and wax. If done right, only needs to be done annually, with waxing after washing in between.

In my experience, you can ask dealers not to prep a new car, but they still do it - they all want their "shiny handover photo" ....

And in my experience, that first prep always comes with a bunch of "free" swirls marks too - so yes, new cars always need immediate correction work - unless I'm just unlucky 100% of the time?

Absolutely...that "free" dealer prep often does damage to the paint that requires costly correction. Much better to leave all the plastic cover bits and dust layer on a new car and properly remove it yourself or have a qualified shop do it.

One benefit of buying Thai made cars is they are not transported by rail from the factories to distribution depots so they dont get a showering of iron and steel specks from the rails and steel wheels inbeded in the paint. These can ruin paint if not properly removed from U.S. and European made cars, which travel long distances on rails before reaching customers.

Edited November 24, 2015 by OMGImInPattaya

[JAS21]

Hi, I see so many people waxing a car after wash without using a clay bat first to decontaminate it, don't they know that it's stupid to wax a car if you do not clean it deeply first ?

So the question is, do you know anybody or any car wash / car care where they can claybar your car to decontaminate it (and get smooth paint) before waxing it ?

Bangkok or Pattaya location welcome, thanks guys.[/quote

No ... my opinion is that it is not always necessary to clay a car before polishing.

It is very easy to buy a good quality fine clay here.

Wash the car yourself ... then test the surface as Mr IMHO suggests. I just use my hand though.

Then I just use car wash liquid and water ... same as washing and gently clay ... always in a front to back direction ... then you won't put swirls in ... should only take a few minutes. Just use plenty to lubticate.

Rince it off and then take it to the shop if you want.

To be honest you can apply HD Wax to a whole car in less than 10 mins ..leave for 20-30 mins and then buff off ... 5-10 mins ...DONE

[keeniau96]

Waxed my Ranger about a year ago, washed it just before the rainy season started. Might wash again in a week or so. Twelve years old and still looks very good with good shine after washing. Has been kept out of the sun all these years in my well-shaded carport when home with little travelling around these days. Saving my TLC for the boat.

[JAS21]

Waxed my Ranger about a year ago, washed it just before the rainy season started. Might wash again in a week or so. Twelve years old and still looks very good with good shine after washing. Has been kept out of the sun all these years in my well-shaded carport when home with little travelling around these days. Saving my TLC for the boat.

If you rubbed your face against the paintwork ...would you get a shave .....

[IMHO]

Waxed my Ranger about a year ago, washed it just before the rainy season started. Might wash again in a week or so. Twelve years old and still looks very good with good shine after washing. Has been kept out of the sun all these years in my well-shaded carport when home with little travelling around these days. Saving my TLC for the boat.

If you rubbed your face against the paintwork ...would you get a shave .....

I think you're selling him into not washing it even more though - save on razors!

[canthai55]

. I just use my hand though.

Just use plenty to lubticate.

Sorry JAS - couldn't resist !!!

[thailanddogerator]

Hello,

Do you all polish/clay your car or know a place where to do it as OP asked ? And it's funny that some people still believe that their car looks nice after years just washing it or waxing sometimes... they have no idea how bad it looks if you look closely (thanks IMHO i know now :-) )

One more question, what can happen if you never use a clay bar on your car and only wax it ? it won't be nice only or its' actually bad for the paint also ?

[OMGImInPattaya]

Hello,

Do you all polish/clay your car or know a place where to do it as OP asked ? And it's funny that some people still believe that their car looks nice after years just washing it or waxing sometimes... they have no idea how bad it looks if you look closely (thanks IMHO i know now :-) )

One more question, what can happen if you never use a clay bar on your car and only wax it ? it won't be nice only or its' actually bad for the paint also ?

Waxing doesn't do anything to improve a car's paint...it only seals and protects the good or bad paint condition under it. Proper washing and then claying and/or polishing improves ("corrects") the paint (actually the clear-coat finish on the paint).

For me, proper wash-polish-waxing is enough. However, for perfectly smooth finish, the playing step is necessary too (but really only for show cars IMHO). Of course I'm speaking about a new car or one with paint in pretty good condition to start with.

PS: Of course, when we say "polish" we mean mechanical polish and buffing using proper cutting and buffing pads and polish using a dual action or rotary polisher.

Edited November 25, 2015 by OMGImInPattaya

[IMHO]

What OMGIIP said is pretty much spot on - the only thing I'll add is that you do want to check for the type of tiny surface contaminants clay takes off before polishing - if there's a lot ,clay them, otherwise they can come loose and turn your polishing into scratching... That's not common though - generally polishing won't touch them at all.

As a guide, my daily drivers generally only need claying twice per year - my other cars maybe once a year. It's not something you need to do regularly.

As for how much claying improves the look - that depends on what the contaminants are... if it's paint overspray* for example, that's definitely dulling your finish. If you only feel a little speck or two on each panel, it's not impacting the looks.

* I have had that "gift" 2 times now, just from taking cars in for service, and once again, over all my cars, from neighbours. Also, any time I've bought a car that had sat around the dealership for a few days, the first thing they needed was claying. All sorts of junk stuck to the paint....

Edited November 25, 2015 by IMHO

[Ace of Pop]

All this Polishing, im going back to bed, till the Car Wash opens.

[billphillips]

Iv noticed that some car wash places use Sunlight. I don't think that using a clay bar will be much help to their customers.

[IMHO]

Iv noticed that some car wash places use Sunlight. I don't think that using a clay bar will be much help to their customers.

OK first I've heard of that one

Sunlight is an awesome window/glass cleaner though - I'm not sure I'd want to use it on plastics/rubber because it might dry them out. On paint, it's probably a very good wax stripper.

[OMGImInPattaya]

OK, for the op, here is one of the high end wash and polish shops in patts, which also does "glass" coatings. I checked and they use professional grade maguire mirror glaze polishes and can't remember the wax but I'm sure it's good stuff. They quote 4k for wash-polish-wash for a four-door pickup. For the glass coating it's 30-45k, which is good for 5-10 years respectively. If one does the glass bit, no need for any polishes during that time...just wash and wax.

They are located on Sukie, west side, between south and central roads. There are many of these shops in patts so you may want to shop around...I'm not endorsing this shop just providing the info (they are right next to the shop that did my annual testing and registration that I picked up this morning).

[questionsreplies]

Great replies !!!

So all glass coating places can also clay and wax ?

I guess its a must to polish before glass coating ?

And about coating, how to know which brand will last longer ?

Are they all similar ?

More great replies please ;-)

[IMHO]

Great replies !!!

1. So all glass coating places can also clay and wax ?

2. I guess its a must to polish before glass coating ?

3. And about coating, how to know which brand will last longer ?

4. Are they all similar ?

More great replies please ;-)

1. All glass coating places should be masters of paint preparation - that's actually the major expense - not the coating itself.

2. The paint must be *perfect* before applying a coating. Coatings do not have any fillers so cannot hide paint defects like other products can. So yes, a multistage cut/polish is a requirement.

3. There's a thousand brands, and most formulations haven't actually been used long term yet. Ignore claims, believe only warranties - and use your own judgement as to whether the vendor will be around to service the warranty, what the warranty actually covers, and what your responsibilities are in order to avoid voiding the warranty.

4. They are all based on the same kind of chemicals: Silicon Dioxide, Siloxane, Alkoxysilane, Methoxysilane, Fluorine compounds etc. Catalysts, purity, bases and formulas vary though - all of which impact hardness, lifespan, clarity and hydrophobic properties. They all perform well, but some definitely perform better than others.

[jadee]

I don't know anything about glass coating or any of the technical stuff mentioned by IMHO like chemical cleaners but I get my car washed at Shell and then use Meguiar's clay bars and do the work myself at home. I then re-wash the car and apply sealant. I quite like doing it, but to answer the OP's original question, I'm fairly sure that if you bought a clay bar and asked any car wash place to use it, they'd oblige. Especially if you could explain what you wanted them to do in Thai.

[OMGImInPattaya]

I don't know anything about glass coating or any of the technical stuff mentioned by IMHO like chemical cleaners but I get my car washed at Shell and then use Meguiar's clay bars and do the work myself at home. I then re-wash the car and apply sealant. I quite like doing it, but to answer the OP's original question, I'm fairly sure that if you bought a clay bar and asked any car wash place to use it, they'd oblige. Especially if you could explain what you wanted them to do in Thai.

You do know that claying does damage to a car's paint and that it has to be corrected with polishing before a wax or sealent coat is applied right?

[questionsreplies]

So you think that nowhere in Thailand they know what is a claybar ?

I don't know anything about glass coating or any of the technical stuff mentioned by IMHO like chemical cleaners but I get my car washed at Shell and then use Meguiar's clay bars and do the work myself at home. I then re-wash the car and apply sealant. I quite like doing it, but to answer the OP's original question, I'm fairly sure that if you bought a clay bar and asked any car wash place to use it, they'd oblige. Especially if you could explain what you wanted them to do in Thai.

[questionsreplies]

So the reason why car coating shop charge 20000+ is the prep needed ?

And do you know the difference between nano coating, quartz coating, ceramic coating, etc...?

Thanks a lot.

The thing with claying is, while it cleans the paint (and removes any previous wax too), it also puts tiny scratches in the paint - so needs to be followed up with a polishing (cutting) step to remove those. But then, once you've used a compound to polish paint, you then need to use Isopropyl Alcohol / Eraser type cleaner to remove 100% of the compound residue before applying the wax.

Before you clay, you need to have as clean a surface as possible too - so that means washing it twice - once before claying, once again after. So overall it's:

Wash

Clay

Wash

Dry

Polish

Chemical clean (IPA / Eraser)

Wax

Well, that's the concours level method anyway

If you don't want to go to those extremes, I suppose you could just:

Wash

Clay

Wash

Dry

Wax

There will be detailing centres that do both methods - just make sure you know what you're paying for I guess.

[OMGImInPattaya]

So the reason why car coating shop charge 20000+ is the prep needed ?

And do you know the difference between nano coating, quartz coating, ceramic coating, etc...?

Thanks a lot.

The thing with claying is, while it cleans the paint (and removes any previous wax too), it also puts tiny scratches in the paint - so needs to be followed up with a polishing (cutting) step to remove those. But then, once you've used a compound to polish paint, you then need to use Isopropyl Alcohol / Eraser type cleaner to remove 100% of the compound residue before applying the wax.

Before you clay, you need to have as clean a surface as possible too - so that means washing it twice - once before claying, once again after. So overall it's:

Wash

Clay

Wash

Dry

Polish

Chemical clean (IPA / Eraser)

Wax

Well, that's the concours level method anyway

If you don't want to go to those extremes, I suppose you could just:

Wash

Clay

Wash

Dry

Wax

There will be detailing centres that do both methods - just make sure you know what you're paying for I guess.

It's a very involved process and takes a long time using well trained people using the proper tools and quality products. Basically, the car is completely detailed first and then the final sealant coat is applied and cured in a "clean room." With a used car, the goal is to bring back the paint to its factory condition before applying the final coat. The process can take up to a couple days.

Depending on the condition of the old paint, the car often looks like it has been repainted when the process is complete.

Edited January 9, 2016 by OMGImInPattaya

[IMHO]

So the reason why car coating shop charge 20000+ is the prep needed ?

And do you know the difference between nano coating, quartz coating, ceramic coating, etc...?

Thanks a lot.

At that price, you'd hope there was a big effort in preparing the paint first - but who knows?

Some of them might be trying to convince you that's the price of their product, and the labor is free, for all I know

My only advice is to ask exactly what's included. If you can post that here, we can comment.

[CP3]

I am thinking of shampooing the car myself and use clay bar then wash it. After that sending the car to the car wash shop for high pressure car wash again. After all this, thinking of diy glass coating myself. Qns is do I use polishing from the shop before glass coating or it is't necessary? What will be the additional step to remove swirl/scratches in between?

[IMHO]

I am thinking of shampooing the car myself and use clay bar then wash it. After that sending the car to the car wash shop for high pressure car wash again. After all this, thinking of diy glass coating myself. Qns is do I use polishing from the shop before glass coating or it is't necessary? What will be the additional step to remove swirl/scratches in between?

1. Wash

2. Dry

3. Clay bar (remove bonded surface contaminants)

4. Wash (to remove clay residue)

5. Dry

6. Cut (remove scratches, swirls, holograms, oxidization)

7. Polish (make it super shiny)

8. IPA clean (isopropyl alcohol / Carpro Eraser to remove all existing residues)

9. Glass coat (lock it in)

Those are the basic steps for a perfect result

For #6 and #7 you really do want a machine (dual action polisher recommended), and you'll also need appropriate cutting/polishing compounds.

Edited January 9, 2016 by IMHO

[canthai55]

For #6 and #7 you really do want a machine (dual action polisher recommended), and you'll also need appropriate cutting/polishing compounds.

Some experience will help too. Very easy to buff thru the clear coat and the thin paint coatings these days, especially on sharp edges and around corners.

[IMHO]

For #6 and #7 you really do want a machine (dual action polisher recommended), and you'll also need appropriate cutting/polishing compounds.

Some experience will help too. Very easy to buff thru the clear coat and the thin paint coatings these days, especially on sharp edges and around corners.

If using a rotary polisher, absolutely, but OTOH if you're using a rotary for the first time, the bigger issue will be just be keeping it under basic control

Dual action polishers are super easy to control, even the very first time you use one, and do not carry the risks of damage. As they say, a child could do it