Help a rookie out! Clay bar/Collinite 845 detailing
09-15-2013, 10:30 PM
#21
One Bad MoFoMoCo Owner
Surf City Garage Premium Hand Blended 100% Pure Brazilian Carnuba Wax is the best stuff going.
It's a newer product and ain't cheap. It contains 5 times as much Carnuba wax than any other wax on the market.
Best stuff going. I would not waste my money on anything else. Period.
They also sell a premium sealant if you want to go through the hassle, but it's not necessary.
It's a newer product and ain't cheap. It contains 5 times as much Carnuba wax than any other wax on the market.
Best stuff going. I would not waste my money on anything else. Period.
They also sell a premium sealant if you want to go through the hassle, but it's not necessary.
09-16-2013, 10:44 AM
#22
FONT=Verdana]I want to do a full paint detail on my 11’ Screw and make it shine like new again. I’m no detailing expert, cleaning my truck involves a pressure washer, Dawn dish soap, and a car wash brush. I’ve never used a clay bar before but I would like to give that a try as well as Collinite 845.
How to check if you need to "clay" your paint.
Wash & dry a section. (1/2 your hood is good).
Put your hand in a baggie and feel the paint.
Does if feel bumpy or smooth? Can you feel grit?
If so, you need to "clay" to remove contaminants.
There are many "Clay Alternative" products (better/cheaper)
Do NOT use car wash soap with a Clay Alternative product.
You may wish to try the Speedy Prep Sponge (FINE - BLUE)
Use Megs Quick Detailer (Red) for quick, inexpensive Clay Lube
Colli 845 is a good, long lasting, shiny, Last Step Product (LSP).
There are MANY other LSP types waxes, sealant and coatings.
Sealants are usually polymers rather than a "natural" wax.
Meguiars Ultimate Wax is actually a "sealant" not a wax.
BTW - The liquid and paste are exactly the same product.
The difference is the stuff that makes the paste a paste.
The liquid will not stain trim. The UW paste can stain trim.
09-18-2013, 04:56 PM
#23
Another question about clay bars, how many will it take to do my truck? I know they kinda deteriorate as you go, so 2 maybe? Also, what do you guys use for your lubrication (I saw some just used soapy water) and how much does that take for the whole truck?
09-19-2013, 08:48 AM
#24
I use a the nanoskin towel, wash mitt and DA pad. The Speedy Prep Sponge ($15) is less expensive. Only use FINE grade unless you are going to polish the paint afterwards. I use a clay lube, Megs quick detailer (RED), ONR solution etc. Do not use soapy water with a Polymerized "clay alternative" product. A speedy Prep sponge should last up to 20-30 complete uses and unlike a clay bar, if you drop it on the ground you can rinse it off and use it rather than having to throw it away. I have some very good clay on the shelf...every now and then I grab a bar after using the Polymerized rubber product just to check. I find the clay bar is perfectly clean.
09-19-2013, 10:03 PM
#25
Ford says not to use dishwashing soap, so I don't.
Thoroughly wash your car with a good quality carwash diluted to a level strong enough to strip the old wax left on the car. Use the two bucket method with grit guard and a microfiber mitt. Use a couple of waffle weave towels to dry. I say a couple because usually one will be saturated and useless with a vehicle the size of a truck.
I didn't think there was that much to the claybar thing, at least on a new car. You get the claybar shape it into a flat pad, squirt some detail spray on it and the surface and drag it back and forth. Its basically like a lint roller for a car. Its kind of a fine line between too dry and not dry enough, but that's about it. If you drop it on the ground you have to throw out your clay, of course. I tried the nanoskin thing. That worked too, although I didn't see any big advantage to it.
Once you do that, you apply a durable, cheap sealant. Collinite 845, or 476 come to mind. If there is a cheaper, more durable sealant than Collinite I would like to know what it is. The Duragloss products (a two product system with Duragloss) or Klasse sealant glaze are in the same category of cost-effective and durable. Duragloss may be locally available at NAPA or Carquest.
Then you can fiddle around with carnauba or spray wax or any other thing you think will help the final appearance. For the life of me, I can't understand why anyone would put Collinite on top of something else that is almost certainly less durable than the Collinite.
I've tried Carnauba, Duragloss Aquawax spray wax and even Meguiar's Ultimate as the final touch. I have to admit the Carnauba looks best, especially if you put the Aquawax on top of that (that only takes about 15 minutes) since the Aquawax has anti-static qualities that help the carnauba. The Meguiar's Ultimate was so shiny its almost embarrassing. I expect it will last a little better than the carnauba. Overall, I'd say the Aquawax spray wax on top of the Collinite gave me the best bang for the buck as a last step product. Quick, easy to use and fairly priced. Takes about 16 hours of cure time and some exposure to sunlight to look its best.
There's no bright line between "wax" and sealant. Collinite is as durable as any sealant and has any number of weird chemicals in it. They just happen to be old school and call themselves a "wax" Same with Klasse Sealant Glaze. Most "glaze" is a low durability product designed to bling up the car as much as possible. But not necessarily.
After that, I've found it convenient to go to a rinseless car wash method. Turtlewax works fine. Google up the Garry Dean method.
Thoroughly wash your car with a good quality carwash diluted to a level strong enough to strip the old wax left on the car. Use the two bucket method with grit guard and a microfiber mitt. Use a couple of waffle weave towels to dry. I say a couple because usually one will be saturated and useless with a vehicle the size of a truck.
I didn't think there was that much to the claybar thing, at least on a new car. You get the claybar shape it into a flat pad, squirt some detail spray on it and the surface and drag it back and forth. Its basically like a lint roller for a car. Its kind of a fine line between too dry and not dry enough, but that's about it. If you drop it on the ground you have to throw out your clay, of course. I tried the nanoskin thing. That worked too, although I didn't see any big advantage to it.
Once you do that, you apply a durable, cheap sealant. Collinite 845, or 476 come to mind. If there is a cheaper, more durable sealant than Collinite I would like to know what it is. The Duragloss products (a two product system with Duragloss) or Klasse sealant glaze are in the same category of cost-effective and durable. Duragloss may be locally available at NAPA or Carquest.
Then you can fiddle around with carnauba or spray wax or any other thing you think will help the final appearance. For the life of me, I can't understand why anyone would put Collinite on top of something else that is almost certainly less durable than the Collinite.
I've tried Carnauba, Duragloss Aquawax spray wax and even Meguiar's Ultimate as the final touch. I have to admit the Carnauba looks best, especially if you put the Aquawax on top of that (that only takes about 15 minutes) since the Aquawax has anti-static qualities that help the carnauba. The Meguiar's Ultimate was so shiny its almost embarrassing. I expect it will last a little better than the carnauba. Overall, I'd say the Aquawax spray wax on top of the Collinite gave me the best bang for the buck as a last step product. Quick, easy to use and fairly priced. Takes about 16 hours of cure time and some exposure to sunlight to look its best.
There's no bright line between "wax" and sealant. Collinite is as durable as any sealant and has any number of weird chemicals in it. They just happen to be old school and call themselves a "wax" Same with Klasse Sealant Glaze. Most "glaze" is a low durability product designed to bling up the car as much as possible. But not necessarily.
After that, I've found it convenient to go to a rinseless car wash method. Turtlewax works fine. Google up the Garry Dean method.
Last edited by shazam; 09-19-2013 at 10:06 PM.
09-20-2013, 09:39 AM
#26
+1
Agreed but...here's the caveat. Regular car wash soaps are designed to clean without removing any LSP. Some even include a liquid wax. Dawn (original Blue) is very alkaline. I do NOT recommend using Dawn are your regular maintenance car wash soap. This Dawn wash stripping is done rarely. (maybe once or twice a year). I use Dawn as a "stripper" to make sure all prior LSP's are removed. For quality maintenance car wash soaps a few favorites of mine are Zaino Z-7 and Iron-X snow soap.
How to check if your paint needs a clay job. Wash a small 24" x 24" section...be sure it's clean. Put your hand in a baggie" then lightly feel the paint.
If you feel gritty bumps you have contaminants embedded in the paint and it needs claying. "Claying" removes embedded contaminants from your paint.
My preferred method is Iron-X followed with a clay alternative. The Speedy Prep sponge (FINE grade) is inexpensive and is good for 20-30 vehicles.
There's a difference in durability and "look" between a wax, sealant (BTW - Coli 845 is a hybrid) and coating. In my So. Fl. weather wax lasts 2-4 weeks. Sealants on the other hand are usually polymers (hence the 24 hour cure time for the polymers to bond) the longevity of a sealant is 3-6 months depending on the product used. A favorite "sealant" of mine is Zaino Z-2 it has excellent durability, is inexpensive and has wonderful hydrophobic properties.
The catch to using Z-2...Z-2 is shiny and optically clear. If you have fine scratches and swirls in your paint after Z-2 you will have very shiny scratches and swirls. Preparation is the key!
Agreed but...here's the caveat. Regular car wash soaps are designed to clean without removing any LSP. Some even include a liquid wax. Dawn (original Blue) is very alkaline. I do NOT recommend using Dawn are your regular maintenance car wash soap. This Dawn wash stripping is done rarely. (maybe once or twice a year). I use Dawn as a "stripper" to make sure all prior LSP's are removed. For quality maintenance car wash soaps a few favorites of mine are Zaino Z-7 and Iron-X snow soap.
I didn't think there was that much to the clay bar thing, at least on a new car. You get the clay bar shape it into a flat pad, squirt some detail spray on it and the surface and drag it back and forth. Its basically like a lint roller for a car. Its kind of a fine line between too dry and not dry enough, but that's about it. If you drop it on the ground you have to throw out your clay, of course. I tried the Nanoskin thing. That worked too, although I didn't see any big advantage to it.
If you feel gritty bumps you have contaminants embedded in the paint and it needs claying. "Claying" removes embedded contaminants from your paint.
My preferred method is Iron-X followed with a clay alternative. The Speedy Prep sponge (FINE grade) is inexpensive and is good for 20-30 vehicles.
There's a difference in durability and "look" between a wax, sealant (BTW - Coli 845 is a hybrid) and coating. In my So. Fl. weather wax lasts 2-4 weeks. Sealants on the other hand are usually polymers (hence the 24 hour cure time for the polymers to bond) the longevity of a sealant is 3-6 months depending on the product used. A favorite "sealant" of mine is Zaino Z-2 it has excellent durability, is inexpensive and has wonderful hydrophobic properties.
The catch to using Z-2...Z-2 is shiny and optically clear. If you have fine scratches and swirls in your paint after Z-2 you will have very shiny scratches and swirls. Preparation is the key!