4 hours...I wish...

[crazyjoe]

So I went to town on the PT this weekend...wash, clay, paint cleaner, sealant. Someone (I won't mention any names) said to do all this shoudl take abotu 4 hours. If only that were the case....

Damn I wonder how people do this for a living. Rubbing that clay all over everything, my hand was cramping up, then switching to the paint cleaner with cramped hands...argh. All told I probably spent 6 hours, and I am sure I didn't do as nice of a job as I should have, since when I did the plastic bagie test, I could still feel some roughness, but wasn't sure if it was paint chips or contaminants still in the paint. Oh well.

Couple questions:

Paint Cleaner: I had some Meguiars, so I used this, and it did a nice job, even minimized some scuffs in my rear bumper (frmo sliding stuff in and out of the car) so they are barely noticable now. It says "work thoroughly into the finish and then wipe dry. work in small sections."

On the PT hood, how many "small sections" would you say there are? How thoroughly should I work this into the paint? Hww long would you (gary) spend on the hood of a typical 1-year old PT cruiser that had not been detailed before?

The clay I am using is white stuff from Meguiar's. Are clays classified by color, and is the stuff really supposed to eb that stiff? It was a pain in the butt each time I had to knead it to expose a clean surface.

Finally...how the !@$%$%& do you keep from dropping the @#$%^ clay? Every now and then I would encounter a load of resistance, my cramped fingers would slip off the clay, and the @#$%% thing would drop off the car and onto the driveway. Let me tell you that's friggin annoying when you pay 16 bucks for a clay bar that will only do your car 3 times.

[GGJaguar]

quote:Originally posted by crazyjoe

Every now and then I would encounter a load of resistance, my cramped fingers would slip off the clay, and the @#$%% thing would drop off the car and onto the driveway. Let me tell you that's friggin annoying when you pay 16 bucks for a clay bar that will only do your car 3 times.

Ack! Once anything hits the ground it's history and shouldn't touch the car again since it likely picked up all manner of abrasive things (grit, sand, etc). If I drop a microfiber towel or chamois or whatever, it goes into the "to be laundered" pile and I pick up a fresh one to continue the job. As you noted, it sux when a clay bar drops 'cause you can't really clean it. I haven't dropped one yet, but if I did, it would go into the trash and I'd be out $12 or so.

GG

[RobGT]

Well worth the time though, im sure!

I spent 6 hours on Saturday as well.
I clayed, then did the Mothers 3 phase wax:
First - Wash, Clay (3 Hours), Wash again.
Then - Cleaner Wax, Sealant/Glaze, Carnuba Wax.
All by hand.

Some spots had to be clayed twice, especially the hood and hatch.
Spent about 45-60 minutes on the hatch alone.
Looks Awesome!

Now I just need to touch up the chips!

[quicksilverdon]

Sounds like from "Karate Kid" - "wax on, wax off".
What I did when I dropped my clay bar - took a real sharp knife and pared off a layer of clay to be sure I removed any abrasives.

[crazyjoe]

quote:Originally posted by quicksilverdon

Sounds like from "Karate Kid" - "wax on, wax off".
What I did when I dropped my clay bar - took a real sharp knife and pared off a layer of clay to be sure I removed any abrasives.

This is what I did as wel. But I still want to stop dropping that b!tch all the time. Any suggestions?

[Cal Cruzer]

quote:Originally posted by crazyjoe

This is what I did as wel. But I still want to stop dropping that b!tch all the time. Any suggestions?

I don't know if I can explain this or not but I have the droppsies too. I stretch the clay several times and bend it back around itself then press the ends together to make a "handle" on the back of the clay. Then I hold that between my thumb and fingers until they carmp, then I try to just put it between my middle fingers. HAd to explain but I has helped some. I really hated throuwing away a perfectly good clay bar. I too ahve tried shaving it but sometimes it is too thin. I have found that using 2 bars pressed together to give me a bigger lump to hold on to helps, but if you do drop it you have just spent twice as much.

[crazyjoe]

looks like I am just goin to have to use a damn dropcloth or somethin.

[turbomangt]

Joe, the clay from Meguiars is hard to work with, (white stuff) I prefer auto magic (I will be selling clay soon because of the tons of e mails I have been getting about it) Red color> more aggressive. Blue less aggressive. Most any car will do fine with the Blue. Not sure what Meguiars paint cleaner you are using, is it the Medallion? That stuff is more aggressive than mine, so be careful. Don't rub too long in one spot, YOU CAN RUB THROUGH THE CLEAR COAT. Just cut the hood into 4 sections, and work each quarter at a time. rub it uniformly around that section, then remove with a micro fiber towel. Hood should take you 10 minutes.
When working with clay, remove jewelry, use a small piece and flatten it out. keep a bucket of soapy water along side. KEEP IT LUBRICATED. Both with the soap and spray and shine. If it get too hard to glide across, it needs more Lub.

[crazyjoe]

quote:Originally posted by turbomangt

Joe, the clay from Meguiars is hard to work with, (white stuff) I prefer auto magic (I will be selling clay soon because of the tons of e mails I have been getting about it) Red color> more aggressive. Blue less aggressive. Most any car will do fine with the Blue. Not sure what Meguiars paint cleaner you are using, is it the Medallion? That stuff is more aggressive than mine, so be careful. Don't rub too long in one spot, YOU CAN RUB THROUGH THE CLEAR COAT. Just cut the hood into 4 sections, and work each quarter at a time. rub it uniformly around that section, then remove with a micro fiber towel. Hood should take you 10 minutes.
When working with clay, remove jewelry, use a small piece and flatten it out. keep a bucket of soapy water along side. KEEP IT LUBRICATED. Both with the soap and spray and shine. If it get too hard to glide across, it needs more Lub.

gary, thanks for the tips....perhaps I will pick up some differnt clay next time.

Also, I used the Meguair's "deep crystal" paint cleaner...step 1 of their 3 step system. I tried not to stay too long in one place, except for one stain on my hood that took a bit to get out.

[saxonburgcruiser]

I did my '01 over the past weekend. I washed, clayed, washed, and put on two coats of Zaino Z-2. I also vacuumed and detailed the interior. Took me less than 3 hours. []