i have been reading and trying to research but can't really find the answers.

1. i hear a lot about using rubbing compound at the end of a chip-fixing-job. what is it? what kind is good to get? what does it do, exactly?

and

2. clay-barring. i probably spelled that wrong... anyway i read all the "how to's" and about it on autopia.org, but i still am confused. how can clay actually remove particles of stuff from your paint, without scratching it?

i have an old honda, so while i'm researching how to keep my new 8 in good condition, i'm also researching how to make my old 'lude look like new (read about oxidation and polishing it and all of that....).

anyway thanks for any answers!!

 

"I'm no expert, but I do play one on this forum"!

Try Autopia, it's the detailers forum....
Autopia

S :D

 

I tried searching there, i just couldn't find answers to anything. Only "use this for this, use that for that" kind of stuff. I was trying to talk to people who actually have used it and get an interactive discussion going.... but anyway that's exactly where i went to do my research!

thanks.

 

The dirt and other road debris sticks on the clay. You can actually see the stuff on the clay after it has been removed. You'll want to reshape the clay to get a clean area after a while. It won't scratch the paint because you'll need to spray a lubricant before you apply the clay and the lube usually comes with the clay.

 

thanks... that sounds just like what i read on autopia, so good to see it's consistent. i guess i should just accept it and not question it!

it seems like the lube would just make the clay slide right over all the crap! oh well!!! :p

thanks

 

If you've never done it before, its very easy. I remember the first time I ever clayed a car I was nervous and thought I was going to mess it up. It's pretty foolproof. Spray on....rub the clay on..wipe off. You'll feel the crap grabbing the clay. Keep going over that area until the clay glides smooth. The results can be OUTSTANDING...especially on darker colors.

 

^^ Agreed.

I always took my cars to carwashes until I got the 8, so I'm just learning the ropes of detailing. But a claybar is easy to use and really works.

I tried it out on my daily driver first, though.

Tip: get a little tupperware container to put your claybar in after use so it doesn't collect dust, etc.

 

^^^ What they said about clay bar. The junk adheres to the clay as you rub. I think the clay also contains some very mild abrasives to help loosen the junk.

Rubbing compound is an abrasive paste. It tends to be much more abrasive than polishing compound or scratch/swirl remover. Some web sites I've seen advise against any use of rubbing compound on a clear coat finish like ou 8s have.

A good rule of thumb is to use the least aggressive (abrasive) product possible first. It that doesn't do the trick move up to the next more aggressive product.

I've been practicing my detailig on our old van especially the rock chips. After the touch up and wet sanding I used Meguier's Diamond Cut compound and the rotary buffer to eliminate the sanding marks. I believe it is much less aggressive than a pasty rubbing compound and it worked great.

Good luck and remember to be gentle to your 8.

 

www.paintscratch.com is a good site to buy the necessities for rock chip/scratch repairs.

 

I'll chime in on the claybar as well. I had never used one prior to the '8, so I was a bit apprehensive about using it the first time. Turns out that my concerns were unfounded, as it is very easy to use, and about the only way you'll screw up your paint is to try to screw it up. My '8's paint was rather rough feeling before the claybar, and after, it was smooth and slick as glass. Best way to use it is to wash the car very thoroughly with Dawn liquid dish soap. Do the clay-bar routine making sure that the clay is well lubricated throughout the process. Car wash soap mixed with water in a spray bottle works quite well as a lubricant. Then wash the car again with a regular car wash soap to remove any leftover crud and any remaining clay bar residue. Note that the Dawn and clay bar will remove any existing wax, so it's important to apply at least one good coat of wax afterwards. Took me about 30 minutes to clay bar the whole car, so it's not a very time-consuming process at all (at least on the '8).

HTH,
Bill

 

Try this link.
http://store.yahoo.com/autopia/inf-wash.html

 

I just clay-barred my 8 for the first time. I'm not so sure how Rotario finished in 30 minutes, but it is definitely hard to screw anything up as long as you keep enough lubricant on the area you are working on and refresh the clay from time to time. Just watch out for those transparent adhesive tapes on the lower panels. If you snag the clay just right with the edge of it, you can get some clay impregnated into it and it is hard to get off.

I thought it was a little bit of a pain in the butt doing the entire vehicle with this hand-sized piece of clay. But the car looks great right now. I was only able to fit in the car wash and clay-barring today, and will have to follow up with the wax job hopefully tomorrow.

So while I recommend the claybar, I sure don't plan on doing it more than once a year (tops).

 

There's more to it than just "stuff sticks to the clay bar". In fact, you needn't use a bar at all; there are liquid formulas such as Zymol's "HD Cleanse" that achieve the same effect. The major ingredient in HD-Cleanse is Kaolin, which is a refined clay. I like the idea of having my clay "in a bottle", just because it already has the "lubricant" built-in and I don't have to worry about dropping the bar and ruining it.

The reason that clay makes a good paint cleaner is because of its microcrystalline structure, which consists of a lot of little "plates". In the presence of the right amount of liquid, the plates have room to spread out and align -- so the are laying parallel to the surface you're polishing, instead of in a jumble. Then, when you rub, the edges of those plates tend to grab things that are protruding above the general surface of the paint. So, you can think of it as "shaving" the paint, or maybe "exfoliating" is a better word. And, the clay is soft enough to not cut into or damage the paint, but hard enough to remove stuff that is loosely adhering.

 

Some of you have gotten it wrong look at this site for answers

http://www.meguiars.com/faq/_index.c...ection=_46#_46

 

And how does that article suggest that some of us have it wrong? Really...quite interested in your answer to this.

 

Nubo,

Do you have a reference for your technical explanation of how a clay bar works? I would like to learn more. Thanks.

 

Claying removes certain contaminates see chart.

Polishing removes others

They are completely different.

Your car needs both.