using clay bar on new car for salt residue?

[aznbabiegrlx0x0]

since i really dont know much about maintaining my new car's paint ~ i was watching a video on it. and it said that salt is really bad for the paint? at work i usually park next to a big tree for shade but after like a week of parking there i noticed there was a lot of salt all over my car. i thought that just by washing the car ~ that it would be washed off with it ? but now i heard you have to clay the car to get it off? and i never really tried touching the paint after i washed it to see if it was smooth (and salt free)... but today after i washed it. i ran my hands over the paint. and realized it still felt like there was salt all over it. AHHH! i got my yaris around 2 months ago. What do u guys suggest me to do? Should i just wash it once a week then wax it with the turtle ice? or should i start claying it now? i heard claying a new cars paint isnt good for it either? ahhhh im so confused... i wanna keep my car looking brand new for a long time. but I DONT KNOW WHERE TO START....

[Blenjar]

eeek..dont wash your car right after snow time...wait for like a week, make sure everywere looks like spring time...

-- Blen

[acrbill]

Salt will dissolve so you should not need to clay it out. Just hit the touchless car wash once a week until spring comes around, then give the car a full detail.

[DJ_Trizzak]

can't really notice much difference if you clay it, feels hella smooth though after

[doginmyyaris]

While the yaris comes with a pretty shitty paint job (as anyone that drives a lot of freeway miles can attest to), claying can really help your paint shine after you wax it! After washing, stick your hand in a clean sandwich bag and run it over the paint. You'll feel like Helen Keller! After claying, and all that shit is gone, wax.
As far as that "salt" on your car...trees dont drip salt, but they *do* drip sap, which washing along wont remove.
And if you want your paint to last, dont wait until the weather changes....get that crap (sap, salt, bird shit, whatever) off your paint ASAP! The long it sits on the paint, the deeper into the paint it will eat!

[Razr]

Claying your car (or applying waxes/polishes) is safe so long as the paint finish is at least 2 weeks old, and has properly cured.

If after washing your car you can still feel "grit" on the paint surface, then claying is *exactly* what you need. There's nothing hard about doing it, and so long as you use plenty of lubricant there's really not any inherent danger for first-timers to be wary of. You'll be amazed at just how much gunk claying will get off your paint!

[jdubau55]

How often do you all recommend claying? Like everytime you detail, not wash, your car? Cause during the winter I wash about once every 3 weeks. During the spring summer I will detail prolly once every 2 months or so, wash every other week I guess.

[Razr]

How often you clay depends on how quickly surface contaminants build up on your paint. Another point is that claying doesn't just remove grit, it also removes your wax, so it can end up being a job which will take a few hours to complete.

There's no snow where I live, so the only thing I'm really battling with is industrial fallout, diesel muck, and intense heat. My standard routine is as follows:

* Wash the car once or twice a week
* Vac the car weekly
* Top-up the wax layer every 2-4 weeks (depending on temps)
* Clay, Chemical Clean, Polish and Wax every 2-3 months

Your schedule *will* be different!

[Pavel Olavich]

Originally Posted by doginmyyaris

While the yaris comes with a pretty shitty paint job (as anyone that drives a lot of freeway miles can attest to), claying can really help your paint shine after you wax it! After washing, stick your hand in a clean sandwich bag and run it over the paint. You'll feel like Helen Keller! After claying, and all that shit is gone, wax.
As far as that "salt" on your car...trees dont drip salt, but they *do* drip sap, which washing along wont remove.
And if you want your paint to last, dont wait until the weather changes....get that crap (sap, salt, bird shit, whatever) off your paint ASAP! The long it sits on the paint, the deeper into the paint it will eat!

WRONG....clay BEFORE you wax it...NEVER after.....

[jamal1984]

you guys make it sound too hard and really don't know who is right and who is wrong. it's very hard to keep your car clean all the time.

[Razr]

Pavel and me are right :)

I live in an area where there's huge amounts of pollution fallout and gecko's that shit on your car every day so I end up doing everything a lot more frequently than most people ever will.

Assuming you wash your car when it needs it, you'll normally only need to clean/polish/wax after every 3-6 months. After you've done it the first time and get acquainted with how a freshly polished and waxed finish looks and feels you'll know when it's time to do it again.

As for clay, the only time you need to do this is when you can *feel* grit stuck to the paint after washing, or if you specifically want to remove the existing wax from the finish (e.g. the factory wax).

Note that all of this advice assumes you are prepared to put in some serious elbow grease in order to have the best looking car on the block. If that's not your thing, forget everything we've posted and just wash your car when you feel like it :)

[rstb88]

Yay, finally a field that I'm good at. Here are easy to read steps to follow.
1. Wash by hand and dry, any and i mean car wash will leave scratches.
2. Clay bar, Clay Magic is the hardest and will get the deepest sediment out, clay bar with utterly devistate and remove any wax or polish.
3. Polish, then wax
Most clay bar manufacturers suggest doing claybar every 3 to 6 months depending on areas of course. IF you get major build up then ya do it more frequently. But remember lubricant is your friend, the clay bar can and will remove your paint if you dont pay attention. Do not ignore claybaring, it is essential to the health of your paint. Waxing and polishing alone cannot bring your paint to a smooth glass like finish without it. I have to agree with Razr if your not willing to put your back into it then forget it and your paint quality cause halfassing the work isnt going to save you any money. DO NOT LET SALT SIT OVER THE WINTER, NEVER!!!! Salt is the leading cause of rust, even if u pay 3 bucks to just spray it off at the self service place it better than leaving it on. Read the quote in my sig...

[rstb88]

OO OO OO read MDF's link, its a good source of info, but its biased like I'am on products. By the way the best car wash is Quick and Easy wash and can only be found at Rv stores or Harley store which is extremely expensive at 18usd for the smallest size. But it doesnot require rinsing(cause rv parks limit water us thus this was made for rvs bu it is the same concept) but sinc you have plenty of water you can rinse for a better result.

[doginmyyaris]

Pavel-
Before you scream "WRONG" at someone, try reading the post out load first. That way you might save yourself from looking like such a dolt. Still confused? Are you sure I said to "wax *then* clay"?

[grampi]

Pavel is right. Once you clay, as long as you keep a good coat of polish/wax on the paint, you should never have to clay again. If you're getting the stuff on/in your paint that requires the use of a clay bar to remove you're either 1) not polishing often enough or 2) not using a good polish. I used a clay bar on my wife's MPV when we got it new in '03 and the paint's just as smooth now as it was then. I apply Zaino twice a year. You can achieve the same results using at the same intervals Classe or Duragloss polishes as well.

[whoguy]

Hi all,

I clayed my car brand new..... COOL aye.

I found rough contaminants on the brand new car and thought.... s.h.i..t... I wanna get this crap off.... so I clayed it.... then waxed it twice.... then washed it....

Now after 1 year..... still silky smooth..... I love it.... yep..... only have to clay it once..... then maintain normally....

I don't recommend it to the faint hearted though.

[Black Yaris]

Originally Posted by grampi

Pavel is right. Once you clay, as long as you keep a good coat of polish/wax on the paint, you should never have to clay again. If you're getting the stuff on/in your paint that requires the use of a clay bar to remove you're either 1) not polishing often enough or 2) not using a good polish. I used a clay bar on my wife's MPV when we got it new in '03 and the paint's just as smooth now as it was then. I apply Zaino twice a year. You can achieve the same results using at the same intervals Classe or Duragloss polishes as well.

I notice you like to use definitave word alot, you may want to stop that, because never,always,all,none, etc rarely happens... there are many other reasons you may want to clay bar; stuborn water spots, post bird shit clean up, just about anything one your paint you want off (tar, tree sap, etc)

and please do not encourage Pavel, his head is big enough

[doginmyyaris]

"never" have to clay again? Unless you live in a vacuum, your car *will* collect surface contaminants over time. I usually clay twice a year...or just after a tree shits sap all over my paint.