Clay Bar tool

I think most of the marring from nanoskin type pads is due to not rinsing enough. We have a tendency to use them like a wash mit (ie. lube up the hood and then run the pad all over the hood without rinsing). We are picking up little hard bits that were stuck to the paint and rubbing them around on the paint. I think a good practice would be to rinse 6 times while working the hood. Its quick and easy. It's also tempting to use more pressure than necessary.

If you use light pressure and rinse OFTEN, the amount of marring can be greatly reduced. But yeah, there are some paints that are just a pain to deal with no matter what due to softness.

 

Yeah I've noticed that on the Teslas. QC is really bad on the paint at least. I've done the early Model S as well and cutting is a breeze. Finishing down is time consuming for sure. I've worked on the new Model 3's and QC on the paint hasn't improved. Sanding marks, marring, holograms. I have another one coming in Saturday so let's see how that one is.
Whenever I use the nanoskin on the machine just the weight of the machine is sufficient and I keep the speed at about 3. No need to run the speed high because once you catch that dry spot it's marring for sure.

 

I use the nanoskin pads as well with a Griot's ROP on 1-2 speed. I use a regular spray bottle with Dawn dish washing detergent as the lube. Much cheaper then the stuff clay lube and also works to strip any wax on the paint off. Then I can really coat the paint well and not risk cleaning with even a marginally dry pad. I still keep my clay handy as well since the nanoskin pads will not allow you to get into all the nooks and crannies of the vehicle.

 

How long does it take you guys to use a machine and nano skin to clay??

 

Half hour to 45 minutes with the nanoskin pad. Then follow up with another 15 minutes with the clay bar in the hard to reach areas.

 

I am such a strong believer in clay bar plus some type of prep spray before waxing. I am also a die hard user of Griots products because I have see little to no negative impact when used correctly.

I have a clay holder but I have never used it, I like using my hands fore better control and feel. Plus, if I pick up any large debris, i notice right away and can remold the clay before a serious scratch occurs.

I just did my new TRD OR and I was amazed at how much stuff came off. Less than 1000 miles. Dealership retailers are hacks....

 

Never ever let a dealership wash your car. Unless you have a desire for swirling or shitty service, never let the dealer wash your ride. I specifically tell them to not wash my truck.

 

I might get some hate for this but I just use one one of those rubberized clay mits before waxing. I mix up a bucket of extremely soapy water wich I use as my lubricant / old wax stripper. Then basically wash the truck with a wash mitt then a second wash with clay mitt taken care not to swirl it around like an animal. It makes the process very quick and painless.
I understand that it's not as good as doing a real clay treatment but it definatley makes a noticeable improvement and it's good enough for my Tacoma which is going to get used and abused like a 4x4 truck should be

 

Actually I see no reason why they are not as effective as regular clay. I made switch last year. Was able to get overspray off my truck quickly.

 

That's my routine now, too. It's just so much easier and more fun than using clay. And it's effective.

 

I had forgotten that a few years ago I used the nanoskin on a coworkers Honda. He had bought it used with transmission problems, fixed the tranny but also had a problem with the paint since the previous owner's son decided to paint the house with the Honda sitting very close by, then decided to use some sandpaper to try to remove some of the splatter. Luckily he quit before using too much sandpaper. But the nanoskin pad was remarkable at removing almost all of the little dried on paint splatter. My coworker ended up getting a pretty good deal with that car.

 

definitely, i just clayed my entire truck in literally 20 min....this includes cleaning up the lubricant after

 

Im pretty sure it takes me about 15-20 minutes to clay my truck. Its very quick.

 

i just bought a nanoskin and am looking forward to trying it out. I was looking at the Chemical Guys version that goes on the DA (that the op was asking about) but decided for the hand powered version.Its crazy you can clay your truck in 15-20 minutes, but I guess if you do it enough you get real efficient at it.

 

The Eagle One version is cheap and works well. The larger size speeds things up. If I keep up with it (3-4x per year) I can get around the truck in about 10 minutes.