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2) Decontaminating your Paintwork

31K views 48 replies 30 participants last post by  moulin12 
#1 ·
Ok..

So you've snowfoamed, you've power washed, and washed your car with a two bucket method. Its clean and ready to go isn't it?

Not quite...

In order to get the best finish, you ultimately need perfectly clean paint. The washing process so far, only takes care of the surface dirt. The stuff that washing alone can not deal with needs taking care of next. :cool:

Tar, iron fall out, tree sap and other nasties, cling to your paint and rob you of the best finishes. The next time you wash your car, rub your hand slowly over the paint work. Is it bobbly, and grabby? Or glass like and smooth?



These can be treated in a few different ways -

Claying:

Best for a really deep clean. This should only be done a few times a year, claying (and particularly with some aggresive clays) can actually do more harm than good if you do it way too often, or with the wrong technique, and in the wrong way it can cause permanent damage to your paint. Id always suggest a 'fine grade' clay if its your first time in doing this - as this can cause the least damage. This can be found on the regular car web sites, and of course eBay very easily and cheaply indeed. Most people get a complete pack, as it includes all the necessary bits you need - Clay, Lubrication, cleaning cloth and polish to protect after, you can however buy the bits separately again at your nearest web store or Halfords. Claying is very good at removing tar, tree sap, bird lime, dead bugs and of course - Ingrained dirt in your paint.

A few tips when using clay - whatever size bar you get - chop it into 2 or 3 equal sized lumps, and put the other two into a clean box. There is nothing worse than starting the task of claying, and dropping your bar of clay onto the floor! It happens!!! The idea is to keep your clay as clean as possible from dirt and particles, so dropping it on the floor means instantly that piece is useless, and has to go into the bin. :cry:

Keep the clay warm, supple and well lubricated on the car:

If the clay is getting hard too quickly, keep spares close at hand in a cup of warm / hot water to keep it supple.

Some clays need only water to lubricate them, I prefer a dedicated lubricant like Auto Glym's Rapid Detailer, or DoDo juice Born Slippy to do the job however

Never skimp on using the lube either, the clay should never 'stick' to your paint, but always glide over the surface. Its also always best to work in an 'up/down' motion, as apposed to 'round and round' with clay too - it helps reduce paint marring that can occur from using clay.

You should be able to both see, and feel the difference that clay has made to your paint, it should be shinier and smoother to touch..

Before:



The process of claying can be done on all areas of your car - bodywork, wheels, plastics and glass, but just remember that it totally removes all protection from your car, so its best to save it for a day when you know you have chance to at least get some polish on again afterwards :cool:

So thats claying...

De-Tar and De-Contaminating metal fall out without clay:

Best for - a quick way to remove most contamination every 6 weeks or so. The products used again are quite harsh, so shouldn't be used every time you clean the car.

Now clay does not remove metal fall out fully, and if you don't rotate your clay regularly, could cause you scratch issues. I always give the car a good going over with some of the products you will soon see before I clay, as this removes 85% of the fallout on your paintwork :)

There are a few Iron removers on the market - Korrosol, Iron X, Auto Finesse Iron Out and Autobrite's Purple Rain are four of the most popular. Valet Pro have recently brought out 'Dragons Breath' as an alternative, and that is getting great reviews although Ive not used it yet. These can be used on wheels and bodywork, and if you've never used one before, you will be amazed at what they do!! Fallout Removers have a very nasty odour due to the chemical content within them, and are also very Acid / Alkaline based to help with cleaning power. as such, Id highly recommend the use gloves, and standing well back when you use them.

Iron Fallout is caused by the metal brake discs getting so hot under braking, that tiny metal fragments come off and embed themselves in your wheels and paintwork. If this is not removed, over time it can cause water damage to get into your paint lacquer as the rust eats away at it.. :cry: When you feel your paintwork, its usually the 'bobbly' texture that this is - it is also visible on lighter colour cars as yellow or orange specs, particularly on white cars. If you look at the top photo of our white car, you can see them as orange spots. If you live near Railway lines, this is also a way of getting fallout on your car. Dont think that new cars are immune to fallout either - many cars travel to the ports on train lines, and are often covered in fallout without ever being driven!! :rollseyes:

You do this process once you have finished washing and rinsing the car, so the paintwork and wheels should still be damp, but not soaking wet.

Spray it neat straight from the bottle onto paintwork or wheels, and stand back....







They usually smell shocking too!!! :eek2:







All the purple reactions, also referred too as 'bleeding' - is the fallout remover desolving the metal fallout on contact. This usually happens inside 5 minutes. Even a new car (the picture of the Purple Rain is of a 2 week old car) had examples of iron on his wheels!! :eek2: Its important to never let the products dry onto your paint though, as it can mark and stain it, so as soon as you are happy with timescale, wipe it clean gently with a microfibre, and stand back and be amazed!!!

Removing tar spots is also done in a similar fashion.

Autosmart Tardis is just about THE go to product for tar spot removal.



Sure, there are a few rival products on the market, but this is as cheap as them, and performs 5 times as good as anything else out their!! iIf you have a white car - this stuff is a must have!!

Spray on - and watch it do its stuff!!



Again, dont let it dry on, and keep it away from black or grey plastic trim. Wipe it clean after about 5 minutes, but be prepared to be amazed!!! :p

I usually give the car a quick wash again (usually with snowfoam and a wash mitt) around the areas I have just cleaned (the whole car in the case of claying) - to make sure that all of the products have been removed.

The car is then dried using fluffy drying towels, and you are now ready to start the polishing process.. :cool2:
 
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#6 ·
Excellent writeup. I have the same red as in the pics what do you recommend as a sealant / polish? The car had dealer's seal and protect applied when I bought it 10 months ago which disappeared about 8 months ago :x ( I got it for virtually nothing and a load of BMW products)?
 
#7 ·
Ant said:
can i add to clay, Would always recommend Bilt Hamber Clay as uses water for lube. That way you can keep it in a bowl of warm water, makes it a lot more easy to use.
So you just need the Clay & water ( no lube)?

As i was just going to ask can you make your own lube at home? As i almost ran out when i did my car last time.

P.S nice work again James ;)
 
#9 ·
E81Mark said:
Excellent writeup. I have the same red as in the pics what do you recommend as a sealant / polish? The car had dealer's seal and protect applied when I bought it 10 months ago which disappeared about 8 months ago :x ( I got it for virtually nothing and a load of BMW products)?
Certainly get yourself some Auto Finesse Tripple - it's a fantastic polish. As for wax - it depends on your budget and how often you fancy re-applying your wax:

Under £20:
Collonite 476

£20-£30:
DoDo Juice Supernatural Hybrid

£30+:
Bouncers 22
 
#11 ·
Thanks for the excellent write up. I tried claying for the first time recently and it works really well. I did mar the paint more than I'd have liked in places but it got less as I got the hang of it. It also took me a while to get the most out of using the Iron Out and Tardis. I especially like the tip on keeping the clay in some warm water. Keeping it soft and pliable wasn't always easy so I'll give this a try next time.

This was the result of the first proper wash since having it done professionally a couple of days after taking delivery:




 
#12 ·
ajwhitlock said:
Thanks for the excellent write up. I tried claying for the first time recently and it works really well. I did mar the paint more than I'd have liked in places but it got less as I got the hang of it. It also took me a while to get the most out of using the Iron Out and Tardis. I especially like the tip on keeping the clay in some warm water. Keeping it soft and pliable wasn't always easy so I'll give this a try next time.

This was the result of the first proper wash since having it done professionally a couple of days after taking delivery:




Picies not working fella :)
 
#16 ·
Kernowlad said:
Do you sell Autosmart Tardis? Our van is peppered in tar spots; it was machine polished only a month ago!!

I checked your website but couldn't find it.
Unfortunately not. Autosmart are a trade only business and only sell wholesale with a licence. You can get it in small amounts off eBay, but watch who you buy it off as lots of it isn't what it claims to be.

My nearest product is CarChem tar and glue remover - it's pretty much the same as Tardis to be fair!
 
#17 ·
Kernowlad said:
Blackroc said:
Kernowlad said:
Do you sell Autosmart Tardis? Our van is peppered in tar spots; it was machine polished only a month ago!!

I checked your website but couldn't find it.
Unfortunately not. Autosmart are a trade only business and only sell wholesale with a licence. You can get it in small amounts off eBay, but watch who you buy it off as lots of it isn't what it claims to be.

My nearest product is CarChem tar and glue remover - it's pretty much the same as Tardis to be fair!
Possible tip; mostly recommend products you sell!
Ha ha! Autosmart have all their licences taken, and very little chance of it coming available up here!!
 
#19 ·
Geo20 said:
Hi, Great write up!

Would you recommend against using a sealant after using Auto Finesse Tripple ? As it sates its an all in one polish with wax in it. If so can you recommend a polish without wax, to allow the use of C2v3 Liquid Crystal?

Thanks
Thanks pal :)

Tripple definitely alters protection lengths with sealants, so if you are looking for durability look at Auto Finesse Tough Prep or Werkstatt Prime paint cleansing polishes.

For ultimate durability though, apply c2v3 to bare paint, after being wiped down with an alcohol based cleaner (CarPro Eraser, Gyeon Prime, GTechniq Panel Wipe are 3 of the best)

Of course you don't get any swirls or marks hidden by the polish this way, but you will get the best durability :)
 
#20 ·
Blackroc said:
Geo20 said:
Hi, Great write up!

Would you recommend against using a sealant after using Auto Finesse Tripple ? As it sates its an all in one polish with wax in it. If so can you recommend a polish without wax, to allow the use of C2v3 Liquid Crystal?

Thanks
Thanks pal :)

Tripple definitely alters protection lengths with sealants, so if you are looking for durability look at Auto Finesse Tough Prep or Werkstatt Prime paint cleansing polishes.

For ultimate durability though, apply c2v3 to bare paint, after being wiped down with an alcohol based cleaner (CarPro Eraser, Gyeon Prime, GTechniq Panel Wipe are 3 of the best)

Of course you don't get any swirls or marks hidden by the polish this way, but you will get the best durability :)
Thanks for the suggestions, I have had my BS 1er for two weeks from new now (without BMW seal and protect) so I am looking to remove any potential fallout and get the paint looking as good as possible with a polish before sealing the paintwork to allow a regular maintenance wash. So I will look into the tough prep and prime paint, would the above mentioned be a good idea to use on dry, decontaminated alloys or would a good fallout remover/clean suffice before sealing the alloys ?

Sorry for all the Q's, I'm new to this intensity of cleaning and I am serious about maintaining the quality of my paintwork for the time I have the car (helps that I enjoy it[emoji14])
 
#21 ·
Geo20 said:
Blackroc said:
Geo20 said:
Hi, Great write up!

Would you recommend against using a sealant after using Auto Finesse Tripple ? As it sates its an all in one polish with wax in it. If so can you recommend a polish without wax, to allow the use of C2v3 Liquid Crystal?

Thanks
Thanks pal :)

Tripple definitely alters protection lengths with sealants, so if you are looking for durability look at Auto Finesse Tough Prep or Werkstatt Prime paint cleansing polishes.

For ultimate durability though, apply c2v3 to bare paint, after being wiped down with an alcohol based cleaner (CarPro Eraser, Gyeon Prime, GTechniq Panel Wipe are 3 of the best)

Of course you don't get any swirls or marks hidden by the polish this way, but you will get the best durability :)
Thanks for the suggestions, I have had my BS 1er for two weeks from new now (without BMW seal and protect) so I am looking to remove any potential fallout and get the paint looking as good as possible with a polish before sealing the paintwork to allow a regular maintenance wash. So I will look into the tough prep and prime paint, would the above mentioned be a good idea to use on dry, decontaminated alloys or would a good fallout remover/clean suffice before sealing the alloys ?

Sorry for all the Q's, I'm new to this intensity of cleaning and I am serious about maintaining the quality of my paintwork for the time I have the car (helps that I enjoy it[emoji14])
Werkstatt Prime is particularly good on chrome and alloys, but always deep clean (fallout remove and tar remove) first. Dry, polish them up and seal ;-)
 
#23 ·
Could I just ask, on this subject.....is fallout remover (I've just bought dragons breath) used on the lower panels only? Eg below the door handles? Or should it be used all over?

Many thanks

Btw loving these guides, not too much jargon and nice clear explanations!

Thanks

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
#24 ·
moraywalker said:
Could I just ask, on this subject.....is fallout remover (I've just bought dragons breath) used on the lower panels only? Eg below the door handles? Or should it be used all over?

Many thanks

Btw loving these guides, not too much jargon and nice clear explanations!

Thanks

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Use it all over bodywork, as fallout never settles just on lower areas of your car, it will be everywhere. As long as you never let it dry on (or apply to hot paintwork) it's all good [emoji106]
 
#26 ·
It helps prevent contamination sticking, but you'll still get a bit of iron 'rail dust' from your (and other peoples) brakes.

I use Bilt Hamber's 'Korrosol' once a year to safely remove it. Smells much nicer than Iron-X (a bit like battenburg cake) but it's still a touch sulphurous.
 
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