fl2.7T

can I get away with something like Meguiars Medallion paint cleaner (80% effective?) vs the clay bar routine. I STFA and still a little uneasy about clay. Any thoughts on the Diamondite spray stuff? I'm motivated to establish a good starting point before embarking on my next detail.

6sidua

3m general purpose adhesive remover, part# 08984, the red can.... this is how it's sold on the professional side, for retail consumer it's also labeled as 3m adhesive, wax and tar remover part# 03607. same product but smaller can or spray and higher price.

i've used clay for 10 years and like the process and close inspection that comes with using clay, but this 3m product does the same thing with way less time and effort.

paint cleaning is a lot easier than described on this and other boards....
basically the grime on a car is only of 2 types. water soluble or not.
water with a little surfactant/detergent/ionic agents (soap) removes all of the water soluble crap. whatever is left is not water soluble (tar, wax, overspray, silicon, so called "embedded particles" and other hydrocarbon residues. clay mechanically removes this other stuff, but the 3m product also removes it by disolving and wiping it away. the paint is now "clean" of all surface contaminants and can be polished, waxed or sealed by your favorite products/methods.

simple to use. wash the car and remove most water. wet the car with the 3m product. wait 1-5 minutes depending on weather and wipe away. all done...if your are compulsive rinse car again with water to flush any loose particulate. squeege, dry and wax.

as much as guys like their power tools, using these 3 low friction "all hand" steps are much safer for auto paint/clearcoats. you will be less likely to scratch new paint but will still get the "slick as clayed" surface.

as i said i like clay but when doing multiple cars or with less time or cooler weather, i favor the 3m product. don't have to throw out clay that's dropped or keep track of how "dirty" the clay is...clean soft towels are needed (i favor cotton) but these are used anyway for other steps.

i have actually done parts of cars with both methods and could not tell any difference in paint surface when finished, even after 2-3 years of repeating.

this 3m solvent doesn't damage/strip factory paint in anyway but shouldn't be used on newly repaired paint till fully cured.

try it you will like it.
cheers

RKA

I was just pondering that today. I want to start my spring detailing...however it's still a bit too cold to be working with a clay bar. When it's over 60-65F, the clay is workable, but below that, I get arthritis folding and re-folding the clay.

...and I just so happen to have a bottle of 3M Adhesive Remover in the basement!

6sidua

wear gloves during application.
the same hydrocarbon dissolving agents that clean the car will pull all of the fats out of your skin...leaving it whitish and very dry. probably gets absorbed through the skin too, causing cancer, baldness, infertility and some sort of buzz...
cheers

201-A4

but you just answered my question.

fl2.7T

Thanks for your great insight on this and German Castrol.

SportsCarCare.com

but I don't think it's a suitable substitute for clay, IMHO. Plus, it creates a ridiculous amount of white dust.

Don't be concerned about using a claybar. The clay will do all the work for you - you can't press to hard as the clay will "mush" out between your fingers and the paint if you push too hard. And any dirt it picks up will be absorbed into the clay.

I think a paint cleaner (I prefer the P21s GEPC and the Zymol HD-Cleanse, personally) is a necessary step to keep the "depth" of the paint, but in many cases they may not be a substitute for a good claybarring.

RKA

Buzz eh? Better than sniffing glue?

Pre-Done

This stuff seems like it would be brutal on the environment if simply rinsed off into a driveway or other public sewer system.