Shyan and Seech/Jack well said!

I do reuse my clay but provided it is not contaminated and clean. If you accidentally drop it on a dirty surface/ground, throw it away. For a "used" up clay, you can save it for rims (if you don't have expensive or nice clear coated rims...) or use it for cleaning up the under body of your car. I used to use a "cubit" portion for claying the surface and throw it away once contaminated, throw it away. But realized by using a too small a portion you would be using your fingers and exerting too much pressure on the surface that you are claying. On some paint surface (such as soft black) you would see some marring. Pressure is force per unit area... Besides it is also tiring. I find it better to use just enough clay to fit your palm. It is less exhaustive claying with your palm compared to using your fingers (except for tight areas where you need to use your fingers) and more efficient. Try to keep a different clay bar for top portion and lower portion of your car. The lower portion tends to get more dirty.

See the following articles:
Baggie Test - Mike Phillips
Tips and Tricks for using detailing clay - Mike Phillips

Also clay comes in several grades: light to aggressive. Some clay manufacturers market it as for dark (light) or light (aggressive) colored paint. Start with the least aggressive first.

If you want to go the extra mile after washing your car clean, before claying...
- You can try decontaminating the paint surface with a paint safe degreaser/APC before claying. Remove some tough nut grease/oil, black streaks, etc.
- You can try using product such as IronX or IronX soap which is paint safe to remove any ferrous particles from the surface before claying. Usually if you have lots of brake dust such as BMW.
- You can try using a paint safe tar remover (orange oil/d-limonene based) to dissolve and remove tar from the paint surface before claying. This is much safer and would save you loads of time. Don't use clay to remove tar spots as what some people/detailers recommend. Tar spots can be embedded with sand/grime and difficult to remove with clay. You might end up marring the surface besides not being efficient.
- Then start claying - you will notice that claying at this point is so much easier and not much contaminant is left on the surface by looking at what is picked up by your clay. Remember to inspect your clay often for any particles or large contaminants. If possible pick those large particles out before folding you clay over.
- Some would even do a further step of decontamination after claying for removing beneath surface contaminants.

Gaaa.... don't use Daiso MF towel. Hopeless...

If you are on a budget, better to get from pasar malam/pagi, those 3 for RM20 wooly/furry MF towels for washing. Cheap, fluffy and can dispose them once they get too soiled. Fluffy MF like the pink one in the pic (not the yellow one which is a Cobra MF... or the blue one)


For drying get a better quality MF towel. Trying looking for waffle weave MF for drying. Osren got a variety of nice and good MF.

The Daiso MF feels like plastic cloth. Not absorbent and the nap does not have that supple feel.

Talking about the 710W DAs. It is sourced from China. You can get it cheaper + free shipping + a bunch of stuff that comes with it...
710W DA - 8mm orbit

There is also a 600W DA with 9mm orbit but a tad more expensive...
600W DA - 9mm orbit

Also you get buyer protection from Aliexpress Have not bought any of those. Can get cheaper if you know how to get it from China... Tested some of these China DAs and hate the vibration. Waiting for my "sasquatch"...

There is an automotive paint shop in Klang which you can buy M101. Can't remember the name. If remember correctly M101 is about RM100 per quart (~1L). They also do carry M105, Mirka compound/polishes, Farecla, automotive refinishing sandpaper, specialized masking tapes, etc. Last check, they do not have 3M pads. Need to get elsewhere.

Rough location is here:
GMaps location...

"Polishing" may or may not remove all. Likely need to "compound" aka cutting for the deeper scratches. Two different terms. Both involves leveling the paint to a certain extend. Depends how deep are those marks. If your fingernail can catch the scratch, then better to live with it.

P.S: Don't call the dog stupid... cause it ain't

This post has been edited by eohl79: Feb 13 2013, 10:55 AM

IMO, LC orange pad seems to be less dense than the LC white pad. Can tell when washing/cleaning the pad and compressing it. Think the denser pad would trap more heat vs the orange. I think it is the case of using too much product or caking up within the pores. Would like to know:
1. Foam size - 5" or 6"?
2. Polishing product used? Some polishes tend to cake gum up more when used a little too much.
3. New or used pad?
4. Sticky paint?
5. Did you feel the temperature of the paint surface during DA operation?
6. Did you check for pad rotation on the DA? Is the backing rotating?
7. Hand speed - slow/medium/fast arm movement? machine speed?
8. Did you check the condition of the polish on the surface of the pad? Caking/gumming up?
9. ???

Plenty of questions. Tried both LC orange/white on my Rupes LHR15 DA without problems so far with M101/Sonax Perfect Finish. First time with limited experience on a DA. Think I might learn something from here.

BTW, LC CCS or flat pads or the others?

Oh Osren PC2.0. That polish won't gum up from my experience using it with a rotary + 5.5" LC white flat pad. I have that polish too and mine seems to be quite viscous - watery/lotion type consistency. Yes, thinking the liquid in PC2.0 is heating up and got no where to go. How long were you working it before it happen? Any supplemental wetting agents? Perhaps use less product and do not over prime pad. Well could only learn from such incidences... thanks for sharing!

Meg's NXT car wash is one of my favorite car wash. Remove LSP? Get dilution right and it should be minimal. I think any kind of washing would remove some amount of LSP since it acts as a sacrificial layer. Also, some of the so called slickness in some LSPs comes from oils/polymers/etc in the sealant/wax. Some amount of it would remain after the first LSP application and would get washed away after the next car wash. However the LSP could still be there. Some ways to gauge life of a LSP is from so called slickness feeling, water beading and water sheeting. Some LSP feels slick (especially the non water based), some not. Some beads water (hydrophobic), some sheet water (hydrophilic) and some a combination of both. IMO, to tell if it is really there, you would need to compare it against a totally cleaned panel - preferably at least a light polish. Water would usually sheet slowly (almost as if water is sticking to your paint) vs a LSP which sheets water faster on a panel without any LSP. Then again a contaminated panel with traffic film might bead/sheet water too. Don't worry too much, just maintain a good detailing schedule and top up your LSP every so often. Smoothness of the surface does not come from LSP but it being free from embedded contaminant. Clay it when necessary.

LSP that sheet water is like Permanon. Surface does not feel slick but LSP is definitely there. Most LSPs out there are usually hydrophobic. See the following video I made quite recently... Front bonnet left and right side has Duragloss Aquawax and center Permanon Diamond. Duragloss Aquawax is a quite good water beader where else Permanon is a good water sheeter. Usually after a rain the Permanon side would have less water droplets left behind and hence less water spots. Some people would think the center panel with Permanon is dead without LSP which in fact it isn't at all. Does not mean it is bad. Then the DG Aquawax side being hydrophobic sheets water off so quickly but sometime leaving some water beads behind. Both are doing its job in protecting the paint anyway.


Now I use a quick wax every 2 weeks after a car wash. Nothing to worry about...

I am using DG Aquawax now. Was using Optimum car wax before which is also quite good. Tried Dodo Supernatural Acrylic Spritz as a QD but did not like it as a QD/QW. It serves better as a good base before topping with sealant/wax. Doesn't matter if it is UQD/ UQW or whatever. Use what you like best to suit your needs. Regular maintenance is all you need. If your have deep pockets you can try the others...

For a clean and dry MF, I mist on the cloth first to prime it a little. Else, if the MF has been used for QD/QW before, I spray on the larger panels and spread. No buffing for DG Aquawax. On pillars and smaller areas, I mist the MF and spread. If MF is still clean, I keep it in a zip lock bag so that it stays a little damp until the next session.

Contact Dodo Juice @ KL on his Facebook. Who knows maybe cheaper...

DJ Red Mist a bit harder to import as it contain solvents but cleans well. DJ Red Mist Tropical should be readily available from what I know.

Relax bro. Setting up business is tough and not easy. Well I think he has his priorities and plan. You still can get Dodo Juice stuff from him.

Don't know how much is a bottle of UQD/UQW but I bought my DG aquawax recently from Megaherbs Tmn Megah with 5% discount for RM40.85 @ 16oz. I wonder if there are any more economical quickwax out there.