Clay Newb Seeking Advice on what to buy??

[RyansAutoDetail]

hey there I have a good detailing background but at my prior job they did not use clay and therefore I didnt learn about it ..

Im looking to purchase some in the near future and have the following vehicles/paint colors

2007.5 BMW 323i Navy Blue Slight Metallic Look
2001 Ford Ranger XLT SupCab Silver Metallic Look
2000 Ford Windstar Hunter Green Metallic

All Paints I believe are to be metallic but three very different styles and darknesses, My question is what is the best claying solution when I don't own a PC or buffing/polishing machine and only have the ability to hand wax and hand polish ??

Which Brands Are Preferred ?? Im looking into MOTHERS as I dont have any of those products yet.

PLEASE HELP ME !

[Stephan]

Mothers for the OTC brand is fine. Its a decent size bar and it comes with its own QD. My only recommendation is don't be shy with the spray. Since you won't be polishing you want to make sure there is a good slick surface to move the caly about. This will help to reduce marring.

[RyansAutoDetail]

ok so bottom line with a simple wash with claying and no polishing would hand applied wax be worth it or not opposed to a simple spray wax after claying ?

EG
wash
clay/QD
spray wax or NXT 2.0 hand applied wax and MF off .

im just looking at what i can do the best finish without using a polisher until i can afford one

[GearHead_1]

I would probably tell you to hold off on the clay until you have a polisher. You mentioned looking into one in another thread that I replied to. I don't mean to come across as a snob and make it sound like you can't do any good without spending bucks on a polisher but it is so much more difficult and you just can't expect the same type of results. You may actually have a smoother finish once you clay but you also may see many more swirls. The clay manufacturers won't tell you this because they're happy to sell it to you either way. So many of the clays, polishes etc. assume you have a mechanical means of application. I say this knowing you may have zero trouble with the clay but also know that many people cause swirling while using the clay. It's pretty common particularly if you aren't familiar with the process and what you are feeling. Clean it well put a couple of good coats of wax/sealant on it, a good trim protectant, tire protectant and call it good.

Let me say this so that I'm not misquoted here. You can get a very nice finish applying products by hand. If a vehicle has a significant amount of swirls and you are correcting by hand it can take hours just to perfect a hood. No hands can duplicate what a machine will do.

[RyansAutoDetail]

well i will be spending the money soon as i just got a new job but as for now i am offering a detailing service which doesnt offer buffing/polishing or solid waxing, and i want to keep a reasonable price in doing so. If I was to get a machine and some starter kits what cost would be adequate to compensate me for a full detail with polish/wax above the 65.00 CAD i am currently charging which includes everything interior and wash, I would assume I could charge about $110.00 a car and take 6-7 hours instead of 3-4 which i currently use for time managment reasons . and what could i charge for just external washing and polishing with no interior detail ?