Just clayed my Turbo using ONR clay lube (with Lumiere clay). Yeah, it kind of scratched my paint a bit. And I was spraying lube LIBERALLY. Next time I clay a car, I might use a different clay lube and see if it's the same result, but I'm not terribly happy about the scratches.

Though I'm going to polish the car anyways, so I guess it doesn't really matter...

Anyone else have a similar or opposite experience with ONR as a clay lube?

 

I had very similar results with ONR as well, so I stopped using it. I now have begun to use Poly's Clear-Tech Detailing Fluid which is also a rinseless product but far superior. IMO it induces zero scratches if used properly and may be used for many other things unlike ONR......

• No Rinse Wash
• Liquid Detailer
• Final Inspection
• Pad Primer
• Pad Washer
• Bug Remover
• Mild APC
• Leather Cleaner
• Door Jam Cleaner
• Micro Towel Wash
• Wool Carpet Cleaner For Fine Carpets/Materials on Luxury Vehicles
• Headliner Cleaner

Happy New Year 2011!

 

A polymer is non-abrasive therefore it cannot be the cause of a scratch; detailer's clay on the other hand is an abrasive...

 

Joe, there's a reason why I've always recommended using the lube the manufacturer of the clay recommends. It took me almost 6 months to figure out a natural formulation to use with the clay we have. The ingredients we're currently using to develop the Lumiere line are very expensive since they're coming from a natural source, from around the world, and most of the line is certified organic. But, the trade-off is you're using the only products, that we know of, in the world that are both safe for your car as well as YOU. In the grand scheme of things, paying $15 for a lube that can do two application safely and effectively isn't really a bad investment considering it's going on a car that's over $100,000. The whole line was developed exclusively for these high-end and exotic automobiles. But more about that when the time is right

 

True, but the lube is what's preventing the abrasives in the clay from causing the scratching and marring. That's why when we were developing the lube for Lumiere, it took several formulation to NOT marr or scratch the paint. Since we used the same clay formulation to test, the clay was always constant no matter what lube we used.

 

An interesting concept – an abrasive that doesn’t cause surface scratches

 

sorry what is ONR?

 

Alexstjo: ONR is "Optimum No Rinse", which is a rinseless car wash product that also proposes to serve as a quick detailer and a clay lube, based on various dilutions.

TOGWT: Are you saying that all clays will scratch? It's my understanding that all clays will scratch if you don't use lube, but that the purpose of a clay lube was to prevent the clay from scratching? Though it's also my understanding that the more aggressive clays will scratch regardless of lube...?

Moe: Yeah, a great example of me being penny wise and pound foolish. Tho I did figure that if ONR wasn't a good clay lube it wouldn't matter since I'm going to polish the car anyways. Also, I didn't notice this problem with the Saab that I worked on, but that may be due to the Porsche's softer paint (I've read that Porsche paint is "soft" - not sure why they'd put soft paint on a car, but that's a different discussion). I'll try to do an actual comparison of different lube's next time - I didn't think there was going to be any problems so I didn't even try using the Lumiere clay lube (I do have a bottle).

Or I may have my friend get me some of the Canadian clay that I've read about and that's supposedly much better than the claymagic stuff that I guess is the only thing we can get in the US for now...

 

No. You misunderstood Jon. The clays are the abrasive part of the process, as you already know. It's the lube that prevents the clay from scratching. When I was developing the lube for Lumiere, it took many different formulations to come up with something that had the right lubricity that it both didn't hinder the clay's performance, and prevented the clay from scratching the paint. Hope this clarifies.

On another note, ONR has been used by many professional and DIY detailers. It obviously works but the trouble that can arise is correctly mixing the right concentration for your task.

 

[TOGWT: Are you saying that all clays will scratch? It's my understanding that all clays will scratch if you don't use lube, but that the purpose of a clay lube was to prevent the clay from scratching? Though it's also my understanding that the more aggressive clays will scratch regardless of lube...?]


Application –a thin film of lubrication provides a safety barrier that enables the clay to hydroplane across the surface. In other words, by applying enough pressure to ensure contact with the surface the clay will aquaplaning on a micro-thin film of lubrication between it and the paint surface removing the (protruding) surface contaminants by abrasion and encapsulation by the malleable clay. Without lubrication the clay will abrade the paint surface much like a dry-sanding block and will produce significant fine surface marring. When you start the clay process you’ll feel resistance as you glide the clay with its lubricant, this is normal, the resistance will lessen as the contaminants are removed, once there is no more resistance you can move to the next 2 x 2-foot section. A medium sized vehicle should take approximately 30-45 minutes

Note: You may have to remove minor surface marring caused by the clay (dependent upon its grade of abrasive)

Moe- I misread your post, apologies