Two ?'s about detailing

[1080eyes]

I've read these detail threads for 3 years now, and have not read anything about what I'm asking.

1. I remember hearing long ago that if using a pressure washer on a dirty car, the pressure of the water can drive dirt into the paint. Yes or no?

2. When I clay my car, the clay bar I use never looks as dirty as some of the demo videos I've seen here. Am I washing/scrubing to hard before claying?

[Black Sheep]

1. Use it on the wheels, most people use them to spray foam. I wont use 1 on my paint...

2. You have to have a really neglected car to get a lot of contaminates into the clay. Can always do the bag test to figure out if you should clay or not. If your paint feels smooth you should be good, but if you feel imperfections, your going to need to clay. Always start out with the finest and move your way up.

[MuttGrunt]

1. Hypothetically... maybe? In practice, no, and it's not worth the worry for that as most people would see the positives a pressure washer gives in helping to reduce wash induced damage to the point they're not worried about such things.

2. If your car is garage kept, waxed/sealed, and washed in a good gentle manner, you won't see the same level of contamination. Just keeping your vehicle in the garage and waxing it every now and then makes a HUGE difference. Clients seem to be amazed I can tell if they keep the car in a garage or not, if they wax it regularly or not, and if its outside often; which side of the car is normally facing the sun.

Keep up the good care!