Three Way - Clay lube, Iron decon, wax remover

Two years ago we began the journey into our latest version of Wheely Clean with new low odour active ingredients which reopened the talk with our chemists to formulate an iron decontamination spray. After they had finished the Wheely Clean formula another 6 months of solid work was put into more lab testing to nail the chemical reaction and achieve the most effective blend possible. (From what we learned we made a 2nd version of Wheely Clean now known as version (B), the ballistic version - due to the way it reacts so strongly with iron!) Our 3 chemists futher formulated from our feedback and created a fantastic blend that removes the iron contamination, as well as cleaning off older waxes and sealants.

To top it off, it was made to be used as clay lube as well, meaning you can do an entire paint decontamination process in one job, which is why we have given it the name of Three Way. Having one product do these 3 jobs in one application is game changing and will save car fanatics some precious time, and money as well.

What is it?

Three Way is an all Australian developed and made spray on iron removal product, that is safe to use on modern clear coat paint, headlights, exterior trim, chrome, glass and rubber. It offers intensive removal of embedded ferrous iron particles. Not just that though, it's been designed to be super lubricating so it can be used as a clay lube with our Claying Rubber. It's a uniquely pH neutral formula, utilising paint safe cleaners to help with the removal of old waxes and sealants, providing a thorough and total decontamination process. The thicker viscosity of the liquid allows for a slower drying time and longer dwell time on the side panels of your vehicle. Also helping with this is the fact that it's hydrophilic, meaning it spreads better across the panels, which in turn uses less product. This will leave an amazingly clean surface that will be ready for our Paint Cleanse & Restore, followed by our paint sealing products.

Key points

Three Way was created after 6 months of intensive lab testing and real world trial and error to work amazingly at its job, as well as be practical to use here in SE Qld, so it has some really different attributes which we’ll run through right here:

• Powerful and super-fast reacting formula effectively dissolves iron contaminants safely from your paint.

• Created to be super lubricating for use with our clay bars, claying rubber pads and towels.

• pH neutral formula uses unique paint safe cleaners to help remove old waxes and sealants.

• Thick liquid for slower drying and effective dwell time on your side panels.

• Unlike wheel cleaners, it does not worry if Three Way dries while using it, as it can simply be washed off, even days later.

• Hydrophilic formula spreads better over paint surfaces, to better aid iron removal, and you use less product.

• Safe on modern clear coat paint, polycarbonate headlights, exterior plastic trims, chrome, glass and rubber. It’s not compatible for porous single stage paints or rattle can spray jobs.

• It doesn’t smell of death, or burn a hole through your nose. It has a different, and some say slightly better smell than our current Wheely Clean. Note that we actually made a formula that got rid of this smell totally, but the product would take 4 times as long to react with the iron as well as being only a quarter as effective. It would have been cheaper, as we reduce the expensive active ingredeints in it, but having something that works bloody awesome has always been far more important to us than the smell.

• Comes in a big 750ml bottle that can do even the biggest and most contaminated of cars in one application.

• Leaves a great, clean surface, ready for easier paint cleansing, waxing & sealing.

• All developed and made in Australia by our passionate team of detailers & chemists.

Instructions for use - Spray on method

This first way of using Three Way is very simple. We recommend this method if you have very light contamination.

Step 1:

Wash and dry the vehicle safely. We'd recommend to wash with one of our lubricating washes; Nanolicious Wash, Wax Wash or Auto Body Gel using one of our safe microfibre wash tools like our Wash Pillow or Shagamittastic Wash Mitt. We recommend to use a double solution of your favourite wash to make sure you're getting rid of as much dirt, oils and grease as possible. After you've washed the vehicle, dry it safely with the Big Green Sucker. Don't use any Boss Gloss or other detailing sprays on your Big Green Sucker during this drying process, as it can affect the next steps, and it'll also be a waste of product!

Step 2:

Make sure the vehicle you're decontaminating is in the shade and the paint is cool to touch. A well ventilated area outside in the shade is ideal.

Spray Three Way directly onto the painted surfaces (don't stress if you get it on headlights, plastics etc, as it's 100% safe for all of these surfaces), 1 panel at a time, and allow 1 minute for the purple reaction to begin. This reaction is the ingredients in Three Way reacting with the iron particles on your paint, and safely breaking them down so they can be rinsed away. You will notice this reaction will be stronger on the bonnet, roof and rear of the car, as these are the panels that will see most of the fallout on them through normal use.

Step 3:

After 1-2 minutes (no more than 3-4 minutes), rinse the panel thoroughly. If you're worried about water drying on the panels, dry the panel before moving on. Move onto the next panel and use the same method on each subsequent panel, until the whole car is done.

Step 4:

Spray a small section that you have already done (the bonnet is always a good judge), to see if you get any further reaction. If you do, then you may need to do another application over the vehicle, or, use our more effective and deeper decontamination method using the Claying Rubber, as outlined below.

If you don't get any further reaction, wash and dry the vehicle again. You're now ready to use Paint Cleanse & Restore to deep clean the paint and prepare it for our other wax and sealant products.

Instructions for use - Claying Rubber method

We've found for the most effective decontamination, use Three Way as the lube for our new Claying Rubber. This is a very specialised rubber compound that we’ve found to be super fine and won’t ever micro scratch or marr even the softest paints. It has replaced our older Clay Towels as it lasts longer, is more effective, as well as being just as fast and easy to use on larger panel areas.

Step 1:

Step 2:

Make sure the vehicle you're decontaminating is in the shade and the paint is cool to touch. A well ventilated area outside in the shade is ideal.

Put on some gloves. Although the product doesn't smell of death, the gloves will make sure that your hands don't smell afterwards. Spray Three Way directly onto a panel, or half a panel depending on how big the area is. Do this one section at a time and allow 1 minute for the purple reaction to begin. This reaction is the ingredients in Three Way reacting with the iron particles on your paint, and safely breaking them down into a water soluble solution. With these particles now broken down, they will not scratch or mark your paint under the Claying Rubber.

Step 3:

Spray a few sprays of Three Way into the Claying Rubber and GENTLY apply to the paint in straight lines over the lubricated area (DO NOT USE ON AN UNLUBRICATED AREA). You will feel the surface go from rough to smooth as the rubber polymer removes the bonded contamination from your paint. Once the paint is smooth, you know you're done and you can move onto the next section.

Apply more product as needed to keep each section well lubricated. You will notice as you work the product more, it will start to lather up. This is really deep cleaning the paint surface and removing the waxes and sealants. If the Claying Rubber becomes full of contamination (you will hear it sounding rough and not clearing up), then it's time to give it a rinse. Rinse it out in fresh, clean water, and then go right back to claying.

Step 4:

Wait another 1 minute for any further iron reaction (the product will keep reacting with any iron particles present during this whole process), then rinse the area thoroughly with water.

Repeat this same method on all the remaining panels, making sure to rinse the Claying Rubber as you go to remove the contamination from the surface. Do this until the entire vehicle is done.

Step 5:

Wash and dry the vehicle again safely to remove any remaining residue left over from the claying process.

If your vehicle has extremely bad iron contamination, you may need to repeat this process.

Cleaning and caring for the Claying Rubber

After use, rinse the Claying Rubber out in fresh water thoroughly. Be sure to run water on both sides of the pad and through the foam section in the middle as well. DO NOT WRING IT OUT, SCRUNCH IT, OR ALLOW THE RUBBER TO TOUCH THE RUBBER as it will stick together and affect the rubber polymer surface if pulled apart too agressively. Run the side of your hand across the foam section to help remove as much water as possible. A nice little tip is to rub the foam backing over the edge of a contoured sink, with your hand putting pressure on the rubber face to push the water out from the foam.

Then leave it to dry, we find placing an old microfibre cloth under the Claying Rubber on its side will help absorb residual water from it as it dries. Leave it for a few hours, even overnight, till it feels totally dry.

Once dry, store it in a sealed food container (one in image is a Decor brand Aussie made one) with the rubber side facing up, or in a spot that the rubber wont come into contact with another item, as it will stick to it. DO NOT store the pad in a plastic bag for this very reason.

Keep it in a cool spot, out of the direct sunlight as well.

Other useful information

Three Way is pH neutral and is safe to use on ceramic coatings. It uses specialised degreasers to remove waxes and sealants safely, without harming ceramic coatings.

Three Way is safe for matte paint. Many new cars these days have matte paint finishes, so we wanted to make sure we could use it on those finishes too.
100% safe for use on clear coat paint, glass, rubber trims, exterior plastics, headlights, chrome and alloy.
Three Way and the Claying Rubber are fine to use on PPF (Paint Protection Film). Plenty of lubrication is required and zero pressure.
Great for use on small rust spot deposits on your paint.
We don't recommend to use Three Way on a fully wrapped car. Vinyl stripes over a car is fine.
If you don't want to remove waxes and sealants from your paint, we recommend to use the Claying Rubber with Boss Gloss as the lubricant.
It's not reccomended to use for the removal of tree sap or tar.
Not suitable for single stage paints or rattle can paint jobs.

Common questions:

Can I spray Three Way on my car then Snow Job over the top of it? You can, but you will be diluting the product and it won't be as effective as using the Claying Rubber method.
Can I use Three Way in my Snow Blow Cannon to spray straight onto the car? Spraying it through the cannon mixes the product with water, which will dilute it far too much and make Three Way ineffective. We don't recommend this.
How often should I use it? We recommend to use Three Way 1-2 times per yer, depending on where your car is kept during the day and night. It's best used together with the Claying Rubber, followed by the Paint Cleanse & Restore, then our wax and sealant products a couple times per year, to keep your ride in the best condition possible. If you work in the city and your car is parked on the street, you may want to use Three Way more often, as your vehicle will pick up more iron particles from the brakes of cars in the busier city.
Will Three Way remove all of my sealants? Three Way has paint safe cleaners built into its formula to help remove waxes and other sealants from your paint when used with the Claying Rubber. However, if you are using the Spray On method and not the Claying Rubber method, it will remove waxes, but won't affect quality sealants.
Why does my Claying Rubber feel tacky after use? Don't freak, it's supposed to be tacky. It makes the rubber work better at grabbing onto bonded contamination from the surface. The Claying Rubber when new has a light powder dusted onto its surface so it doesn't stick to the product packaging, once this washes off it will feel more tacky and also works better.
Is Three Way safe for ceramic coatings? Yes. Three Way is safe to use on professionally applied ceramic coatings.