The Clay Bar

[blue2000s]

If any of you guys are car finish perfectionists and haven't used a clay bar, do it. I've always thought my car looked pretty good, but if I rubbed my hand over the car, there was a lightly rough texture. After rubbing the clay bar over the car, the finish is literally glass smooth. The difference in the reflection of the finish is definitely noticeable.

You can look at the bar and see the little bits of overspray, dirt and fallout stuck in the bar. It's pretty impressive that all that is still on a well waxed surface after washing.

[chrisdridley]

X 10
I have been using clay bars on my cars for a while now and I am only sorry that I didn't start using them sooner.

Within a couple of weeks of bringing the RS 60 home, the wife and I clay barred and waxed it. Now it is really easy to clean up and has a much better reflection than when the dealer detailed it before we picked it up.
I also have a car that has black metal flake paint and the clay bar made this car shine like a mirror.

[rick3000]

I had never heard of a clay bar until I joined this forum. I tried it a few months ago when I detailed my car. I had the same reaction after trying it. It worked wonders, and I was very impressed. The only drawback is that the clay can get pricey, and if you use them too often they can harm your paint.

[Frodo]

The main drawback for me is that, in the process of using clay, I'll hit a patch where there's not quite enough lubricant (QD or equivalent) spayed on the car, the clay stops and (since my hand kept moving) it ends up on the ground.

As a result, I've learned to use small pieces of clay as I work.

The car really does feel (and look) nicer when claying precedes waxing/sealing. And, on a car the size of a Boxster, it really doesn't take very long.

[23109VC]

would someone give me a quick run down on how this stuff works, what is it?

I've heard of a clay bar, but never really knew what it was. When I first picked up my car, used - it was in need of a waxing. The paint looked nice, but it felt rough and didn't look shiny. I gave it a nice wash and waxed it with some Meguiar's. It looks really nice, but it's not "perfect".

Are you guys saying that if I clay bar the car it will look even better? I know my car has never had a clay bar done to it in the past 5-6 years it was owned by my dad... (i bought it from him)

Do I use the clay bar and then wax it? or is the clay bar a high grade of wax?

Does it matter where I get it from? is there a good brand / crummy brand of clay bar - or can I just pick up anyting at the auto parts store that says it is a clay bar. is it really some "bar" of clay...i'm imagining something that looks like a brick of clay that i rub all over my car....

i'll have to google this anf find out what it is.

[Frodo]

You know, I don't have a ton of experience on this, but I've used 2-3 different types of clay and I can't really say I've seen a whole lot of difference between them. If you go to autopia, or autogeek, or griot's garage, or any number of sites you can find auto detailing clay available.

Lately, I've been using the Sonus green clay, which I think is pretty mild stuff. (I think some will actually take off the old wax. I don't think the Sonus clay does.) I use it because the finish on my Box (which is garaged) stays pretty nice. But the clay does really make it wonderfully smooth. (Following washing and claying and drying, a microfiber towel tossed onto the finish simply slides right off.)

So, as far as I can tell, the type of clay doesn't matter too much. I think even Meguairs or whatever from your local AutoZone would probably be OK.

[chrisdridley]

Originally Posted by 23109VC

would someone give me a quick run down on how this stuff works, what is it?

I've heard of a clay bar, but never really knew what it was. When I first picked up my car, used - it was in need of a waxing. The paint looked nice, but it felt rough and didn't look shiny. I gave it a nice wash and waxed it with some Meguiar's. It looks really nice, but it's not "perfect".

Are you guys saying that if I clay bar the car it will look even better? I know my car has never had a clay bar done to it in the past 5-6 years it was owned by my dad... (i bought it from him)

Do I use the clay bar and then wax it? or is the clay bar a high grade of wax?

Does it matter where I get it from? is there a good brand / crummy brand of clay bar - or can I just pick up anyting at the auto parts store that says it is a clay bar. is it really some "bar" of clay...i'm imagining something that looks like a brick of clay that i rub all over my car....

i'll have to google this anf find out what it is.

Meguiar's and Mothers market clay bar kits. You can pick these up at most auto parts stores. These kits contain a small bar of clay and a bottle of spray lube.
You can also go for a pro clay bar but if you have never performed this type of detail, go with the above mentioned kits.
You wash and dry the car. Next, you spray a small section of the car at a time with the spray lube, then just gently rub the clay on the sprayed area. Wipe the spray off. Then wipe it again. I use only microfiber towels. After each section kneed the clay. Next, wax the car with the carnuba wax that is included in the kit.
Afterwards, you can use the spray to clean up the car and get bugs and bird droppings off easily.
Each time I wash the car, I go over the car with the Showtime spray to remove any waterspots and to re-new the shine.

I perfer Mothers because I like the Showtime spray that comes in the kit better than the spray that comes in the Meguiar's kit.

I have a black car that has almost 100,000 miles on it and I have used the process to clean the car since it was new and the paint shines better now than when it was new.

[blue2000s]

The purpose of the clay bar is simply to pick up the debris that sits in the car's finish that simple waxing and washing can't break loose or it would take the removal of some of the paint layer to remove with a polish. It literally is a bar of clay, like the kind you can get from the crayola box (but probably different in formulation). As stated, you just rub the bar across the car's surface with a lubricant to allow the clay to glide. The bar picks up the little contaminants and leaves the finish very smooth. I would always wax the car after a clay bar treatment. Picking up the little bits leaves those parts of the paint unprotected and I have to believe that the bar picks up some wax in the process as well.

I was really impressed with all the little bits of dirt you can see in the bar after rubbing over a few parts of the car. It''s very surprising.

The entire Boxster takes maybe a 30 minutes to an hour to run over with the bar and then I wax it immediately.

I've used the Zaino bar and spray, but I have to believe there isn't a great difference between different manufacturers. It seems expensive, but you can use the bar several times. The little bits get pulled into the bar through kneading and the lubricant helps to keep them from scratching as you rub the bar across the car.

[Frodo]

I agree with most all of the above. However, it's really not necessary to dry the finish after the washing---in fact, you want the car wet (and, additionally, sprayed with some sort of quick detail as a lubricant) when you clay.

And, as I indicated earlier, hold on tight to the clay when you're using it: It's easy to have it slip out of your grip. Once it hits the ground/pavement it picks up grit that will scratch if you attempt to re-use it. It needs to be pitched.

[roadracer311]

Has anyone tried shining a bright light on their dark colored car after claying it? Mine had hundreds and hundreds of fine scratches afterward.

I used the zaino clay and followed the instructions as carefully as I could. Also read many people's tutorials on the subject prior to claying.

After claying, when the headlight from my motorcycle shines on my Boxster's fenders, I can see the hundreds of tiny scratches I put into the paint with the clay. I can tell that it's from the clay because I followed the "up down" on the fenders and "front back" on the hood, instructions. So instead of the usual spider web pattern, it's nearly parallel lines. I've since buffed it all out with a Porter Cable and some "Zaino-PC"

I turned the clay a lot and used a lot of soapy water to keep the clay lubed up, but it just kept picking up so much stuff (after a good wash with Dawn) that it seemed like I couldn't fold the clay enough to keep it clean. I'll bet I folded 50 times, and I also switched out the clay so much that I used up the full amount of clay that came from Zaino in that kit.

[Frodo]

Dunno. That's interesting. I assume your car was freshly washed prior to claying, Right? I've never seen this on my car following claying (it's seal grey), but I can't say that I've made a point of crankin' up the halogen lights we use for night time projects (automotive and otherwise).

I'll try it next time I clay (which probably won't be until spring).

[Mike_Yi]

Originally Posted by roadracer311

After claying, when the headlight from my motorcycle shines on my Boxster's fenders, I can see the hundreds of tiny scratches I put into the paint with the clay. I can tell that it's from the clay because I followed the "up down" on the fenders and "front back" on the hood, instructions. So instead of the usual spider web pattern, it's nearly parallel lines. I've since buffed it all out with a Porter Cable and some "Zaino-PC"

I turned the clay a lot and used a lot of soapy water to keep the clay lubed up, but it just kept picking up so much stuff (after a good wash with Dawn) that it seemed like I couldn't fold the clay enough to keep it clean. I'll bet I folded 50 times, and I also switched out the clay so much that I used up the full amount of clay that came from Zaino in that kit.

You shouldn't be turning the clay. You should be folding it. Always fold the dirty side in so you are always exposing clean clay to your car. It shouldn't scratch. I've been using Zaino clay bars for quite a while and have never had this problem. If it ever touches the ground, throw it away.

Anybody have any advice on how to not drop them while claying. It generally takes me about 3 bars to do one car because it always sticks, then falls.

[roadracer311]

Sorry, I mis-spoke. I wasn't turning the clay, but folding it.

The car was freshly and thoroughly washed with Dawn and dried with cotton towels before claying. I aced all my chem labs and Physics labs in college, so I've got a lot of practice at following directions.

The only thing I can think of is that it was a 4 year old car that had probably never been clayed and probably needed two packs of clay and even more folding than I gave it.

[dja1980]

http://www.mothers.com/03_how/03_how_02_videos_16.html

[slogans7]

Originally Posted by roadracer311

Sorry, I mis-spoke. I wasn't turning the clay, but folding it.

The car was freshly and thoroughly washed with Dawn and dried with cotton towels before claying. I aced all my chem labs and Physics labs in college, so I've got a lot of practice at following directions.

The only thing I can think of is that it was a 4 year old car that had probably never been clayed and probably needed two packs of clay and even more folding than I gave it.

Are you sure you didn't have scratches before the clay? I've never heard of a clay bar causing scratches unless, as suggested, it's been dropped and contaminated. I use clay frequently and have never had it cause scratches.

You can put a drop cloth undre the section you're claying, so if you drop it, it won't touch the floor.

Claying is just the first step after a wash. You should follow it up with a good swirl remover, then polish, then sealant, then wax, and finally an anti-static solution for a beautiful and protective shine.

[Dave S.]

When I bought my Boxster the paint had a bunch of tree sap on it. I had the car detailed by a guy who does my friends Farrari.
He used some awesome cleaner (Glaze Distributing Co. Tree Sap Remover) to remove the tree sap with no rubbing and then washed and clay bared the car. I had never seen anyone clay bar a car before. He used normal window cleaner (like windex) as the lube for clay barring. Said it's all you need. Then he buffed and polished the car. The car came out unbelievably good - not like it was just really clean, more like it had never been dirty. Excellent shine and really smooth.

Dave S.