Clay bars - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Allen K. Littlefield · 06-17-2007, 06:45 PM

Well if you have been holding off on using a clay bar to smooth out and clean your paint, DON'T. It really does a great job and is very easy to do. I used Maquires but I also have Griot's that came with the orbital polisher kit and I am sure the Griot's works as well. Doesn't take that long to do a Boxcar and it is well worth the effort. I am really pleased with the results and have forged ahead and used the orbital polisher and it works quite nicely, nothing to fear here and it does NOT burn the paint at all, just polishes as advertised. Glad I followed some advice here and tried it. If the car gets any more shiny, I will blind oncoming traffic. I wonder if it would confuse laser.>>?????

AKL

kabel · 06-18-2007, 09:19 AM

it really is a simple and effective process. we have had a few lengthy discussions about the use of clay bars, here's a couple:
claybar your car
Used a clay bar for the first time today

Confuse Laser?!?! We could only hope it was that simple lol

Perfectlap · 06-18-2007, 09:24 AM

try the GLiptone clay bar comes in a convenient Jar. $15 Sold at Pepboys and Strauss. Cheaper than the Meguiars or having to wait for mail order.

YellowJacket · 06-18-2007, 09:38 AM

I also used a clay bar last weekend for the first time and found it to be amazing. I did the following:

-Washed the car with dishsoap, dried with a water blade and microfiber
-Used Meguiars clay bar, dried w/ microfiber
-Meguiars 3-step paint cleaner + polish + carnuba wax (using microfiber applicater and polishing towel)

The part I found most amazing is that the car felt completely smooth after the clay bar; the 3-step finishing process seemed only to add depth to the color, but didn't really add any incremental smoothness!! Just goes to show how effective the bar is.

SC986 · 06-18-2007, 02:48 PM

You're right YellowJacket! It probably is overkill, but I wash the car again after the claybar before using the Porter Cable.

I was 100% skeptical when I first tried it, but the results are amazing. Funny thing, most of my friends do not detail their car and I can't even get them to try the claybar.

FrayAdjacent · 06-18-2007, 02:51 PM

Turtle wax has some new stuff out called 'liquid clay bar' or something like that. Saw it at the local Pep Boys. Looks like you use it kinda like polish. I might pick up a bottle and see how it works.

Nick-NY · 06-18-2007, 05:06 PM

I have tried several and Griot's Garage is the best and largest.

spark00 · 06-18-2007, 06:27 PM

i gave my 99 silver box a clay bar treatment last week and the finish looks amazing. but funny thing started to happen after clay bar and wax treatment. i parked mine right outside a coffee shop last saturday night and having some coffee with view of the car. in about an hour time, i saw at least 3 group of people touching the hood of the car. i've never seen that before. now i have to rub off those finger prints but the box shines like no other especially at night in parking lot.

wanna986 · 06-18-2007, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrayAdjacent

Turtle wax has some new stuff out called 'liquid clay bar' or something like that. Saw it at the local Pep Boys. Looks like you use it kinda like polish. I might pick up a bottle and see how it works.

Just got some for Father's Day with the accompanying polish which is supposed to leave no white residue- will try the system out soon.

spark00 · 06-18-2007, 06:39 PM

btw, is clay bar safe to be used multiple times? i think i read somewhere that it actually takes thin layer of clear coat off of the paint. i love how it looks and want to use more regularly but not sure about the long lasting effect.

RandallNeighbour · 06-18-2007, 08:13 PM

I do not believe that a clay bar does anything but remove grime that is sticking to your clear coat. It's like silly putty and when used properly, it glides smoothly over the surface of the car, slipping around on soapy water.

I'm betting you could clay bar your car once a month for ten years and not hurt the clear coat as long as it wasn't the same bar of clay

Frodo · 06-28-2007, 04:56 AM

Any feedback on the Liquid Clay Bar yet? My kid got some the other day and used it on his car (a Celica GTS). Washed, liquid clayed then applied some NXT Generation Tech Wax (Meguiar's). Did a pretty nice job. I'm thinkin' it might be a good choice for me: my Box is an '01 Seal Gray and the finish is in pretty good shape. (If the paint on my other car looked that good, I'd do NOTHING to it other than wash and occasionally throw a bit of wax on her.) Never having used clay bars before, I was thinkin' that the liquid version might be a tad gentler on a finish that doesn't really need much work.

Hey Yellow Jacket, the "other" car I referred to is a '96 Camry with paint that's (by and large) intact but is pretty cruddy looking (dull, oxidized, etc.). You think your protocol with the clay and the 3-step Meguiar's would suffice, or do I need to go with something more aggressive? (My dad would probably jump in with the compound paste, but that stuff scares me.) I'm new at this...suggestions from anybody would be appreciated.

wanna986 · 06-28-2007, 07:10 PM

Tried it on a finish which was in good shape to begin with.
It does a decent job, but I'm betting the clay bar is more efficient.
Trying the clay bar soon, too.

Allen K. Littlefield · 06-29-2007, 09:16 AM

All, you can bet your new Bridgestones that if the clay bar in any way damaged your paint finish it wouldn't be on the market for any length of time as the risk for lawsuit would be too great. It really smoothed out my paint surface (clear coat) which is in very good shape to start with. It certainly prepares the surface for furthur polish or wax. I was astonished how much smoother my paint became after using the clay bar. I will try it on my van which has seen more weather than my Boxster has... but that task is like clay barring a billboard and will take some time for sure.

AKL

Perfectlap · 06-29-2007, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frodo

Any feedback on the Liquid Clay Bar yet? My kid got some the other day and used it on his car (a Celica GTS). Washed, liquid clayed then applied some NXT Generation Tech Wax (Meguiar's). Did a pretty nice job. I'm thinkin' it might be a good choice for me: my Box is an '01 Seal Gray and the finish is in pretty good shape. (If the paint on my other car looked that good, I'd do NOTHING to it other than wash and occasionally throw a bit of wax on her.) Never having used clay bars before, I was thinkin' that the liquid version might be a tad gentler on a finish that doesn't really need much work.

Hey Yellow Jacket, the "other" car I referred to is a '96 Camry with paint that's (by and large) intact but is pretty cruddy looking (dull, oxidized, etc.). You think your protocol with the clay and the 3-step Meguiar's would suffice, or do I need to go with something more aggressive? (My dad would probably jump in with the compound paste, but that stuff scares me.) I'm new at this...suggestions from anybody would be appreciated.

Claybar all the way. The only thing other than a clay bar I might suggest for an older car (at least 4 years) that is parked outdoors allot would be paint decontamination. There are a few brands FK1's seems to be the most mentioned on Autotopia forums. FK1 claims it will replace claying altogether, don't know about that. But It's essentially one step beyond claying. The Claybar will "shave" off pollution and micro impregnated sediments but it won't get into the swirl channel. So short of caving in the swirl channel with an orbital buffer the paint decontamination kit is the only thing I can think of that will get beyond the top surface.

I was looking at the liquid clay bar at Wal-Mart the other day. Looks good but I still don't understand the point of a liquid clay bar. Claying is as simple as it gets, especially if you do it while the car is still wet after washing. Good idea to wash after claying too, clears away the crap that broke loose and is still on the paint.
all this stuff is kind of interesting because with proper care your paint can look brand new for 15 years or more.

Tom Blue · 06-29-2007, 05:57 PM

I used a clay bar, Mothers, and you could feel the grit and other contaminants as it is picked off the finish of the car. This was the first time I had used a clay bar but it won't be the last. The finish is now silky smooth to the touch. The Boxster is small and you'll complete the job in no time at all. Highly recommended.