CLAY Must for Detailing

If you want to remove bugs, oil, tar, chicken guts, cat brains....CLAY....This is the best thing since twist off beer bottles!!

I mean this stuff works..I will never be without Clay again....

A few bucks at any auto store...buy the cheapest...And I don't use the spray wax with the clay..I use my auto wash soap...NOT DISH SOAP....All it does is act like a lubricant....

Works on plastic too.

I purchased an expensive porter-cable, waxes, polishes.....

If I were on a budget, I would buy CLAY, and a cheap-O-walmart buffer and wax or better, a synthetic sealant(lasts longer) and I think get just about as good a job as with my expensive stuff which was $500.00 bucks.

The reason I purchased all that is to get cut the bug matter, small deposits that the walmart buffer would not....And the Expensive does not, unless you cut the coating pretty deeply....Not good....

The Clay lifts the bugs off like glue, tiny little who the hell knows what right out of the tiny little poors from the paint...BUFFING WILL NOT...

I have a White truck, you can barely see the little shits on the paint, but if you get close you see them everywhere, takes a while but once you get them all off they make a difference.

Plus it removes all the impurities collected over time....Wash your truck, run your hand over the surface, you will feel small amounts of snags, like sandpaper....Clay lifts this in just a few swipes....

YOU HAVE TO USE THIS AT LEAST 1 PER YEAR....MUST if you are more into your vehicle. If you do more then just run your truck through a automatic car wash then you MUST GET CLAY..and buy if from me...just kidding...I don't see clay...lol

5 thumbs up for this one

 

what about clay bar?

 

I use meguiars clay bar, that works pretty damn good, its just that i don't know if i'd be able to do my WHOLE truck. I just spot tested on my hood and it was pretty damn awesome.

 

id imagine its very time consuming

 

Yea but it leaves it looking and feeling like glass. very very nice, but not something id wanna do alone or in this type of weather. maybe in the winter

 

i'm actually getting ready to spend all day friday detailing my truck (weather permitting in wv). and the clay bar is my second step after washing. i bought the meguiars kit and i cannot wait either. i have so many bugs on my front end it is rediculous!

 

claybarring is awesome, and makes polishing and waxing so much easier. i use clay magic clay, and also mothers and meguiars clays. the turtle wax ice liquid clay bar doesnt work well at all. stick with regular automotive clay......works great.

 

A trick I learned is to use the clay bar right after you wash the truck but before you rinse. I think the soap works just as well as the spray detailer the clay bar comes with and it makes the job much easier! Give it a try. I think you'll like it.

 

sweetness! yea when i did it, it was after i rinsed and dried. but i'll do it like that and try it out!

 

MUHS7 the Resident detailer. 1st and permenant thread in detailers forum is the Best most informative I have ever seen..Must read on detailing...Covers all this...

I wouldn't use the clay bar on dirty wash soap, it will pick up the dirt you washed off. I like to use cleaner bucket wash soap, but the same concept..I don't waste my detailer mist on the clay.

Took me a couple days of on and off claying....BUT man is it worth it to people that are picky like me...I love it so much going to shit can my crud collected one tomorrow and get another fresh on....

If you drop it I wouldn't use it again...It will scratch the hell out of it....

 

Claybaring get's really annoying after doing it for 5 minutes...

 

I ended up using a clay bar for the top of the cab because the finish was in need of attention. I don't think the PO waxed this portion too often like the rest of the truck.


I'm pleased with the results, but it was time consuming.

 

If you guys want to see if you need a clay bar, take a plastic sandwich baggie and put your hand in it. Then rub your paint. I bet it feels like sandpaper. Even if your JUST got a brand new '09 shiney Taco. You will be surprised on how much crap is in that clear.

The clay bar takes out road junk, rail dust etc out of the paint. Having this stuff on your paint makes polishing and waxing harder. It also takes away from your finish. Do 1/2 your hood with clay/polish/wax and the other 1/2 polish/wax and see what's better.

If you really care about your paint, you should clay. That rail dust is a killer. What's that you say? "I don't live near any rail tracks".... well, most new vehicles come on rails and/or are located near rail depots before they hit the lot.

Sometimes, if your paint is real bad you will need an aggressive clay. However, you will need to polish as the aggressive clay will most likely mar the paint. For most people, any OTC clay will work. The Meguiar's Smooth Surface Clay Kit is probally the best deal at Wal-Mart.

As for lube, if you get the above kit it comes with a QD and a MF Towel, if not use your car wash soap 2:1 for a nice slippery surface.

Most problems are on the flat surfaces and behind the wheels. It really doesn't take as long as you think.

 

Where can I get just the bars for a good price? I got 2 or 3 kits. The bars get dirty and I have plenty of lube left over. Don't need to pay for anymore lube but the kit is all I see in the store. Thanks.

 

I wash my truck, then towel dry, then use Mother's Clay Bar system with the detailer, then I wash it again and dry with a towel and then I use Turtle Wax Ice. No dirt sticks to it, even after it rains. the only thing that sticks is bird sh*t, which I take off with Windex and a paper towel. Check out the pics:

 

^^^ Looks good.

 

Well, just so you know all the clay that is sold comes from 1 company. It is just repackaged. Auto Magic has the patent I think. That being said, I have found a few things about clay bars. I use the Meguiar's due to the fact that it is cheap at Wal-Mart (<$16) for 2x50g bars,lube,mf towel and sample of cleaner wax. The meguiars clay is soft and a tad gummy. It does work, just need to rub and pay attention to look for spots on paint.

I have tried Adam's Polishes version of the clay and it worked a tad better. Dunno way. I still go with the meguiar's. I will rub harder with the clay in order to save a buck or to. Plus the Meguiar's is OTC.

If you want to try something different than OTC check out:
www.washwayusa.com

They have some cheap clay. Stay away from the aggessive clay as you will def need to polish as the clay will mar the paint.

 

Clayed my truck for the first time today. What a difference!!!
I washed truck yesterday. Never drove it, then clayed it and waxed it today with Meguires NXT 2.0.
IT looks insane! I could not believe the amount of crap that was in my clearcoat and how smooth the finish is now.
Great product, i used Meguires Clay kit, will definately use again when appropriate!!

 

Those complaining about how long it takes to clay - if you're spending more than 5-10 minutes on it, you're taking too long. As someone mentioned above, clay after you've soaped up the car but before you rinse, one section at a time. It can be done pretty quickly, just use very light pressure and knead the clay often. I haven't clayed the tacoma yet, but I can usually clay my car in 5-6 minutes.

 

Depending on how much gunk you have in your paint will determine how long it takes to clay. Put your hand in a sandwich baggie and feel the paint. If you lightly clay a surface with some bumps on it you will still have bumps. As the sandwich baggie will show you. Get some good clay. No sense rubbing your paint if you don't remove anything.