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Going to clay bar next week.

Discussion in 'Detailing' started by whitetaco02, May 30, 2012.

  1. May 30, 2012 at 7:30 PM
    #1
    whitetaco02

    whitetaco02 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    I am very nervous about my first clay bar experience. I bought the Meguires clay bar kit today and will be giving it a shot. What are the do's and don'ts? Is there anyway I can hurt my truck? I have the MGM color.

    Thanks

    P.S. should I do my wife's Camry first in case I mess up? :p
     
  2. May 30, 2012 at 7:33 PM
    #2
    Konaborne

    Konaborne Pineapples on pizza Hawaiian does not it make.

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  3. May 30, 2012 at 7:37 PM
    #3
    TuFerLife

    TuFerLife 2 4 LIFE!!!

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    I'm looking to do the same thing my friend.. I've done it once before and it's not as bad as you may think... But I plan on doing mine within the next week. Good luck from one Georgian to another!
     
  4. May 30, 2012 at 8:01 PM
    #4
    Dadic 78

    Dadic 78 Well-Known Member

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    It's easy to do, and you can't really screw anything up. Just don't let the clay touch any of your rubber mouldings (belt mldg, roof mldg, etc...) as it can stick to it, and become a real pain to remove. Just keep the surface wet before you wipe with the clay. Soapy water is great to use.
     
  5. May 30, 2012 at 8:03 PM
    #5
    OmahaStylee

    OmahaStylee Beating Anorexia since 1976

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    DON'T BE SCARED

    It's not difficult, it's not scary once you get into it...
    Take it one section at a time and give yourself plenty of time, you've gotta wax it when you're done, you know.

    The best advice I can give you is this: keep it wet
    You'll feel the clay drag if you run low on detailer.
    When you do, spray on some more.

    Fold the clay often to keep the working surface of the clay free of debris.

    (I haven't watched the video that was posted yet, but if it's worth posting I'm sure it's covered)
     
  6. May 31, 2012 at 6:03 AM
    #6
    Gooch

    Gooch Well-Known Member

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    Clay is an important part of the detailing process. IMHO the two most important things are:


    • Always keep the paint surface wet so the clay bar doesn't get hung up on your paint. It should glide smoothly given enough soapy water or lubricant
    • Don't drop the clay on the ground. If you drop it, toss it. Game over.
    It's also a good idea to do the job on a cool surface in the shade, only so your lubricant doesn't evaporate too quickly. Also, apply wax or sealant when you're done.
     
  7. May 31, 2012 at 12:39 PM
    #7
    Gooch

    Gooch Well-Known Member

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    Bonded contaminants are bad for your paint. This is not really disputed among paint care professionals.

    Yes, you can remove some or all bonded contaminants with a buffer and polish (which by the way involves spending much more money on detailing products), but the downsides are cost, time, skill required, risk of damaging your paint and removal of paint. Plus, instead of ending up with the bonded contaminants on your clay, they end up on your buffing pad (typically your wool pad if you are doing heavy cutting).

    If your paint is in pretty good shape and all you have is bonded contaminants, for most people it doesn't make sense to spends hundreds of dollars (a Dewalt buffer is $185, pads, backing plate and polish will set you back another $50-$100), and many many hours to do a full polishing job when $20 and 30 minutes will take care of the issue at hand.

    Again, polshing removes paint and with a typical factory paint job having 0.003" of clearcoat on it, you only want to polish when it makes sense.

    If your paint job is completely trashed, then yes, polishing makes a lot of sense.

    I approach all detailing projects and questions like this: What are the owner's/customer's/OP's expectations and how can they be fulfilled for the lowest cost and lowest risk? If the OP is nervous about using a clay bar, why would I suggest he use a rotary buffer?
     
  8. May 31, 2012 at 12:42 PM
    #8
    Tacolover443

    Tacolover443 Well-Known Member

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    Dont be scare! You will be fine. Its quite hard to mess up. All you can do is cause some swirl marks but nothing else. Just make sure not to drop the clay on the ground (if you do chuck that shit), and keep the surface nice a lubed up!
     
  9. May 31, 2012 at 5:16 PM
    #9
    Tacolover443

    Tacolover443 Well-Known Member

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    /\ I think all he is trying to say is that it is easier and cheaper to clay, rather then using a buffer. It also takes less time. The main point to claying your car is to rid the paint of contaminants. It also doesn't eat up paint (I know polishing doesn't eat up much paint, but it still does). I clay my car about every 3 months and polish my truck every 8-12 months. Its a good prelude to a full detail because it gets all the hard to get contaminants off the truck before getting rid of swirl marks.
     
  10. May 31, 2012 at 6:01 PM
    #10
    Gooch

    Gooch Well-Known Member

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    :eek:
    It sounds like you are having a bad day.

    If you read the OP's post you will see that he already purchased clay and all he wanted was some advice on using it. That's what the rest of us tried to do. I didn't try to scare him or try to sell him anything.

    If he had asked about the benefits of polishing or how to use a rotary buffer, I would have responded appropriately, but he didn't.

    As far as 'listening to someone with experience' goes, my mentor is someone who has worked in body shops for 40 years. He owned and operated a custom paint shop (Tom's Custom Auto Body in Anaheim CA) for 30 years. His paint jobs started at $20,000. His work has won in numerous shows and he placed first at Pebble Beach (I don't know the year). He is a co-author of the book "Pro Paint and Body", invented the SYSTEM ONE product line and is now the co-owner of and formulator for Clearcoat Solutions Incorporated. His name is Tom Horvath and he uses wool pads every day.

    Peace out.
     
  11. May 31, 2012 at 6:14 PM
    #11
    Gooch

    Gooch Well-Known Member

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    Yeah, he's old. In his 50's actually. He started buffing in his early teens when he worked in his dad's body shop.

    I think the judges who gave him the first place win at Pebble Beach were old too.
     
  12. May 31, 2012 at 6:54 PM
    #12
    chris4x4

    chris4x4 With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine. Moderator

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    Knock it off.
     
  13. May 31, 2012 at 6:58 PM
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    babytruck

    babytruck Babytruck, babytruck...I've got a babytruck :)

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    :( Why are you so mean? Sometimes you are nice and helpful but why do you get so upset and mean when people don't agree with you?
     
  14. May 31, 2012 at 7:04 PM
    #14
    BradleyScottETC

    BradleyScottETC Class IV Category 8 Elite VIP Member (Only)

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    This thread is diarrhea.
     
  15. May 31, 2012 at 7:08 PM
    #15
    babytruck

    babytruck Babytruck, babytruck...I've got a babytruck :)

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    Sad, huh? :(
     
  16. May 31, 2012 at 7:09 PM
    #16
    theredofshaw

    theredofshaw Well-Known Member

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    to the OP,

    not all of TW is this way...

    as for your question, I tried claybar a few weeks ago and started with the wife's camry as well. I need to get some detailer to do my truck, but that will be coming soon. one thing I noticed with hers (after the fact) was it seemed as if there was leftover streaks of spray underneath the wax. so, my suggestion is to make sure there isnt any detailer left over before you put on your coat of wax. other than that, I'm glad i did it and every time i drive her car now, i still can't get over how nice the paint feels (even though it hasnt been washed in 2 weeks).


    question: as far as the comment about the wet sanding and now paint being 2.7-mils thick...is there some sort of tool that tells you this?
     
  17. May 31, 2012 at 7:29 PM
    #17
    babytruck

    babytruck Babytruck, babytruck...I've got a babytruck :)

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    Hey, I was wondering the same thing! But I think he said it was 2.7 new and is now 2.3. How do you measure that?
     
  18. May 31, 2012 at 7:39 PM
    #18
    Gooch

    Gooch Well-Known Member

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    Using a paint gauge. This is what I used, but they're not cheap. I paid around $700, because I got the one that does non-ferrous metal (like aluminum).

    http://www.amazon.com/DeFelsko-Posi...3P2S/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1338518133&sr=8-3

    One of the most practical uses for a paint gauge is checking a used car (or even a new one) for body work. It is nearly impossible to repaint a damaged area and keep the paint thickness as small as the rest of the car (factory paint jobs done by robots are extremely thin), so if you read 0.006" of paint in most of the areas and then 0.015" on a particular panel, it's been repainted.

    But I digress...
     
  19. May 31, 2012 at 7:41 PM
    #19
    babytruck

    babytruck Babytruck, babytruck...I've got a babytruck :)

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    Ahh okay, I learned something! But you are a professional! Thanks for the lesson!

    Not sure if that guy has one in his back pocket or tool box or anything. I mean, maybe he uses it to check used cars or something.
     
  20. May 31, 2012 at 7:54 PM
    #20
    thebottomline

    thebottomline Well-Known Member

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    Pretending I did not read all that back and forth, and we are still
    discussing clay bars, let me ask this:

    How long does a clay bar last? As it accumulates contaminates
    despite folding it, does one last for the whole truck, or 1 side, or
    what?
     

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