Clay Bar?

1st Clay Bar about 10 yrs ago, when I bought my Solara.
Bought from Zaino Bros. along with a bunch of their Polymar Show Car Polish Products.
Great Products but pricey. Here
Complete "How To" and "Tips & Tricks", worth reading.
1st Strip Wax with "Dawn" Dishwashing Liquid. Any Dish Liq will strip all waxes.
Clay Bar comes with Spray "lubricant", for lack of a better term.
When you run out, mix a little dishwashing liquid with water and use as the spray lubricant.
Use nothing but USA made cotton bath towels to touch your vehicle
............Just a couple of their tips.
Can't say enough about their products.
Stripped my car down when it was new.
Clay Barred.
Five coats of Show Car Polish followed by enhancer.
When finished I could throw the bath towel anywhere on the car and it would slide off, every time.
Though it's my sunny weather vehicle, and garaged most of the time,
It still beads up when wet, after 10 years.
I wash it only with Zaino's Car wash which adds Polymar.
Think I'll redo the process this summer.
Sorry for digressing.
Clay Bars Work!

 

During highschool, I worked part time in the summers for a local detail shop. We detailed walk-ins and regular customers in addition to all of the trade-ins from the local Lexus dealership. I've clay barred A LOT. Lexus wanted every Lexus trade-in CB'd and then a dozen or so regular customers wanted their cars CB'd every other detail.

I've experienced about everything clay barring can and can't do. Contaminants, tree sap, over spray, road tar, crayon, sharpie marker - I could go on. Someone mentioned already mentioned something it doesn't do, but it does help with later steps - no help on swirls/scratches. Nothing short of buffing and polishing helps here, BUT clay barring makes this step MUCH easier and gives better results. Plus, if you think your paint feels like glass after just a quick wax, you haven't felt anything until you clay bar before you wax - better than off the showroom floor, IMHO.

And they do mention in that Meguiars video, but it begs repeating - don't EVER, EVER use your clay after you drop it on the ground...EVER. Don't ever assume your garage surface is clean enough for it not to pick anything up, because it can cause one hell of a headache. It might not be right away, but at some point, whatever gets stuck in the clay will make it to the surface of your paint and wreak havoc!

Feel free to PM me if you've got questions or anything!

 

Depending on what your car is subjected to, I would say it's not necessary more than twice a year. It cleans down to the clear coat, so unless you're prepared and okay to perform a complete wax everytime you CB, it's not worth it.

I CB before and right after winter without exception. Then maybe once during the summer if I'm jonesing for some shine

 

When my truck was brand new, the horizontal surfaces were actually rough to the feel at first, especially the hood. I did not bother claying at first, but the first time I waxed it it was a pain in the butt to wipe all the wax off beacuse the paint surface was so rough. Next time, I spent maybe an hour claying the bad areas. This made the paint surface perfectly smooth, and waxing was 10X easier.

If you don't believe, just do 1 small area, like 5"/5". Then just run a finger over this spot and the surrounding area. You will be amazed at how much smoother the clayed area is!

There's nothing to it either. You can get a kit, but that's a bit of a rip off. Just get a bar of clay and a bottle of spray-on "quick detail". Wash the truck, spray a small area at a time (like 1 sf max), rub the bar until you feel the resistance (removing surface imperfections) go away. Then wipe dry.

I'd go a couple of years between claying. As long as you wax every so often, your paint should stay clean enough. If you care about your finish even a little (like, if you ever bother to wax), claying is mandatory!!

 

sub'd

 

The number one mistake while spending a day detailing is dehydration. Best to buy the beers the day before so they are cold and ready.

 

If you do a good detailing twice a year, you should clay when you are doing those detailing sessions. The rest of the year you can wash and wax (one to two hours every 2-4 weeks, and you will maintain the luster). Detailing takes a full day, but the results are worth it, as you are maintaining the pristine-ness of your vehicle, and you discover minor defects or issues along the way.

Today I detailed the engine bay completely, and the undercarriage, and I washed and clayed the truck. Tomorrow I am polishing three stages, (actually two stages, but I will use some cutting polish first on any scuffs), applying sealant and hopefully a wax as well, if I get than far before the evening rain.

While detailing today, I discovered where I have scuffs that I need to polish out, and I discovered some minor rusting on my frame, that I would not have known had I not been detailing underneath. Now I will get the rusting addressed professionally, so I benefited from the process beyond the shine.

If its your first time detailing, I would skip the polishing this time, and rather I would wash, clay, then apply a sealant then wax. Its too much to jump into for the first time, and a good polishing requires a random orbit polisher.

However, while doing the work, you find some scuffs, then I would try to hand polish them with a two or three stage polishing system. The first stage works on the scuff, the second and third stage polish to a fine luster.

Regarding the clay, there is no question it cleans your paint and makes it as smooth as glass. Just try one area, run your hand over it and over an area not treated, and you will never as the question again. I think it is the most important step in the detailing process.

 

d

 

Excellent must read if you want to know more about the basic's of detailing right here on the TW forum. Covers many aspects and questions.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/detailing/8957-official-ask-detailer-thread.html

 

claybarring my truck has probably saved the doors/quarter panels multiple times. winters here in WI are brutal with how much road salt is used/kicked up and the last time i did a claybar job (earlier this week), the lower 10" of my truck was COMPLETELY covered with tiny beginning rust spots. a huge percentage of other cars around here are totally rusted out along the sides, and thanks to an old friend of mine for introducing this to me, i dont have to worry about rust like that. but yes, every time i claybar, i do 3 coats of wax afterward (when i bought my truck, there was next-to-no clearcoat left on the front half)

 

i use Zaino products and just clay bared/ and waxed my entire truck, the paint is insanely glassy now...

def recommend it if you can commit to waxing it directly after!

ps wash your truck with dawn soap before claying, to remove old wax, MUST rewax though!

 

Zaino Brothers
Zaino Brothers Clay Bar

CC

 

You can get it cheaper here, rather than a kit. This is a much bigger bar, and this is a lot more detailing spray than what you get at an auto parts store. You should have a spray bottle of detail spray and a microfiber cloth in your truck all the time, and any time a bird craps on it you knock it of right away. Also, if you detailed your truck, a five minute spray and wipe of your truck once or twice a week keeps it like it was just detailed, for a long, time:

http://www.chemicalguys.com/clay_bar_poly_clay_elastic_p/cly_202_180gr.htm

https://www.chemicalguys.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=WAC_102

 

I try to clay mine once a year... Spent 4 hours today- wash, clay, polish, 2 coats of wax. Visibly better, and insanely smooth to the touch... Now I just have to keep wiping my neighbors' hand prints off as they "feel" my truck ...

 

up

 

Exactly!

 

is the meguiar one any good or all clay bar the same???

 

The Meguiar's is fine. They are more or less the same but I think there are 2 or 3 different grades, depending on how bad the paint is. Most of the clay kits out there are the medium.

 

Hmm... wondering what conditions you need to clay? It's still snow/hail/rain/mud around here, fine for washing, but would the cold weather be a problem? (Other than for me and my poor fingertips)

 

I recently bought a Mothers kit and did my 98 for the first time ever. WOW! What a difference!! Yes, it was a little extra work as I also used the 3 step Mothers Cleaner Wax, Polish and Carnuba but worth all the effort when completed!!

I recently became an AmsOil distributor and bought it through my own business since I found that not a lot of aftermaket shops were carrying the full Mothers line and I am sold after using it just once!