Why do you need to clay bar your car?

[DetailAddict]

This is why...

This is just a single pass on the hood alone... The car was not too bad and this is after a good wash of course. You can't really appreciate it unless you see and most importantly, touch it in person. :)

http://www.detailaddict.com/images/gallery/20080409/0009_0001.jpg

car in question...

before:
http://www.detailaddict.com/images/portfolio/AD/20080409/0001_0001.jpg

after:
http://www.detailaddict.com/images/portfolio/AD/20080409/0001_0002.jpg

[dabaysevo]

Nice what is your technique when using the claybar? I like a back and forth motion, for example on the hood, I would go from the front of the hood towards the windshield when I do a pass. I wouldn't go fender to fender. I basically do it the way the air would flow on the car. Do you do this or is there another technique you use, I don't do it the way I do for any particular reason. I just started doing it that way one day.

[DetailAddict]

i do it one panel at a time and a small rectangular section at a time. back and forth motion, no circular.

[SavageEvo8]

+1 for claybars... if your not using one or havnt, do it!! simple and so rewarding in the end.

[EvoMedic]

+1 for claybars... if your not using one or havnt, do it!! simple and so rewarding in the end.


So true :D

[Evo Jai]

+1 for claybars... if your not using one or havnt, do it!! simple and so rewarding in the end.


+2

So not rewarding for the hands and arms.. takes a lot of work.

[panem]

random q's: i've ask this several time's but still get mixed answers.

Would you clay bar while to car is still wet after the rinse or Dry the car and then clay bar with a type of detail spray???

i clay bar after i rinse the car off.

[SavageEvo8]

i use mine with a paint gloss to condition a little bit

i dont like water cuz it aids in spots and its dries too quick

[chefnevo]

General question: How often do you caly bar? ...I do once or twice a month.

after rinsing I just keep hitting it with water then wash it again to keep the water spots away.

[uhoh_evo]

So you use a gloss poured onto the bar? Er poured onto the car and rub it in w/ the bar? And then do you do that after rinsing er drying?

[DetailAddict]

depending on the temp and amount of sunlight you get and how fast you are able to work. you don't have to dry. but if the car drys up before you are done with the clay bar, then dry the car with blower or MF first. You can then use either detail spray or distill water... if your car drys too fast you'll get water spot regardless what you use. depending on the condition of the car, I would go straight to polish or actually give it another rinse. a lot of these things are really case by case...

[SavageEvo8]

well i use it just as a lubricant, i still follow up with a wax.

theres so much personal preference when it comes to detailing and maintaining paint, i clay bar as often as i wax, every 3-6 months. which is how often i actually wash it with water. otherwise, i use a duster twice daily, and a paint gloss/terry cloth combo every few days to soften it back up. im garage parked though so that helps in the infrequent washes :) cars the cleanest and smothest on the block, everyday :)

[DetailAddict]

it all depends on how you keep your car. If it's under cover and you polish and wax a lot, you probably don't have to do it as often as you do now.

here is a good test... get a 'thin' plastic bag as a glove, run down the body 'gently' AFTER a good wash. If the body panel is bumpy, it's time to clay. Otherwise, just go straight to polish and wax.



General question: How often do you caly bar? ...I do once or twice a month.

after rinsing I just keep hitting it with water then wash it again to keep the water spots away.

[SavageEvo8]

i will soak the clay bar as best as possible in the solution im moisturising the paint with, and frequently spray a mist over the area im working.....never ever ever ever use on dry surface, the wetter the better i say

[DetailAddict]

yes, at the end, whatever you are using, it just service as a lubricant. without it, your clay bar won't move very far... :lol:



i will soak the clay bar as best as possible in the solution im moisturising the paint with, and frequently spray a mist over the area im working.....never ever ever ever use on dry surface, the wetter the better i say

[chefnevo]

it all depends on how you keep your car. If it's under cover and you polish and wax a lot, you probably don't have to do it as often as you do now.

here is a good test... get a 'thin' plastic bag as a glove, run down the body 'gently' AFTER a good wash. If the body panel is bumpy, it's time to clay. Otherwise, just go straight to polish and wax.



General question: How often do you Clay bar? ...I do once or twice a month.

after rinsing I just keep hitting it with water then wash it again to keep the water spots away.



I thought polish basically sanded down the clear coat to get rid of the small scratches and imperfections.. so polishing would only be used if you have not waxed in some time? ..case point like the sti above.

The car is always garaged and also was garaged at work but I was commuting with evo, it tended to pick up a lot crap from the commute




yes, at the end, whatever you are using, it just service as a lubricant. without it, your clay bar won't move very far... :lol:



i will soak the clay bar as best as possible in the solution im moisturising the paint with, and frequently spray a mist over the area im working.....never ever ever ever use on dry surface, the wetter the better i say




QFT! :lol:

[DetailAddict]

yes, but there are MANY levels of polish. Sometime your applicator pad can be more abrasive than your polish (that's how you get swirl marks, which is different from spider webs). So if you go with the least abrasive one you'll be okay. And yes, if you wax your car like every 2 weeks and doing it "RIGHT", polish won't help (in terms of look) much.



I thought polish basically sanded down the clear coat to get rid of the small scratches and imperfections.. so polishing would only be used if you have not waxed in some time? ..case point like the sti above.

The car is always garaged and also was garaged at work but I was commuting with evo, it tended to pick up a lot crap from the commute

[SavageEvo8]

being garage kept only made it so i do it as little as possible. if it parks outside with elemnts like sun, dust, springlers, bugs, shit, then i would clay bar ery month or two, with periodic washes in between to keep it up. with mine inside and being dusted everyday with a california duster, i only was/wax/clay every 6 months or so

[ZK]

I always use a detail spray or clay lube with clay. If you just use water, it will mar your paint.

There are different grades of detailing clay but the most common "medium" ones you get in the stores will scratch your paint if not used properly. If you follow up with paint correction, it is usually okay but used by itself, clay will leave marks. You can use a "ultra fine" clay which usually does not have as much cut but also does not mar the paint as much. I can recommend Pinnacle or Sonus Ultra Fine clays which I use on more delicate paints. It usually takes multiple passes to get the same results as medium grade clay but is easier on the paint.

You really only need to clay 2-3 times a year. Sometimes more if your car is parked outside and gets a lot of contaminates stuck to it. Always follow up with protection as clay will strip it off.

[uhoh_evo]

So is "Mother's" clay not good? That's what I used to use

[Evo Jai]

I use the Mothers Clay Bar kit and came out with great results. Did the entire car a couple of months ago. As far as the dry/wet goes, I make sure my car is fully dry before applying that lubricant that comes with the kit. From there I begin the clay bar process.

[ZK]

So is "Mother's" clay not good? That's what I used to use


Mother's is fine... it's the typical medium grade clay. Just follow up with wax/sealant. The clay kit comes with the lubricant.

[DetailAddict]

Actually there are 3 grades...

yellow/blue (this include Mother's) are fine grade - safe for new users ;)
purple is the medium - save you some time and effort, but you should know what you are doing
gray is the heavy - what I use... :)

other than the grade level and size, all brands are pretty much the same. they all have to pay royalty to "Clay Magic".

[Evo Jai]

Actually there are 3 grades...

yellow/blue (this include Mother's) are fine grade - safe for new users ;)
purple is the medium - save you some time and effort, but you should know what you are doing
gray is the heavy - what I use... :)

other than the grade level and size, all brands are pretty much the same. they all have to pay royalty to "Clay Magic".



Never knew that. What do you mean by "know what you are doing" is there a different way to clay bar with the medium and heavy grades?

[SavageEvo8]

when you say you use heavy, is that because your hitting cars that are really bad once every blue moon or would you use the heavy on the same car everytime you barred it?

[DetailAddict]

method is all the same... just that the user should understand what clay bar is really doing to the paint surface. I've seen guys keep on working on the same spot and ended up with an halo effect (cut WAAAAAY too deep in a single spot).

Leo





Actually there are 3 grades...

yellow/blue (this include Mother's) are fine grade - safe for new users ;)
purple is the medium - save you some time and effort, but you should know what you are doing
gray is the heavy - what I use... :)

other than the grade level and size, all brands are pretty much the same. they all have to pay royalty to "Clay Magic".



Never knew that. What do you mean by "know what you are doing" is there a different way to clay bar with the medium and heavy grades?

[DetailAddict]

I use heavy on every car that I work on. But since it's heavy grade, I don't have to go back and forth too many times. This saves me a lot of time in detailing. You can adjust the result by adjusting your pressure, size of the clay, as well as number of passes. :)

Leo



when you say you use heavy, is that because your hitting cars that are really bad once every blue moon or would you use the heavy on the same car everytime you barred it?

[Evo Jai]

Very good information. :D Is there a preferred brand for either the medium/heavy grades? I've only been using Mothers and that tiny play dough of a clay bar is a PITA to use. I heard that Meguiars has a kit but I can't find those anywhere.

[DetailAddict]

they are pretty much the same other than grade and color. You just shop for the best price for the size in the grade you want.

I do carry this (Adam's Clay Bar (http://www.detailaddict.com/product_info.php?cPath=2_7&products_id=32)), which is MUCH bigger than the ones you get from kragen/autozone/pepboys... and if you already have your own detail spray you don't have to buy one. They always make you buy the kit in the store...

Leo



Very good information. :D Is there a preferred brand for either the medium/heavy grades? I've only been using Mothers and that tiny play dough of a clay bar is a PITA to use. I heard that Meguiars has a kit but I can't find those anywhere.

[SavageEvo8]

i like the idea of less pressure and less time when doing my barring, i will have to step up and try out the purple first before going to heavy, but ive been a clean freak with cars for years, so i feel comfortable enough using tools and cutters. what do you carry for a purple?

[Evo Jai]

i like the idea of less pressure and less time when doing my barring, i will have to step up and try out the purple first before going to heavy, but ive been a clean freak with cars for years, so i feel comfortable enough using tools and cutters. what do you carry for a purple?


+1

A clean cars adds 5whp! :lol: :lol:

[uhoh_evo]

Smooth cars > cars w/ swirls. Less drag. And less debris on car = less weight. So I agree, clean car equals faster car.

[SavageEvo8]

i dont know that perfectly smooth would benefit with speed when comparing a washed car to a washed and waxed car though would it?

[uhoh_evo]

HaHa. I have no idea. I was just messin. On a very minuscule scale, washing removes dust and hard water and crap. Polish/wax smoothes out all those crevices.

But that's all just an uneducated guess

[SavageEvo8]

nah i agree with you, in theory, at the most miniscule level, it WOULD make a difference. especially with gas prices how they are, why not get every fraction extra you can right

i knew it was just a joke though :lol:

[DetailAddict]

right now I only carry the fine grade as I just started my retail side of business. Once things pick up, i'll start carrying other products as well. right now, my mission (on the retail side) is to carry products that are better than the stuff you can get from Kragen/Pepboys/Autozone but not so complicated that would require a pro. :)



i like the idea of less pressure and less time when doing my barring, i will have to step up and try out the purple first before going to heavy, but ive been a clean freak with cars for years, so i feel comfortable enough using tools and cutters. what do you carry for a purple?

[DetailAddict]

hey, you never know... ;) Swimmers shave their body hair and wear a cap... a nice and smooth ride must help some...

but for the most of us (at least me), loosing a few lbs helps more than having a smooth ride. :lol:

[turbojuiced]

As a former professional detailer I love clay bars! And most people dont take care of their cars good enough. I can always tell a well taken care of car by just running your hand over the paint after a good wash and if you dont feel a smooth surface then definitely need some clay action!

This is how I do it. And this is just my way of doing it but there is more than one way to skin a cat so to say.

First off make sure you are in the shade! This pays dividends!

I start off by doing a basic wash(if you arent a professional and you dont have access to tanks of distilled water and pressure washer etc etc), use a bucket and use your regular car soap like meguiars, mothers, turtle etc etc I use a microfiber sponge and I give even swipes on each panel and after each swipe I dunk to get the dirt off so your not rewashing the dirt on the car. Then after wash of course is the rinse cycle. As detail addict noted when I clay I do one panel at a time and add water if needed. I do even back and forth movements and after the surface is dirty enough dunk in bucket and switch sides this gets some of the surface dirt off. After each panel is finished I wipe it clean with some quik detailer and always use microfibers. I like to use the meguiars gold class microfibers. After the body is done being clayed I start by buffing some paint cleaner on to get all the impurities out of the clear coat surface that the clay might have left nd I do all this each panel at a time. Then I start the next step which is the polish make sure you use a polishing bonnet. After the polishing I start the waxing. I personally use the meguirs tech wax which uses nano technology I apply this and after I am done with this step the body no matter the color should have a mirror effect especially black paint.

You will first notice how smooth the body is and how shiny it is of course. Swirl marks will be a thing of the past especially in black paint and your paint will finally be properly protected. Water will naturally bead up. And it leaves a nice smell behind which the bugs love for some reason. So my advice is to stay away from bee hives lol.

[willitas34]

+1 for claybars... if your not using one or havnt, do it!! simple and so rewarding in the end.


+2

So not rewarding for the hands and arms.. takes a lot of work.


i need to learn how :(

[DetailAddict]

you'll see me post when there is another detail day... just come by... :)







+1 for claybars... if your not using one or havnt, do it!! simple and so rewarding in the end.


+2

So not rewarding for the hands and arms.. takes a lot of work.


i need to learn how :(

[stockEVO8]

hey bro...can i schedule a detail

[DetailAddict]

Yes sir, give me a time and date you prefer and we can go from there... But right now, I am booked until the 15th of November!

Leo



hey bro...can i schedule a detail