clay bar kits.

[stewatto]

Im thinking of trying to clay my car for the first time. What woud be the best kit to buy? Ive been looking at miguires and looks pretty good but ive also seen that turtle wax does liquid clay. Is that any good?

Thanks in advance, Steve.

[twissler]

To start with the Meguiars kit is ideal, then all you have to do is replace the clay bars.

[stewatto]

Thanks for the reply. Ill pop to halfrauds and pick up a pack. I wont need seperate polish or will it come with it?

[twissler]

It comes wit a sample of Cleaner wax I think. wouldn't bother with that. What polish you need depends on the condition of the paintwork. If you want to get rid of swirls then Megs swirl x will do the job. However, Autoglym Super Resin Polish is fantastic. It has a little bit of cut for any swirls/scratches and also fillers to mask them as well and gives a great shine.

If your getting some polish I'd invest in Meguiars foam applicators and some Microfibre cloths to remove the polish residue and buff the finish.

All this is available at Halfords but if you wanna get into it a bit more have a look at some of the online detailing shops.

Clean Your Car - car care products UK

[10,500RPM]

You will need to dip it in nice warm water at this time of year or it will go hard and (may) marr your paint. Just remember, winter is your enemy

[Squadrone Rosso]

The AG kit is excellent. Their quick detailer spray is so much better than the Megs stuff (not at all gluey).

AG are also now doing a HD cleaner for use after claying but before HDing.

I also love the Bilt Hamber soft clay. Use with just soapy water

[K9d]

Clay & polish are both great for getting your car clean, but will leave it unprotected you will need a wax to apply afterwards, AG HD wax is pricey but will last for ages both on the car and by usage.

I've found the Bilt Hamber clay to be one of the best - one of the best things about it is you don't need any detailing spray to use it as you just use water.

Bilt-Hamber Auto Clay | Buy Bilt-Hamber AutoClay Online

[andy-ski]

+1 for Bilt Hamber here too. Very easy and soft, making it lovely to use, and better still only spraying water on saves a lot of hassle and cost instead of the lubricants other clays come with. I needed to wash the car afterwards though to remove the residue before polishing and applying sealant. The difference on 5 year old paint was very noticeable.

[twissler]

I did my wifes fiesta(7yrs old) last week. It had never been clayed and the crap that the clay bar pulled off was amazing. I went through two bars it was that bad.

[Alfa_Daryl]

Bought some stuff off clean your car website, got one of the machine buffers (Kestrel). How good are they compared to hand waxing? Any good tips will be helpful, oir ill sod off and just go to the forums and check over there for guides.

[twissler]

They of no use really for waxing but when it comes to polishing and removing swirls the results you get from a machine are impossible to replicate by hand imo. Check out detailing world for some great guides and advice on machine polishing.

[GIZTO29]

Originally Posted by Alfa_Daryl

Bought some stuff off clean your car website, got one of the machine buffers (Kestrel). How good are they compared to hand waxing? Any good tips will be helpful, oir ill sod off and just go to the forums and check over there for guides.

2 totally different things my friend. You have to apply wax after machine polishing to protect the paint. Preperation is 90% of the overall finish. There are a few products you could keep in mind. Car-Lack 68 NSC is one of these as its an all in one product. It will cleanse your paint then leave a layer of sealant which is very durable and give a lovely finish. Most would then apply a wax or another sealant over this.
Collinite 476s and Winter Carlack Selant Kit
This is one of the best for winter and will last bloody yonks!
With regards to the Rotary heres a guide for you!
Machine Polishing by Rotary Polisher - Full Guide - Detailing World
Your a brave man is all i'll say

With regards to the OP, ive used the Megs Smooth Clay kit and its good. Others worth considering have been mentioned but theres also the Sonus Green Clay kit which is highly spoke of.

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/detail...r/prod_83.html

[springbok]

Personally, I have tried many different types (brands) of clay, those used with water and those used with QD as lubricants and I prefer the latter.

[stewatto]

Ive just bought the meguires clay kit. Thaught may as well give it ago as i use the 3 step kit by meguires. Ill have to get some pics up off my car soon.

[Alfa_Daryl]

Cheers for the tips. Ive clayed the car before alright, hammer something was the brand i think. Regularly wax it but only ever did this after a wash and clay. Never really did the polishing thing too much. Silver shines up easy I find anyways.