I want to take you to the clay bar

[Alfa.Romeo]

I have a day off tomorrow and am tempted to clay bar the whole car. I am not one that enjoys washing cars etc and have never used a clay bar, but do like a nice shiny car. My problem is, am i likely to see much of a difference in a washed & waxed car and a washed, clayed & waxed car?

[Alfadisiac]

simple answer, yes!
the clay bar removes all sorts of impurities, mainly tar and dead bugs that dont come off during washing...

after you clay the car, you will find your wax rag glides over the paintwork while your buffing up the wax...

im also like you, i dont like washing cars, but i dont like having a dirty car either! but im going to wait until the easter break and do it properly...

[smudge_don]

Clay bar won't make the car shiney, it will remove impurities from the paint work that will allow the polish/wax to be put on easier, which will make the car shine

[rancidswan]

"to the clay bar, clay bar, clay bar!"

Anyway, I recently purchased one of those Auto Glym Clay bar kits, couldn't believe how much rubbish came off my very clean 58 Reg car. Well worth the expense, plus the clay bar process really doesn't take very long, or much effort because you're not applying hardly any pressure.

The only mistake I made, was not wiping off the dirty clay bar lubricant after I'd done each panel. I'd recommend this otherwise your polishing/waxing cloths will get very dirty very quickly.

Enjoy!

Rancid

[GroovyBoovy]

Also do not enjoy car cleaning, have used a clay bar on my car and it does seem to make a difference.
Nice feeling to see this dirt, that you did not know was there, being dragged out of your paintwork.

Rob

[smudge_don]

Originally Posted by rancidswan

"to the clay bar, clay bar, clay bar!"

Anyway, I recently purchased one of those Auto Glym Clay bar kits, couldn't believe how much rubbish came off my very clean 58 Reg car. Well worth the expense, plus the clay bar process really doesn't take very long, or much effort because you're not applying hardly any pressure.

The only mistake I made, was not wiping off the dirty clay bar lubricant after I'd done each panel. I'd recommend this otherwise your polishing/waxing cloths will get very dirty very quickly.

Enjoy!

Rancid

Should wash it after claying anyway

[JON156VELOCE]

I clay bar'd mine for the first time a few weeks ago and am amazed at the difference it made, I thought it was shiny after regular polishing before but the paint work now looks like new especially the roof that before was a bit patchy, I used a Bilt Hamber clay bar that needs only water and a bit of car shampoo as a lubricant.
It took a while and then 2 coats of polish which has had a few great comments from people about how it looks like a new car,
I also clayed the windows and was supprised at how much dirt came off them.

[James Junior]

Originally Posted by rancidswan

"to the clay bar, clay bar, clay bar!"

Damn - you beat me to it!

Clay bars are amazing and make a big difference in my experience. I love feeling all the impurities before, then how smooth the paintwork is afterwards.

What a difference a clay makes!

(sorry)

[kandlbarrett]

I clay barred (correct spelling?) for the first time three weeks ago and thought the effect was fantastic. Even before you polish the paint is just so smooth and it makes polishing much easier.

Autoglym clay bar and Autoglym Super resin polish. There are other makes but as Halfrauds is closest and sell Autoglym that is what I bought and used.

[brerachris]

I'v been using clay bars for a while now and they really do make a difference to the finish you get especially after polishing then waxing. If you have a lot of tar on the car I would advise you to use a tar remover first, the clay will last much longer if you do this. The clay is more suited to cleaning off tree sap etc, it will get rid of tar but will reduce its life.

Regards

Chris

[DavidHF]

Bilt Hamber clay is excellent value for money, Its what I use on my cars, and I would recommend to anyone.

There are also products out there like Iron X which remove fallout that clay can't pick up, adding this to a routine will give great benefits to the finished article.

Its scary how much you can spend on cleaning equipment these days, I've been there and done it (And regretted it)

Although I am a bit of a cleaning W***E so no doubt I will be lavishing some tlc on the SW soon

[Alfa.Romeo]

Thanks for all the comments guys. Shall give it a go tommorrow

[Pac03]

Claying is so damn tedious though & makes the fingers cold & cramp up esp on a cold day. No way I could do the whole car in 1 day. Throw the piece away if it drops on the ground though or you'll scratch the clear coat.

Claying is very rewarding after seeing how much **** actually comes off & sticks to the clay. Makes it smoother than Jessica Alba's tanned ****cheeks

[steveisfrowning]

***** Best Thread Title Ever! *****

As per previous comments.................but it's hard work in cold conditions.

I'm inspired to do mine this weekend.




















Bloody song is stuck in my head now!

[Alfa.Romeo]

I did think the title may brighten the thread list up a bit

[lowejackson]

Clay the glass as well

[bigjim]

claying used to be my fav part of prep, not it's my least favourite.
love the smooth paintwork after doing it. i may do mine this year, it's been a while.

[Alfa.Romeo]

Right, all done. First washed the car using TW ice shampoo & dried. Then used the TurtleWax clay bar kit as described. Then washed the car again and revealed my worst nightmare, MARRING on an mosterous scale So i went over the car with Auto Glym SRP and that has hidden most of it but i fear once that wears off it will reveal the marring again. I used the clay bar as described and used nearly the whole 500ml bottle of lube it came with so was very slippery during use. Someone on Halfords website did warn of this come to think about it. Kinda wish i hadnt done it now How can i get rid of the marks?
Halfords | Turtle Wax Refine & Shine Clay Bar Kit

Looks quite good now polished though http://i608.photobucket.com/albums/t...20322-1724.jpg

[Alexdm]

I bit to read Paint marring - Detailing World

Love washing the car (in the summer) and normally spend 5 hours doing it. Marring occurs when the clay bar is not properly lubed or the wax not properly polished, but normally the bottles provided are more than enough for one go.
Was the paint properly clean before claying and did you do small bits at the time? I normally use auto glym but the turtle kit is a good starting product.
Try to give it another good wash with a clean mitt and a good shampoo, don't put wax or extra clay on it. If the wash doesn't do the trick, I would get a professional to give it a quick polish

[smudge_don]

Got my bilt hamber clay bar through today, will be giving the car a lovely long session before TFS on Sunday

[DavidHF]

Originally Posted by Alexdm

I bit to read Paint marring - Detailing World

Love washing the car (in the summer) and normally spend 5 hours doing it. Marring occurs when the clay bar is not properly lubed or the wax not properly polished, but normally the bottles provided are more than enough for one go.
Was the paint properly clean before claying and did you do small bits at the time? I normally use auto glym but the turtle kit is a good starting product.
Try to give it another good wash with a clean mitt and a good shampoo, don't put wax or extra clay on it. If the wash doesn't do the trick, I would get a professional to give it a quick polish

Marring can be caused by many things, not just down to claying.

Also I've never heard of polishing wax??

[lowejackson]

An aggressive clay can cause marring

[Oliver_K]

I tend to spend the spring claying. Never used it before until last year though and I was very impressed. The amount of brown gunk that came off the paint. If im bored I clay a panel. By the summer its all ready to enjoy.

[Starkers]

Originally Posted by lowejackson

Clay the glass as well

I was thinking that as and when I do get round to getting a clay bar, that I would do the windows (inside) as well. My question is, would I be able to use it on the heated rear windscreen i.e. the inside, or would it just damage / rip off the heating elements?

I had to post in this thread just because of the title!

[lowejackson]

Originally Posted by Starkers

.... My question is, would I be able to use it on the heated rear windscreen i.e. the inside, or would it just damage / rip off the heating elements? ...

Yes, the clay would damage the heating element but more generally, I suspect the interior glass would not benefit that much from clay although I have never tried it