Detailing Clay

[sumelton1]

:xmas: :xmas: Anyone used this "miracle" stuff and is it worth buying?

[jug]

in my younger years i used it 4 times a year, before each carnauba session, but since then i've realised that spending 6 hours rubbing a ball of plasticine on my car is a bit too much even for my level of OCD, especially when you consider that sugar soap achieves the same results in 30mins.

if i bought a car that was more than 5 years old and it was obvious that it had not been regularly washed and polished during its life then i would definately get the clay bar out to clean it up prior to waxing it the first time, but i wouldnt bother using it again after that.

[sumelton1]

I,m new to the world of OCD polishing - what does suger soap do for me? Sounds kinda sticky ,,,,,

[cj romeo]

Sugar Soap??? thats ..orribly alkaline, I wouldnt put that on my car - maybe on skirting boards, but not a car.

[jug]

it cleans absolutely everything off (except the paint), leaving you with bare paint.

[lowejackson]

It is not a miracle product but you will be amazed at how smooth the paint becomes after claying. It is normal to use in conjunction with a spray (lube) or you can simply make up a very strong shampoo mix.

Claying in the cold is hard work and if you drop it on the floor - bin it
Detailing Clay & Pre-wax Cleaning - Autopia Car Detailing Forum

[steveisfrowning]

20 quid odd - well worth it if the car is already cacky

[AlfaJack]

I have used it - basically you can feel the difference - but its hard to see - paint does feel very soft though!

[Stori]

Sugar soap - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sugar soap is an industrial cleaning material, composed of sodium carbonate, sodium phosphate, and sometimes sodium silicate as an abrasive. The dry powder looks like table sugar, which gives it its name. The term appears to be used with regards to a cleaning material, mainly in Commonwealth countries.

The solution is alkaline and is used for cleaning paintwork in preparation for repainting. (An alternative to prepare paintwork for painting is to clean the painted surface with "household ammonia" or ammonium hydroxide, which is a solution of NH3 in water.)

[Ralf S.]

Where can you buy such a creature? I never seen it in Halfraouds except as part of a Maguires kit, which I don't want. I just fancy a lump of the plasticine to have a go at Tarquini's shaggy coat.


Ralf S.

[badgers_nadgers]

I was a bit disappointed with claying my car to be honest. I would have thought that four hours work might have produced a better result. You can feel the difference though, even if you can't see it.

[steveisfrowning]

i got mugged at Halfrauds

[Alfie GTV]

Originally Posted by Ralf S.

Where can you buy such a creature? I never seen it in Halfraouds except as part of a Maguires kit, which I don't want. I just fancy a lump of the plasticine to have a go at Tarquini's shaggy coat.


Ralf S.

Hi Ralf, E-bay has the creature's you are looking for

[dazzo]

You can allways use blue-tac fella, does pretty much the same job, use a soapy wash solution as a lube

[AlfaJack]

Originally Posted by badgers_nadgers

I was a bit disappointed with claying my car to be honest. I would have thought that four hours work might have produced a better result. You can feel the difference though, even if you can't see it.

Me too, I like the feel of it - but then you think, well if I cant see it, what was the point

[J2 GTV]

Originally Posted by AlfaJack

Me too, I like the feel of it - but then you think, well if I cant see it, what was the point

well it does make it easier to polish and wax after?

[AlfaJack]

Originally Posted by rabw

well it does make it easier to polish and wax after?

A little

[dazzo]

It really helps the wax to bond to the surface, giving really nice smooth reflections.
It also stops etching on the clearcoat, bird poo and tree sap leave acidic deposits behind that canr burn into the surface and can cause permanent damage if left long enough, normal washing can't remove these things so a going over with clay every 6 months is a good idea

[Dirk]

Yes and it is worth it, just take your time and make a proper job of it. You will be amazed with the end result

[Phelan77]

Originally Posted by sumelton1

:xmas: :xmas: Anyone used this "miracle" stuff and is it worth buying?

I think that there is a lot of misconception on detailing a car. Claying using a clay bar is just one of the steps in detailing the car and its primary purpose is to smoothen the surface of the paintwork by removing dirt and grime that are stuck to your car. Thus just claying the car without doing the other steps in detailing the car is useless.

These are the steps that i use to detail my car, which is repeated every 4 months:

1) Rinse the car
2) Shampoo and clay the car prior to rinsing the shampoo off.
3) Polish the car with Soft 99 Meta-clean and buff it off
4) Coat the car with a sealant (Soft 99 Fusso Coat 9)
5) Leave the car for 8 hours for the sealant to dry and bond to the paint
6) Wax the car with soft 99 Authentic premium wax and buff it off.

Step 1 to 4 takes me about 4 hours and step 6 is an additional 1.5 hrs.

Do this and your car paintwork should be protected for the next 4 months or so.

[Phelan77]

I have attached a partial photo of my GT after a detailing session. By the way the GT is slightly more than 2 years old.

[sumelton1]

Thanks guys - it sounds like its worth doing as part of the whole process to get the top result possible, I will do it in spring.

I will respectfully ignore the sugar soap and blutac suggestions!
:xmas:

[garry-graig]

Originally Posted by Phelan77

I have attached a partial photo of my GT after a detailing session. By the way the GT is slightly more than 2 years old.

Damn!That looks good!

[24v]

I used meguiars clay bar on my last 2 cars i applied the clay bar after spraying on quick detailing spray then i worked in sections,it lifted off
little bits of tar and contaminants,
i then applied meguiars Gold class clear coat liquid car wax,it done
the body work a treat the water allways beaded of the car.

I'll do same when i buy my next GTA.

[Lord Melch]

Originally Posted by sumelton1

:xmas: :xmas: Anyone used this "miracle" stuff and is it worth buying?

That is difficult to answer without knowing your level of knowledge relating to car care..

Clay is used to remove contaminants on your paintwork. If when you lightly rub your finger over your cars paintwork it feels rough, it may need claying. Paintwork should be super smooth.

Lots of information on how to use it properly here:

CleanYourCar.co.uk - View Forum - Polishing - Compounds/Cleaners & Clay


The full info on how my Bella came up after a good detail..

CleanYourCar.co.uk - View topic - Lord melch's flying machine