Do clay bars also take off the wax and sealents you may put onto the paint??

 

Yes, you need to wax the car after claying it.

USAGE: apply lubricant to the surface and rub the clay on the lubricated surface. Don't use round motion (like when waxing) but with straight lines so that each stroke overlaps slightly the previous.

Very easy to use!

 

Thanks it does, but one burning question: how is it used

 

1. Wash vehicle very well to loosen surface dirt. Getting the surface as clean as possible will reduce wear on the clay bar and extend the life of your bar by reducing the amount of contaminants that need to be lifted by the bar.

2. Mist a 2 x2 square foot area generously with Lubricant. Hold the clay bar against the surface and move it back and forth.

3. Surface Eraser Poly Clay will grab the surface initially. This grabbing indicates that the clay is encountering contamination. Continue rubbing gently until the clay glides freely.

4. Wipe each completely section with a micro fiber towel, this process will wipe away contaminates and reduce friction and possible marring of surface through friction.

5.Before moving to the next section, inspect the clay. If it appears soiled, fold the clay and use a clean portion to clean the next section. If you drop the clay or it becomes completely soiled, discard the clay bar and continue with a fresh bar.

5. Once you have clayed the paint, YOU CAN CLAY THE WINDOWS AND ALLOYS AS WELL. Follow the same directions for windows and ALLOYS for windows this will reduce streaking when using your wipers and accelerate water runoff when it rains and alloys will make the surface of your alloy very smooth easy to clean next time (once you have done your alloys please dont put it any where near your paint work ever again)

7. Wash Vehicle again once completed, this will assure that all contaminates that were removed are safely washed off of the surface where they can no longer to hard to paint.

:thumbs:

 

Cheers for that chemguy.
Some useful info there.
Matt.

 

Thanks again :thumbs: - am slowly paying more attention to the finish & getting a cay bar seems a natural next step

 

if you have never done it before, just make sure your car panel is dripping wet with lube/water, and make sure your clay is also well lube`d up....that way u will be making sure u dont get marring from the clay bar.


and when your doing it, pop and old clean towel on the floor under the panel your doing cause first time you will drop the bar we all do but its a mistake u wont make again



and if it does hit the deck the only place for the bar from there on is the binn :tut:

 

Actually quite good fun claying unlike hard waxing those last 2 panels of a car

 

If you have had Superguard or Lifeshine applied to your car, does claying remove the previously applied product?
I would be wary of taking off Superguard/Lifeshine as they have a ten year guarantee, whatever that means.
Andy.

 

have u ever taken your car thought a £3 hand job car wash? if so your wax will be stripped anyway, they spray your car with a very strong TFR to remove any road grease, and sadly its that strong it also removes any pre applied wax too. :thumbs:

 

chemguyuk are u using chemical guys i just got a load of there stuff any tips on using the swurl remover , thanks

 

this has to be better than words.

YouTube - Meguiar's SwirlX

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRokMbzUcoc&feature=channel

 

lol maybe your name gives it away just a little bit i feel so silly now,

i got tar bug remover, lubber with clay , cut 7.0, scratch=swirl b-gone, m-seal , ez glaze and hard core paste wax did i but the right stuff as theres so much out the to buy thanx again

 

Megs how to video

YouTube - How to Clay Bar

 

:thumbs: - how long would you expect a bar to last? (typically, I am aware that there will be different levels of contamination )

 

So, worst case could be one use really

Sorry for persisting, I have so far managed to avoid this level of 'detailing' - but feel the need to achieve a better shine now :thumbs:

 

Yes, but your car would have to REALLY be in a filthy state for a clay bar to only last for one session.

What I sometimes do, (after washing and drying), is firstly give the entire car a wipe down with a paint cleaner. This removes all the really bad tree sap and tar spots etc. Then, when I clay, it goes much faster and smoother, the clay just picking up the bonded contaminants. The clay bar also lasts much longer.

 

I got some AG Extra Gloss Protection. Do I apply this after the claying process or after waxing?

 

EGP is a sealant so it will seal in whatever you have on the paint.

Clay is always the first step (after washing obviously) as you want the bonded contaminants off the paint before you polish it..

Apply a polish (e.g. Super Resin polish) next.. then wax it .. and lastly use the EGP.

Ralf S.

 

I can see how some folk spend hours doing this :lol:

 

:lol: It took me about three hours to clay my car, it was well worth it though. I should have left it for a few weeks because the car is going for a (possibly full) respray

 

If you clay, you should definitely polish first before waxing.

Remember clay removes contaminants leaving the surface perfectly prepared for polishing.

It does not make the surface shine
It does not correct swirls or scratches

 

Yeah, yeah.

Bought the clay, tried it out.

Great stuff. Could really see the difference. But, no way am I ever going to sit on the pavement long enough to do the whole thing.

So how much can I expect to pay someone to do it for me?

And, since it doesn't remove swirls etc., what should I pay to restore the Spider bodywork to as new condition?

 

With clay, you only really need to spend time on the upper surfaces (bonnet/roof/bootlid), the lower sides and maybe the door-tops.. so only about 3/4 of the car.

Once you've done it once, the next time you do it (months later) you'll find that the process is quicker as the paint will not have picked up as much contamination as it probably had the first time you did it.

I dunno how much professional detailers charge but if you fancied having a go yourself, you can get a pukka Dual-Action polishing machine, a couple of pads and a pair of polishes (medium and mild) for well under £200.

Maybe the results won't be "as new" but you'll have the kit and you'll be able to re-visit it again in a few months (when the wax you put on needs a re-application anyway) and gradually improve it, by small increments.

If you'll like that sort of thing...

Which it sounds like you might not.. (but give it a go :thumbs


Ralf S.

 

Just used Bilt-Hamber clay on my father-in-law's 13 year old red Lancer.

13 years of sun and dust exposure.

He (and myself) were amazed at the results.

Looks like it has just been resprayed. Brought all the colour back and shine. Smooth as silk.
Had to work a lot on the bonnet and roof as they were very rough.

He took photos and said he had never seen his car like that since he bought it brand new!!

Brilliant product:thumbs::thumbs::thumbs::thumbs:

I use it regularly on my black 33. Initially I thought the clearcoat had been damaged in the sun. It was just contamination making it feel rough as hell.

 

Damn, now you've reminded me I have to clay my GT.
I did it nearly two years ago, after the numpties, at work, managed to get emulsion on it. (I didn't notice straight away). Someone on here told me to clay bar it. Fabulous results.

 

Someone on here told me to clay bar it. Fabulous results.

Yep I couldn't believe my eyes also. Better than a machine polish I had done 6 months ago
(they must have done a really crap job as it still wasn't smooth after the expensive polish - bunch of cowboys!).

10 quid clay bar had 10 times better results!!

 

+1 for the Bilt Hamber clay. Awesome stuff and specifically designed to be lubed with water. Their Auto Balm polish is a bit special as well.

 

specifically designed to be lubed with water.

yep that is the great part.

I make sure I have the hose and keep spraying plenty of water around the area and also on the clay bar underside. It will wash off some bits it picks up to keep it clean.

 

i have used a Meguiaiaiaiar's clay bar set for many years, over 4 cars (Ford, Nissan, Alfa) and i find that the paintwork is so much better after claying.

i did find that the Quick Detailer supplied with the kit was no better as a lube than an old trigger spray filled with water and washing up liquid..

i have read that instead of just wiping down with a microfibre cloth/towel after claying, the car should be washed as normal again, and this is the process i use, without any kind of problems.

 

i've always washed again after claying but i was reading somewhere you shouldn't need to. what i have noticed is a lot of the time you'll always need to polish after a claying session.
maybe i don't get mine that dirty and i only do 7k miles a year but i've not needed to clay again, after doing it once, and that was 2 years ago.

 

i found that i needed to do mine on the old car (which was silver) twice a year at least.

even though the paint wasnt 'rough', the clay bar would still remove enough contaminants (after washing) to turn the bar green, like the sort of slight green you might get in a fishtank.

 

My old beast is outside all day and we're not far from a railway line, so it needs doing twice a year... the clay goes brown.

However, if you keep on top of it afterwards, the claying effect lasts longer and the effort needed to do it again is reduced from the first time. You also save time every time you wash the car, since it's easier to wash when the paint is smooth.

I don't wash the car again after claying.. but I use Quick Detailer to lube it and wipe a panel dry when I've finished it, so there's no residue on there. In any case, once a year I'll polish the beast with a machine (Meg's G220) so any minor marring isn't an issue..

Ralf S.