Reading about it in this forum is the first time ive ever heard of this step in car care. and since this section is so young, i feel its ok to ask it for future refernce!

So, what is a clay bar and what does it do? From what ive read i understand it preps the car for polishing and then waxing.

now my Maxima is a 92 but the paint is in great shape and only has a few scratches a car of its age is 'entitled' to have. would there be any benefit for me to clay my car? if i did the 'glass test' id tell you it would be damn smooth.

also, even if the surface is really smooth is there any point in polishing in terms of enriching the shine or would waxing alone do this to paint in pretty good nick?

thanks guys a lot of questions but i LOVE keeping my car clean and want to learn the best ways to care for my car.

Claying the car removes the contaminants that are settled into the clear coat. It would make you car mirror smooth. From what I've read it's some synthetic resin.....thing....

To clay you first wash with dawn to strip everything off and dry your car. Then you get a bar of clay, and some lubricant. I've seen a lot of people using Mother's Spray detailer, or Instant detailer, whatever it's called. So you spray the lubricant on a small area and rub the bar back and forth. After it gets really easy to move the bar you wipe that area down and if there's any clay left you spray with your lubricant and clean it off. Go around the whole car and reshape the clay if the surface you're using gets really dirty (fold it over and over like an eraser). Then you need to use a sealant or a wax since you removed everything off your paint. Now you're done .

I think most people either polish or wax. Wax gives the car that deep liquid wet look, while polish / sealant gives the car just a shiny look. The downside of wax is it doesn't last very long and polish / sealant does. Wax only lasts like 2 months where as polish can last 4 - 6 months and is easier to put on.

Cool. So to wipe off the clay I can just use a micro fibre towel?

I also did some searching and read on all bib brands sites (Meguiars, Mothers, Turtle Wax) Turtle had a liquid wax, anyone used that before?

Im interested in getting the smoothest finish I can so i might try one of these clay bars out!

Yeah micro fiber ftw. That's just the way I do it, I'm sure others have a different way.

I use Meguires gold class liquid wax. I think it's a lot easier to apply by hand than a paste wax and it shines up pretty well. I'm sure turtle wax liquid wax would do just fine. Just find a wax that is in your price range and you like .

claybars are a great cheap way to clean up your cars paint. It takes off all the dirt and grim that been worked into the clear coat. I haven't used one much before but a lot of ppl seem to really like them

i use Meguiars gold class too!

D-Maxima wrote:I also did some searching and read on all bib brands sites (Meguiars, Mothers, Turtle Wax) Turtle had a liquid wax, anyone used that before?

oh i mean liquid CLAY BAR not liquid wax...anyone tried that?

I'd prolly stay with an actual bar, simply because you just smash the bar together to get a clean surface and it's the type that everyone uses. You could always give the liquid one a try and report back on it?

yeah im thinking the actual bar would be better too.

this makes me REALLY want to wash my car right now, but i will probably get rained on here (damn winter in southern hemisphere)

i will probably end up washing it though lol and im gona get this glay bar just to see what its like.

ill see if liquid clay is available too.

how many sprays is needed with the lubricant (quick detailer) to lubricate the surface enough?

IDK depends. You just want it to be wet so the bar can glide and not stick to the paint.

cool. im looking forward to trying out this clay bar now!

Slider4105 wrote:Claying the car removes the contaminants that are settled into the clear coat. It would make you car mirror smooth. From what I've read it's some synthetic resin.....thing....

To clay you first wash with dawn to strip everything off and dry your car. Then you get a bar of clay, and some lubricant. I've seen a lot of people using Mother's Spray detailer, or Instant detailer, whatever it's called. So you spray the lubricant on a small area and rub the bar back and forth. After it gets really easy to move the bar you wipe that area down and if there's any clay left you spray with your lubricant and clean it off. Go around the whole car and reshape the clay if the surface you're using gets really dirty (fold it over and over like an eraser). Then you need to use a sealant or a wax since you removed everything off your paint. Now you're done .

I think most people either polish or wax. Wax gives the car that deep liquid wet look, while polish / sealant gives the car just a shiny look. The downside of wax is it doesn't last very long and polish / sealant does. Wax only lasts like 2 months where as polish can last 4 - 6 months and is easier to put on.

I wouldn't recomend using Dawn to strip your wax. Think of Dawn as a degreaser, because that's basically what it does when you do the dishes. You don't want that on your paint or trim pieces. Just do a double pass when you wash your car with your favorite car soap. There are different grades of clar bar out there. Some are softer(read safer) than others. Most of the ones you'll see in auto stores are softer & may come bundled with a quick detailer spray. This is the easiest route to go. Make sure you put down plenty of QD & pinch off 1/4 of the clar bar, then flatten it out. This serves 2 purposes. 1-If you drop the clay on the ground, it's worthless. It will pick up anything it falls on, meanin a lot of grit. 2-This makes your clay bar last a lot longer. After you've clayed a section of your car, knead the clay bar over & over till it looks clean again. Finish of with a good wax & you'll be amazed at the result. Here's my last car-2000 VW w/ 97,000 miles & original paint. I used Meguiars NXT wax w/ Meguiars #26 hi tech wax over that.

Every person I have ever talked to says to use Blue Dawn to clean the car to strip the wax, it is perfectly safe for your paint. Infact, I use it on multimillion dollar homes to clean the windows (a little trick if anyone wants to make their house windows sparkle). Most every sit that tells you how to detail your car, says use dish soap to strip wax. I've seen it here on NICO quite a few times with people saying to use it, its fine.

Slider4105 wrote:Every person I have ever talked to says to use Blue Dawn to clean the car to strip the wax, it is perfectly safe for your paint. Infact, I use it on multimillion dollar homes to clean the windows (a little trick if anyone wants to make their house windows sparkle). Most every sit that tells you how to detail your car, says use dish soap to strip wax. I've seen it here on NICO quite a few times with people saying to use it, its fine.

Not to be contrary but here's some insight from a few detailing forums...Autopia-Carcare:"Car washing can be a double-edged sword, though, as even the mildest soaps can remove the protection from your car's paint, causing premature oxidation. Detergents can dull your car's finish even faster. For many years, BMW, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari and many other fine-automobile makers recommended using only pure water to wash your car.

The high-quality car wash shampoos made today are very gentle on paint, plastic and rubber. A good car wash shampoo provides lubrication to prevent scratching and conditioners to maintain the shine. Be sure to select a quality product that's not counterproductive to your detailing efforts."

Autogeek.net:"Now you’re ready to wash. Let’s start with clean water and a freshly rinsed container and our Cobra Microfiber Wash Mitt. It’s important to use a car wash that is rich in lubricants. The purpose of the car wash is to remove contaminants and lubricate them so they do not scratch the paint as they slide off the vehicle. Dish detergents are not ideal because they remove protective coatings. P21S Bodywork Conditioning Shampoo, DP Auto Wash and Pinnacle Bodywork Shampoo are all fantastic choices. They do not remove wax and provide ample lubrication of gritty particles."

And finally from http://www.Dawn-Dish.com: "Can I use Dawn to clean things other than dishes?Dawn is so effective in cutting grease on dishes that over the years, consumers have used Dawn on other greasy messes around their homes, from cleaning kitchen messes like grease build up on the stove range hood to oily spots in the garage. Dawn is not recommended for window cleaning, car washing, body wash or washing hair."

Because it removes the wax that is on top of the finish. You are supposed to follow up with a wax or something of that nature. If you notice every one of those say that specific car wash liquid it wont strip wax. When you want to re-apply a good coat of wax or clay...you should remove the wax.

What you do is after the washing with the dish wash soap and claying and all that jazz....you re-apply the protective barrier IE wax or sealant.

I agree I would never use it often, or as my weekly car wash liquid. But when it comes time to aplly many layers of wax or you want to strip everything down to the clearcoat, dish wash liquid is fine.

dont use dawn, if your going to clay bar it will strip the wax for your unless you use a very mild one.

I just clay barred my Q45 this morning. Huge difference! The top parts of the car (i.e., Hood, Roof and Trunk) were by far the most contaminated. If felt like sand paper initially. I bought the Meguiar's kit that came with two clay bars, the detail spray (lubricant), a microfiber detail towel, and a small bottle of cleaner wax. I used both clay bars and almost the whole bottle of detail spray because the paint was so bad. In the future, it will take much less effort. To those who haven't done this before, do it. You'll be amazed at the difference. Just make sure and check your clay often, because the grit it pulls out of your paint will scratch it if you don't knead the clay.

D-Maxima wrote:i use Meguiars gold class too! <IMG NAME="icon" SRC="http://is.rely.net/3-78-13854-l-9FLoUlU ... jsFPXQ.gif" BORDER="0">

oh i mean liquid CLAY BAR not liquid wax...anyone tried that?

Haven't used Liquid Clay Bar. Only the ordinary clay bars from Meguiars. A friend of mine who had used liquid clay bar before thinks that it didn't do well in picking up dirt.

If you care for your car at all don't used dish soap. get a soap that meant to strip your wax and not hurt the paint. As far as the clay bar goes, if you have never used it before the clay will become a yellowish color and the paint will be super smooth.

check out chemicalguys.com they have something better then a normal clay bar and it comes with its own lube.

use some type of show room shine with the clay bar

does claying actually work? i've never done it to a car before and im thinking about doing it... whats the best stuff to get?

Mile High Versa wrote:does claying actually work? i've never done it to a car before and im thinking about doing it... whats the best stuff to get?

It makes a huge difference. My brother and I used clay bar on my dads 540 followed with the Meguiars 3 step. The car looks amazing. Better then it would new. Now I wish I had done it on my car...

As far as brand I would just get the Meguiars. I have always liked using their products.

Mile High Versa wrote:does claying actually work? i've never done it to a car before and im thinking about doing it... whats the best stuff to get?

Works wonders. Just clayed my grandpa's CTS - looks like a brand new car.

You can just buy the Meguiar's box - comes with everything you need except soap and stuff to wax with.

going to pick up a clay bar at a friendly Autozone tonight.

would it damage the paint?

AznJohn22 wrote:going to pick up a clay bar at a friendly Autozone tonight.

would it damage the paint?

Nope! It's actually good for the paint! You're removing the stuff that's trapped in there, which could eventually kill the paint!

Clay bar is great, a must in my books! It's one of many steps I utilize for detailing my car. I spend at least 2 days for a full detail because I only use my hands, no machine as of now..

phobs wrote:Clay bar is great, a must in my books! It's one of many steps I utilize for detailing my car. I spend at least 2 days for a full detail because I only use my hands, no machine as of now..

when do you stop claying? like spend five minutes for each area? and do you include the roof too?

I clay all painted surfaces, even the wheels if they have some minor brake grime on them. I pretty much pay attention to my clay bar or just inspect the paint to know when to move on to another section. Make sure you keep the area lubricated.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfEfLGL59GI

phobs wrote:I clay all painted surfaces, even the wheels if they have some minor brake grime on them. I pretty much pay attention to my clay bar or just inspect the paint to know when to move on to another section. Make sure you keep the area lubricated.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfEfLGL59GI

The car wash soap has wax also. should i get regular car wash soap?

It's more reasonable with regular soap without wax because clay will strip the wax and you're gonna end up waxing in the end anyways.