Turtle Wax ICE Liquid CLay bar

[DRIPS]

I detailed my car today. I tried the new ICE clay bar liquid. It worked well and really cleaned up the swirls/road grim/ sap/ dirt very well. Even tho the car looked spic and span I could not believe how disgusting the grim was that came off. I would recommend this for you guys to try out.

[TREYDEE007]

what are the procedures for applyin this??? thanks

[Royal1262]

have you taken some before and after pics?

[M4T5]

i was thinking about using it as well. I just didn't know what kind of results it would give.I do however use the ICE car wash. It seems to work really well too. No water spots from it. Just be sure to dry the car really well and it gives great results!

J

[DRIPS]

Sorry for the slow response

So the ICE clay bar is simple to use- a little shake of the container and apply to the included applicator sponge. Then use small circular, hard pressure, rubbing. Do the entire car. This is EXHAUSTING and dirty, but is a great pre-step to a nice coat of wax.

Please note- car should be washed, dried, clayed with ICE, washed, dried, waxed, buffed.

I usually do this entire procedure twice a year. I usually wax a couple more times.

[szh]

Have you tried a regular clay bar (the soft mushy kind)? If so, can you compare the performance to the ICE liquid clay bar, please?

Z

[M4T5]

So you clay bared your M with ICE, but what did you wax and buff it with??

J

[NightWatch]

Did you use the Turtle Wax clay kit or just the Liquid Clay prep?

[CakeDaddy]

Liquid Clay. Sounds like an Oxy Moron(sp), but Good Ole Turtle Wax trying to make things easier. I can’t blame them for that, but listen…. Chances are that you’ll put the same amount of effort into this liquid stuff as you would a solid conventional clay bar. Also, I’ve seen the side by side comparisons with liquid and solid clay and the conventional clays will pick up more junk. I have a black car so Im a little paranoid about the products I use on my car, plus I’m a little bias so I hate turtle products and I’d be scared to put anything of theirs on my car, but I’m pleased to hear that you got great results from it.


Modified by CakeDaddy at 11:48 AM 3/4/2009

[NightWatch]

The Liquid Clay is actually the "prep" step in the 3 step package and is a polishing compound. You are supposed to follow it with a standard clay bar/lubricant and a final wax. I'd be careful about using any polishing compound on any clear coat finish as they have an overall tendency to dull the finish.

[CakeDaddy]

I'd be careful about using any polishing compound on any clear coat finish as they have an overall tendency to dull the finish.

Please explain what you mean. I've cut (compounded) and ploished many cars and I've yet to dull the finish. If you have the right products (Menzena,3m,PoorBoysWolfGang, etc..) and a proper polisher (Flex or Porter Cable)You can do wonders for a car depend on the condition, especially darker colors that tend to swirl from bad car washing and drying techniques.


Modified by CakeDaddy at 11:51 AM 3/4/2009

[NightWatch]

Please explain what you mean. I've cut (compounded) and ploished many cars... If you have the right products...and a proper polisher ...You can do wonders for a car depend on the condition....

I think you hit the nail on the head CakeDaddy.... The majority of car owners interested in "bringing back the shine" on their cars will head on down to the local AutoZone, pick something up off the shelf, go home and incorrectly apply it and wonder why it doesn't look any better (or worse) than when they started. Check out Consumer Reports who concluded that off the shelf polishes (particularly mentioning a TurtleWax product) tended to dull the factory clear coat finishes and recommended waxes without any cleaners or polishers in them.

[CakeDaddy]

Yes.. Thank you.

People,

Please do not play yourself out by purchasing this cheap stuff (turtle wax, etc..) at your local Wal-Mart or AutoZone with the hopes of great results. You WILL be disappointed. I’m speaking from experience. In the past on previous car I’ve wasted so much time and money on silicon filled crap that only made my work harder in the long run. I can list some name brands and products that will be helpful to the serious car detailer, but I do recommend that you have a good polisher on hand. Remember, I have a black car and I’ve done wonders since I’ve had the car.

Drips,

Thanks for sharing your work. You car looks great as usual. The next time I visit Autozone I'll stop and look at the ICE Clay Bar system.

[NightWatch]

On a positive note Claying a car can do wonders for it. Personally I clay all my cars once a year in the spring to get all the grime and crap off the paint that washing and waxing will not remove. I'd recommend it for everyone who wants to give their cars that little extra "edge" in appearance, but I'd also recommend that you find some who has experience in claying a car to show you the technique first. It isn't that hard, but there are a few tricks to it and most people do not want their pride and joy to become a "learning experience". And it is a process that takes a while to finish ending with a couple coats of a good quality wax or sealant.

CakeDaddy can probably recommend some good products to use for washing and waxing/sealing the car as well. They may be a little more difficult to find, but they will work better than the mass marketed junk.

[szh]

Have you tried a regular clay bar (the soft mushy kind)? If so, can you compare the performance to the ICE liquid clay bar, please?

Z

This question from me scrolled off the "screen" ... can the original poster answer it (if you have the info)?

Thanks in advance!

Z

[CakeDaddy]

On a positive note Claying a car can do wonders for it. Personally I clay all my cars once a year in the spring to get all the grime and crap off the paint that washing and waxing will not remove. I'd recommend it for everyone who wants to give their cars that little extra "edge" in appearance, but I'd also recommend that you find some who has experience in claying a car to show you the technique first. It isn't that hard, but there are a few tricks to it and most people do not want their pride and joy to become a "learning experience". And it is a process that takes a while to finish ending with a couple coats of a good quality wax or sealant.

CakeDaddy can probably recommend some good products to use for washing and waxing/sealing the car as well. They may be a little more difficult to find, but they will work better than the mass marketed junk.

Yes... claying can and will do wonders. I've only clayed my truck and hood lid on my black M and the hood and trunk lid of our silver Mercedes. The black M produced the best results for obvious reasons. The Mercedes paint has the ceramiclear coat and is damn near bullet proof. I used the pinnacle clay system. It comes with a small handle that looks like a door knob and the clay attaches to the bottom of the knob (pretty safe). This prevents you from dropping the clay on the ground.

After the clay job on the black M I followed up with a 3m polish/swirl remover, poor boys world sealant, poor boys black hole glaze and finally the poor boys natty blue paste wax.

[NightWatch]

Use only Poly Clay. Two thumbs up on the Pinnacle Ultra Poly clay. Expensive but I think its the best out there. What do you think of Chemical Guys waxes and sealants?

[CakeDaddy]

Use only Poly Clay. Two thumbs up on the Pinnacle Ultra Poly clay. Expensive but I think its the best out there. What do you think of Chemical Guys waxes and sealants?

Funny you ask. Im waiting on some literature(sp) from them as we speak. Alot of the people I talk to here have no idea who and what this stuff is. Its damn expen$ive, but I'd love to get a sample their product. They have the jetseal but I've heard its a little over rated and doesn't hold up, but their wax comes in two models... 53 & 5050.. I think. One has carnubeau(sp) and its said to a helluva nice wax.

[szh]

My experience has been with the clay bars I got from Zaino as part of their car treatment.

Worked wonders on my old cars and I highly recommend it. And the entire Zaino stuff!

But ... still just wondering how a regular clay bar does compared to this ICE liquid clay bar.

Z

[NightWatch]

szhosain, If you go out to the Turtle Wax website and read about the product it sounds much more like a polishing compound. Turtle Wax bills it as Step 1 (removing swirls and defects) before using their clay bar (to remove grime and paint contaminants) and then finally Step 3 waxing it.

[DRIPS]

Have you tried a regular clay bar (the soft mushy kind)? If so, can you compare the performance to the ICE liquid clay bar, please?

Z

Wow this thread has blown up! I posted it like 7 months ago and here we go! ANyway, I have not used both. I do not have a comparison photo, and as the thread indicates, this is just one item in a mass of products.

I would not recommend this without applying wax over the top after, as I mentioned up front. I am very pleased with the results.

Cake, You do the best job with any black car i have seen. Anything you say about detailing should be taken as gospel. That being said, black is much more difficult to take care of than pearl white. So, I may not have to work as hard to get equivelant looking results.

Ill be waxing, polishing, claying and all the good stuff once spring hits. Ill be fully documenting it now that i know everyone is into this

[CakeDaddy]

Wow this thread has blown up! I posted it like 7 months ago and here we go! ANyway, I have not used both. I do not have a comparison photo, and as the thread indicates, this is just one item in a mass of products.

I would not recommend this without applying wax over the top after, as I mentioned up front. I am very pleased with the results.

Cake, You do the best job with any black car i have seen. Anything you say about detailing should be taken as gospel. That being said, black is much more difficult to take care of than pearl white. So, I may not have to work as hard to get equivelant looking results.

Ill be waxing, polishing, claying and all the good stuff once spring hits. Ill be fully documenting it now that i know everyone is into this

Spring time is nearing and I notice alot of the car detail threads start sprouting. I didnt notice that its been 7 months. I though it was a new thread and I enzy you for having a clean a$$ white M. I WANTED A WHITE I passed on a white Q and opted for the Black M, but look here... I went and look at the Turtle ICE today and it looks promising from what I read on the box, so And thanks for the props on my black demon and I'm alway open to hear and learn something new.

NightWatch,

Please educate me on the Poly Clay vs the other non poly. Where do brand like Turtle, Meguairs, Mothers fit in. Im only familiar with Pinnacle.

[NightWatch]

Poly (short for polymer) is a synthetic clay made from man made plastics. In this way they can control both the particle size and the particle hardness to get the desire result. For Detailing you want a clay that is softer than the paint finish, but harder than the grime and residue you're trying to remove. A good detailing poly clay does NOT polish. It does not affect the paint surface at all - it "pulls" the grime and contaminants from the paint. It will not remove paint blemishes or swirl marks. That is what a polishing compound is for.

Ordinary clay bars are composed of a number of different things, natural and man made, but usually as their base they have some sort of "grit" in them. Usually it is ultra fine, finer that what you would probably find in most polishing compounds. It does its work by being harder than the paint finish though. These clay bars usually come in different abrasive designations from light to hard. These bars while useful for the auto finish professional and the professional detailer, should not be used by the casual auto detailer as they have the potential to mark the finish (swirls or micro scratches)

To properly clay a car the first step is selecting the proper clay bar and finishing products. I like the Pinnacle Ultra Poly clay bar. They have been very reliable and I've never had a problem with them. The claying process should be done in a clean garage to minimize dust and grit settling on the car. For the first wash I like to use Dawn dishwashing liquid. Nothing equals it for getting as much grime, grease ,road film etc off the car as well as the old wax. CAUTION: You should NOT use Dawn Dishwashing liquid on your car more than once or twice a year! It will dry out your paint and cause problems resulting in a failing paint finish. Once the car is washed and dried you can begin the claying process. Always use a clay bar with the manufacturers recommended lubricant. Never use a clay bar dry. Don't use too much lubricant or your clay will turn to mush. There's a balance you will need to learn and every manufacturers clay bar is a little different. Once you've clayed the entire car, wash again using your favorite quality car wash. Use lots of water to rinse. Dry the car completely.

The experienced auto detailer will now look over his car and decide if he needs to apply any polish to remove any swirls or defects. The beginner or average auto detailer should probably avoid this step as this is where the majority of mistakes happen. If you do decide to polish your car, talk to an auto detailer about your car's paint issues and have him recommend something and tell you how to apply it. I detailed my own show cars for over 25 years and I would always have a professional polish the car if it needed it. I wouldn't ever do it myself. Use your own judegement.

If you polished the car, once again wash it completely and dry. Now it needs to be waxed and sealed. I recommend a quality professional wax that is carnuba wax based with additional polymers for longer life. I use Pete's 53 on my Platinum Graphite M35. It was developed for darker (gray, black, charcoal) or metalic finish cars. It gives amazing results, but it is $50 a can so it may not be for everyone. Surprisingly for touch ups I use Blue Coral Black Magic wax and it gives exceptional results at only $8 a bottle. I always apply two coats of wax after claying the car.

Final step is optional but it will help your wax last longer and that is to apply a polymer glaze to the car. They are usually spray on and wipe off... not too big a deal and should make your wax job last 4-6 months.

I do all of this by hand. I don't believe in orbital buffers. I think you get a much deeper wet look by hand detailing your car than using a buffer. The choice is yours, but make sure you understand how to use and what type of buffer to use before trying one.

Happy Detailing! Oh and one more thing.... if you accidentally drop your clay bar on the ground and you're not in a clean garage.... say goodbye to it... do not try and clean it and re-use it... something may have gotten into the clay that will scratch your paint and nothing makes you sick in the pit of your stomach like when you're washing your car after claying it and notice all these long scratches in the hood of your car and then you realize.... %^$**! thats the section I did after I dropped the clay on the ground....

[M4T5]

CakeDaddy,

I sent an email to you.

Thanks,

J

[DashingMax]

[szh]

Oh and one more thing.... if you accidentally drop your clay bar on the ground and you're not in a clean garage.... say goodbye to it... do not try and clean it and re-use it... something may have gotten into the clay that will scratch your paint and nothing makes you sick in the pit of your stomach like when you're washing your car after claying it and notice all these long scratches in the hood of your car and then you realize.... %^$**! thats the section I did after I dropped the clay on the ground....

Very, very good advice!!

My approach to avoid the repercussions is: I cut the bar in half and use it for most, if not all, of the car. Then finish up with the other or redo many spots again. Then, in case I drop the first half while I am using it, at least I have another piece to finish up the job (and am extra careful)!

Z

[NightWatch]

How about a video?

http://www.wonderhowto.com/how...57500/

[DRIPS]

have you taken some before and after pics?

Hi everyone, here are some pics just in time for the nice weather here in NH. I used the liquid clay bar that was the original topic of this thread. I followed by maquires ultimate polishing compound. I then finished with mequires tech wax 2.o. IT took me a while and a few car washes, but the end result is like glass and the pearl really pops.

My good camera batt is dead, so these are with my phone, but trust me its incredible!!

Also, I used a power buffer for the compound and wax.

[szh]

Nice!

I have always liked the white color IPQ that Infiniti uses.

Z

[jbillion]

Looks great