Clay Bars
 

Well, it's that time again to start using the ole clay bar now that the weather is nice. I pulled out my Wolfgang bar from last year and it turned to mush.... I ended up chunking it. Anyone have any experience with clay bars? What is the best to get?


Needless to say, I don't think I'll be going back with the Wolfgang bar....[:o]

RE: Clay Bars
 

I used the one with the meguirs kit. I saved it by putting it in a sealable sandwich baggy.


Seemed to work .. no problem.


Tj

RE: Clay Bars
 

i have had mine for about three years now. but i only use it on teh wheels now.
btu have put it in a sandwitch bag and also i have left it in the out side shed where it was nice and cold so the first time i had to use it it was real stiff and hard to work but eventually went to normal again.

wheels look good as new now and also the rest of the car is looking ok as i havent got to it yet.
between rain drops but will shortly it needs it bad!!!!!

RE: Clay Bars
 

I had mine saved in a bag as well with a little bit of the clay bar solution. Maybe the solution idea was a bad one.

RE: Clay Bars
 

after each use i hit it on both sides with the spray and put it away i dont get crazy about it like they seem to want you to do.

RE: Clay Bars
 

Yep, I've owned Clay Magic, Mother's Clay bar and Meguiars Clay bar, neither one turned into mush and I had each one of them for well over a year. I, like others have mentioned, stored it in a sandwich bag and had sprayed it w/QD to help keep it from sticking to the bag. The only problem I had was the QD drying up and the bar sticking to the bag, but this was after about two years with the Clay Magic bar. That wolfgang bar was kinda pricey wasn't it? That kinda sucks. As soon as we stop getting rain every other day, i'm gonna detail my car and get it ready for this California summer!!!

RE: Clay Bars
 

Hey guys I had an old car (89 Mercury Cougar) so I didn't really spend much time taking good care of the outside as it was already in bad shape. But I will keep my 05 looking as nice as possible. I went to autogeek and read about claybars, but if you guys could tell me your opinions and that stuff would be awesome that way when I do clean my car I want to do whats best for it. Anything would be great thanks.

Rock Chalk

RE: Clay Bars
 

Clay bars are awesome!!

RE: Clay Bars
 

If you have a pretty clean looking paint surface now clay bars will pull out the dirt you don’t see that is slowly etching its way to the metal... I was shocked to see what was left behind after a good washing. If you have water spots or a dingy clear coat I would suggest rubbing compound and a good buffer before trying the clay bar...

I've heard others say good things about Clay Magic, any preferences Rich?

RE: Clay Bars
 

A couple things. The clay bar only pulls out surface contaminants, it does nothing for anything has or is etching. The contaminants the clay pulls out don't etch their way to the metal, they are simply embedded in the surface. Being that his car is an 05, the dingy clear coat is a non-issue but waterspots may be. No need to bring out the rubbing compound for them though, that's a bit harsh. When dealing with paint imperfections, you want to start with the least aggressive material and work your way up. So first clay, then use a nice polish, Klear Kote's Vanilla Moose comes to mind, and see how that turns out. 9 times out of 10, the VM will get the job done. If it doesn't, step up to a more aggressive polish, something like Top of the Line's Fine Cut leveler. Keep in mind, the results you will have using a machine will far surpass what you can get by hand. I would suggest a Porter Cable random action orbital and some Lake County foam pads(polishing and finishing pads should do the trick).

As for clay bar, none of the one's I've used has proven to be any easier to use or produce any drastically better results, so I'd say get whatever is readily available. And if you don't want to waste your quik detailer when claying the car, use a 50/50 mix of rubbing alcohol and water;)