Clay bar?

[s10racer4]

Ive never used one. my trucks paint is kinda ruffed up. ive never used anything on it wax wise at all. should i use a clay bar and then use a wax or just wash the truck and do a good waxing?

[wagonproject]

Clay it first, you'll be amazed at how smooth it will feel after and all the contaminants it picked up.

[do-over]

Clay Bars Are The Shit

[mechanicix]

I'm not a big fan of clay bars. To me it seems to make swirl marks in the paint.

[wagonproject]

Im not sure how it can make swirls? If your rubbing back and forth. Also making sure you spray plenty of QD, or whatever your using.

[Atom200]

Quote: Originally Posted by mechanicix

I'm not a big fan of clay bars. To me it seems to make swirl marks in the paint.

maby it wasnt wet/soapy enough? but sux that, that happend

[Megaglow_Z]

Quote: Originally Posted by mechanicix

I'm not a big fan of clay bars. To me it seems to make swirl marks in the paint.

that means you dont know what your doing.

[Kovz]

wash it, clay bar it (buy the kit, Meguires or whatever), wash it again, wax it. It will look great! I love the claybar!

[Lays Low]

with the clay bar, make sure u rub back and forth in one spot for a long time, it slowly takes of the the crap on ur clear coat. its not a quick wipe kinda thing. it took me about 8 hours to wash, claybar, wax the entire truck. claybar taking up most of those 8 hours. but i got everything off the truck!

[bnkrpt311]

clay bar kicks ass, i just spent 10 hours clay barring my car and my gf's parents new 300. Well worth the time and effort to use the clay, dont buy the Mequirs (sp?) from an auto parts store though, I spent $25 at autozone for the same kit that wal mart had for $14

[96s10on20s]

i just bought the kit at walmart a min ago .. i will be washing and waxing and clay baring all damn day .. but its sure worth it at the end

[s10racer4]

hey post a before and after pic.. id love to see

[morbid8573]

I usually just wash and wax mine but I wanna try claybarring next time, so I'll be buying a kit here soon as well.

[mechanicix]

I used the claybar exactly how it said to. It left swirls in my opinion. I'm not saying it won't work for you, it just didn't for me.

[vince921]

actually i just bought one today and used it .. and my truck has never looked better! and its soo smooth...

and i just think for the people that left swirlmarks.. didnt use enough quik detailer.... i just had QD in one hand and bar in the other... made sure i had plenty at all times

[llorracs93s10]

Quote: Originally Posted by vince921

actually i just bought one today and used it .. and my truck has never looked better! and its soo smooth...

and i just think for the people that left swirlmarks.. didnt use enough quik detailer.... i just had QD in one hand and bar in the other... made sure i had plenty at all times

you got pics of it from before and after u bar'd it? I would like to do it to my bros noma before a show but i am not sure if it makes the paint any more brilliant or better looking. I am a newb to clay bar, but not to detailing...i usually just wash, and use either black magic liquid wax or turtle wax ''ice'' wax...than go to the show.

But i wanted to know if the clay bar makes it look even better, or if it just cleans up the clear a bit.

[wagonproject]

Well yes its going to look better, but it depends on the car how good (and maybe not enough for a pic to show). Your doing yourself a favor by doing it. It will take care of a lot of contaminants. And it will look a lot better if you wax it afterwards.

[llorracs93s10]

Quote: Originally Posted by wagonproject

Well yes its going to look better, but it depends on the car how good (and maybe not enough for a pic to show). Your doing yourself a favor by doing it. It will take care of a lot of contaminants. And it will look a lot better if you wax it afterwards.

heres a pic of my bros washed and waxed at grounded 4 life
Could it look better than this?

[wagonproject]

Does the paint feel rough? I mean, your not going to do any harm if you use a fine grade. Your only going to make it nicer. I think a clay bar kit is like $30 (I buy in bulk, so I am remembering), and it includes the clay and spray.

[Dr. Steve]

Quote: Originally Posted by do-over

Clay Bars Are The Shit

Word

[llorracs93s10]

Quote: Originally Posted by wagonproject

Does the paint feel rough? I mean, your not going to do any harm if you use a fine grade. Your only going to make it nicer. I think a clay bar kit is like $30 (I buy in bulk, so I am remembering), and it includes the clay and spray.

ehh....its still fairly smooth i guess, it just has some spots or imperfections that waxing cant take care of. And i mean by imperfections, i mean like containiments.

[vince921]

well if its hardcore contaminents ... might wanna buff it ..

but the clay bar... get all the small shit out .. it adds a little more shine... but if you feel the truck before the clay bar and then touch it after clay.. your finger will probably slip off.. makes it smoooth as glass.. and thats no figure of speech ... it is indeed ... The SHIT

[vince921]

i used the mequiers kit .. by the way

[wagonproject]

Yeah, just try the clay bar out, Im sure you'll like it. If you want to bring it to a whole new level you can buff it, but thats a different story.

[White96ZQ8]

what brand of claybars do you guys prefer? I bought the meguiars kit, they recomend using the quick detailer, but is soapy water better?

[96s10on20s]

i used mequiers kit on mine the other day .. sorry i didnt get a before and after pic but it looks 1000x better

[wagonproject]

The meguiars kit is good, I would use the quick detailer for lube.

There are many different clay "labels." I use sonus, clay magic, and pinnacle. Also I use ONR as lube.

[OBrienChevSuper10]

I use clay bars at work all the time and they most definetly are the shit. They make everything (no matter what) much smoother than what they were before. You dont nessacarily (sp) have to use the QD just alot of soapy water or whatever else to keep it lubricated. I use a bar from a place that only sells to dealers but I have used the meguiars before and it works just about the same (i cant tell the difference) its definetly a great investment and well worth the time. That being said it is only for minor imperfections. Get the truck buffed if you really want it to shine. Make sure you work your way through the different grades just like sanding though. Makes everything look amazing. Hope that helps somebody

[Shawn F.]

Claybars work fine, just use the proper lubrication or soopy water and keep it wet and wash it off. Afterwords I always follow up with a buff, swirl remover, sealer and wax. Another product that I have mentioned here many times is a wash process by ValuGard. M-32 kit it is called. Pricey but will last forever and works awesome without clay bar. www.autoint.com it's on their main page. The owner is a very nice guy, call him up with any questions and you will be pleased I'm sure.

[Illmatic]

A good first-time tip is to clay bar the top portion of the truck first before trying the lower rocker panels. Some daily drivers tend to get a lot of black tar/rocks/etc. that may end up scratching similar to what MechanicIX is claiming. Make sure to fold over the clay often.

I really like the Griots Garage clay bar kit and their Speed Shine (griotsgarage.com). It's high quality stuff, but a little pricey.

MW

[Atom200]

M-32 kit is awsome, product b gets out almost all rail and break dust

[Shawn F.]

Yes the M-32 is awesome and IMO easier than the claybar. What do you think is easier Atom200? I'd rather wash something with the M-32 than claybar with water all day.

[Atom200]

i think it depends if you have a lot of raildust or other foregin materials in your paint i would go w/ the abc wash but if you have paint overspray or road paint from fresh lines you have to clay bar, i guess if someone really wanted to a person should do both

[eastmeadowsonoma]

I use a clay bar on my truck and could not believe the difference in smoothness. Then I used Eagle one nanowax Came out great!!

[MiddleburgS10]

I have always waxed my truck every two weeks. and about twice a year i clay it to take out all the little bugs and tar that stick to the paint.

[bza]

i run a detailing shop in the summer and the clay bar we use is made by 3m

http://www.autogeek.net/cleaner-clay.html

best shit.

[98layinframe]

I absolutely love clay bars! I wont wax any of my vehicles until its been clay bar'd first.

Dont know if you can really tell much of a difference or not.. but here, the beater washed but not clay bar'd. haha.. you can see the S10 peakin her nose out behind the rear tire there..




Then another pic of the truck just after she was washed, clay bar'd, washed again and then lastly waxed.



Might not look majorly different in pics, but it sure does in person. And yes its the same beater in both pics. I just threw the 20's on it.

[Tex Star Detail]

The clay bar process is one of the most important, yet most overlooked step in a proper detail. The word "detail" has taken on a wide variety of misused terms these days. Many people think a wash and wax is a detail, when truly, it is just that, a wash and wax. But who am I to preach? lol

happy detailing..

[blazed00]

what kind of wax are you using after the claybar??? do you compound it, or just get the liquid gel and buff it, on and off.

[Tex Star Detail]

The main steps in a detail are:
-Wash/Dry
-Clay (some people clay during the wash, some re wash after claying)
-Polish
-Wax

***OR****

-Wash/Dry
-Clay
-Polish
-Seal (allow proper cure time, product dependent)
-Wax

Never wax then seal or you will have bonding issues

(sorry to hijack the clay thread)

[blazed00]

Quote: Originally Posted by Tex Star Detail

The main steps in a detail are:
-Wash/Dry
-Clay (some people clay during the wash, some re wash after claying)
-Polish
-Wax

***OR****

-Wash/Dry
-Clay
-Polish
-Seal (allow proper cure time, product dependent)
-Wax

Never wax then seal or you will have bonding issues

(sorry to hijack the clay thread)

what kind of wax.polish do you use.

[Shawn F.]

Tex is correct, clay bar is very important to take the contaminants out of the paint. Most people wash their car and wax it which all they are doing here is putting a coat over the contaminants and not correctly removing them from the paint.
The GMC looks nice though.

[98layinframe]

Quote: Originally Posted by Tex Star Detail

(sorry to hijack the clay thread)

No problem at all buffing master! Preach on! U must teach us your ways!

[Tex Star Detail]

Exactly. I try to educate my clients on a proper detail, yet they think a wax will fix scratches, oxidation, and paint defects. Then wonder why their paint still feels like sand paper.

As far as polishes, I use a wide array of them. Each vehicle I detail is different. A good, all in one polish is Meguiars #66. There are many more, but that is my go to, since I have a few gallons of it...lol

Other polishes I use are Menzerna brand, 3M, Pinnacle, Duragloss, and a few others I cannot think of off the top of my head.
Waxes, gosh, do not get me started. I try a lot. I like collinite for durability.
Sealant, I found my new favorite, Wolfgangs Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3.0. That stuff leaves your truck slicker than a wet fart my friends... no doubt about it.... (someone Sig that.... lol)

happy detailing

[Shawn F.]

I may have to try that on the next customers vehicle... Wolfgangs you said correct?

[wagonproject]

Yes, Wolfgang is nice. They came out with the 3.0 stuff not to long ago. They have the total swirl remover 3.0, finishing glaze 3.0, and then the sealant 3.0. I have not used any, but I am always trying new things, so maybe soon!

I usually don't use a sealant, if I am looking for durability on a car then I use either of the collinite waxes. Otherwise its Nattys Blue, Souveran, or Pinnacle.

And like Tex Star said theres so many different componds/polishes out there. I have a ton of Menzerna SIP, 106FA, Meguiars 105, 83, and 80. I also sometimes use Optimum if I am looking for longer working times.

[blazed00]

whats the main difference between a wax, and polish???

ive always just buffed wax on. use a clean pad and buff it off?

[blazed00]

so polish and compounds are the same, after that you use a wax on/off. ??

[wagonproject]

Well a compound/polish is going to do just that, polish the paint. Remove swirls, holograms, scratches, etc. Where a wax is going to protect that and make it look nice.

And yes I just use an applicator and apply the wax. I use paste waxes, I hate liquid. I apply it in a downward motion on vertical panels and back to front on horizontal panels.

And I wouldn't say a compound and a polish are the same. A compound is strong, able to remove severe stuff, were a polish is "polishing" the surface. You can use a polish to remove some bad stuff with the right pad and also "jewel" your paint.

And yes after you polish you can apply a sealant if you'd like and then a wax or just one...

[skafia]

the best way to get a super shine out of the paint is to use a good claybar and lube. i use foaming glass cleaner then wash it. itll feel better than it did before but to really make it as smooth as a babys ass and make it look like a mirror youll need to buff it. i use a 2 stage approach. that is first stage use a medium to heavy compound and a wool pad with a dewalt variable speed buffer. there the shit! then use a soft black foam pad and a light compund to remove swirl marks from the wool pad. then wax that bitch and you wont even be able to put your hand on cuz it will slip right off!!