clayed for the first time today

[barlowc]

I picked up a Mothers California Gold Clay Bar System today at AAP and went to work on our VUE. It was the first time I used clay and I am amazed by the results. I should have been doing this to our vehicles all along.

The hood and roof took some time because those horizontal surfaces had gotten pretty gritty, but they are now super smooth. I'll have to do the sides next week and then polish it with some NuFinish.

 

[NHGUY]

Its a good product.

 

[EricF]

Put a wax on after the nufinish.
The polish brings out the shine, the wax protects.

 

[Eddie]

NuFinish is a polymer which is a protectant. No need to wax.

 

[Brybo86]

I also used a clay bar for the first time a few weeks ago, I found myself laughing out loud because it was so amazing to see the girt I couldn't wash off, come off so easily. I used a $10 clay magic bar, and a spray bottle with car wash soap and water for a lubricating solution. I also used nufinish only after the clay, finish looks great.

 

[AITG]

After my last clay bar cleanup I used Meguiar's Ultimate Carnauba wax. It held up better than NuFinish ... which surprised me. Also, I don't see the fine scratches in direct sunlight that I used to see in the NuFinish.

The fiberglass boat still gets NuFinish. It looks great and the boating season is only 4 months long.

 

[CurtisB]

Funny to see a post about Mothers clay bar system, that was the one thing I planned to do today; Clay and wax my new pickup before winter sets in around here. It ended up raining all day. I plan on trying Mothers FX SynWax too, maybe next weekend weather permitting.

 

[sciphi]

I need to clay our Fit. That paint needs some TLC. Meg's clay worked wonders on the Cruze.

 

[RN89]

Is it okay to use a good spray wax after the claying process? Or do you have to use something thicker? Any recommendations? Thinking about both cars when it quits raining?

 

[daves87rs]

Need to clay myself...

 

[Sequoiasoon]

Originally Posted By: daves87rs
Need to clay myself...


Does that work like a bikini wax for removing hair?

 

[Vikas]

Quote:
I used a $10 clay magic bar
I have yet to come across any brand of detailing product under $10 at least in a brick and mortar store. By the way, clay magic has the patent and so all clay bars are made by clay magic and then resold under different brand name. Where did you buy it for under $10?

Quick Question:- Clay bar removes the LSP, right? There is no further need to use IPA if I want finish to be free of any wax/sealant?

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: Sequoiasoon
Originally Posted By: daves87rs
Need to clay myself...


Does that work like a bikini wax for removing hair?

Maybe....

 

[Brybo86]

kmart, it was the bar only, no spray bottle included, but I just made my own, worked great

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
Quote:
I used a $10 clay magic bar
I have yet to come across any brand of detailing product under $10 at least in a brick and mortar store. By the way, clay magic has the patent and so all clay bars are made by clay magic and then resold under different brand name. Where did you buy it for under $10?

Quick Question:- Clay bar removes the LSP, right? There is no further need to use IPA if I want finish to be free of any wax/sealant?


Clay bar will not remove all of the oils from the surface. If you want maximum adhesion of your LSP, then an IPA wipedown or a wash with Optimum Power Clean is a good idea.

 

[jimbrewer]

I clay once or twice a year. It just didn't seem like that big a deal to do. It did improve the appearance even on a new car.

 

[HyundaiGuy]

To touch on a couple of points:

I have found that Meguiar's clay pulls far more trash from the paint than Mothers.

For those that may not know, an IPA wipedown is exactly what it sounds like. Isopropyl Alcohol wipedown. Here is the order:

Wash> dry>clay>polish>IPA>sealant>wax

The IPA makes a MAJOR difference in how the sealant and wax perform. No need to dry after clay or IPA, so the IPA step is super fast.

 

[qwertydude]

A clay that pulls off material faster also tends to be one that can mar the finish more and can possibly leave more swirls if lubrication is insufficient.

 

[HyundaiGuy]

Originally Posted By: qwertydude
A clay that pulls off material faster also tends to be one that can mar the finish more and can possibly leave more swirls if lubrication is insufficient.


I didn't have problems with the Meguiar's, which I found to be far more aggressive than the Mothers. Theoretically, if a more aggressive clay were to mar the surface, it would get corrected during polishing.

 

[qwertydude]

It's why I have two different clays because if I'm doing a full correction then it's the aggressive clay, polish and then wax.

If I'm just doing spot cleaning of paint for general fallout and light contamination in between seasonal polishing then it's the finest gentlest clay I've got with plenty of spray detailer lube.