clay bar or not?

[cxcxcxvcvcvc]

ok this might sound dumb but never ask never know
i bought some meguirs (however its spelt) x scratch remover to take out some scratches here and there, and i asked the bloke at repco if it works alright? he said hes never used it but it should be alright ect, but then he recommended to me the meguirs clay bar kit. I know some people swear by them but haveing never used one myself i am wondering if they are that good? also what is there sole function are they a scratch removing bar? or are they just for cleaning ect? also after you use it on your car do you then do a wax or polish over the top? or does the clay bar do a polish kind of aswell?

[sircruisealotVS]

clay bars rock man, the make the paintwork so much cleaner. all that they are used for is to take off all the fallout and other contaminations from the paint, so it'll come up looking heaps shiner and brighter.
you'll still need to apply a polish after, the clay bar is just part of the cleaning process, getting all the crap that water and soap cant get off.
never tried clay barring myself, haha, i honestly dont know whether my dodgy shoulder could take it, but when i had my car detailed the bloke did it, and it came up awesome.

[dufus]

As SircruisealotVS said a clay bar is used to remove bonded contaminates from the paints surface in preparation for polishing or waxing. When using a clay bar you have to use a product such as Meguiars quik detailer to lubricate the surface. I would highly recommended the Meguiars Quik Clay Detailing System, which includes everything you will need to do the job properly except for some terry towel for wiping.

[mar-d-mac]

buy it, do yourself and your car a favour. i use it and it's bloody fabulous...best indication of how good this stuff is, this is what i do on my car;

1 - pre-wash run your fingertips over the bonnet, roof or boot...because it's a generally flat surface contaminates will stick to the paint easier than on side panels...can you feel a grittiness to the paint surface....this is all the air contaminates that stick like glue to your paint and don't come off by general washing...

2 - wash the car then do number one again, if u still feel some grittiness, get the megiuars quik detailer or mothers showtime, spray a section of the panel your going to work on and glide the clay bar over the surface...it doesn't require any force, you'll feel the bar pick up the grit. if the bar sticks to the panel, spray more detailer. after every panel i crunch up the bar and then flatten it out again...have a look at the bar and if u see small black bits, it's pulling that crap off your car...it's not scratching it because u should have enough detailer spray on there.

3 - with a clean couple of lint free towels wipe dry the remaining detailer off the panel, then go to the next section and start again... remember to always remove the detailer after clay barring...if it dries on the panel, just spray detailer over it and wipe off.

4 - u can be pedantic and wash the car again,but i don't, i just go straight to polish and then wax.

I have had my car for about 7 months and have clay barred it twice, with polish and wax only because i live close to the beach...the paint is smooth as glass still after 3 months since last barring....it is time consuming, but the benefits of ur car looking and feeling great is time and money well spent.

everyone else will have there own ways of doing their clay bar, so don't take my advice as gospel, u'll work out what's right for you...but do you car a favour and buy the stuff....megiuars or mothers have the same system....for about the same price...

[cxcxcxvcvcvc]

thanks for the replys fellas and cheers mar-d-mac for the detailed write up aswell well i have just got the wifes approvall to spend the $35 on the kit so after i take the kids fishing today i will give my girl her first clay bar ever and see how she looks afterward! will also take some before and after shots and see what she looks like:wink: its actually got me wondering hey because about a year ago i pulled up into our local shopping centre car park and there was this black clubby kitted vs and the way the gloss was on that car looked as though she had just rolled out of the paint shop! but there was small chips down on the bottom skirts so i knew it didnt have a respray and im thinking maybe he used a clar bay the good polish ect? anyway i will never forget how good the mirror finish was on his car it looked mint

[AttaBoy]

I used clay bar on my vs and it came up looking like glass!!!! Just don't forget to polish afterwards!!

[cxcxcxvcvcvc]

I used clay bar on my vs and it came up looking like glass!!!! Just don't forget to polish afterwards!!

will do i use turtle wax platinum polish and that works well on its own so am keen to see what the clay bar will do! hey also can you use the clay bar on the front/rear painted bumpers aswell?

[mar-d-mac]

will do i use turtle wax platinum polish and that works well on its own so am keen to see what the clay bar will do! hey also can you use the clay bar on the front/rear painted bumpers aswell?

buddy as i said earlier, these are my rituals...u'll figure it out the best way for you and yes, i use my clay bar on my bumpers too especially the front to remove insect stains etc...

good luck, and reaps the rewards....BTW my car is white and it gleams after polish/wax...the darker colours are better though to show the depth in the paint...

[cxcxcxvcvcvc]

ok i got the clay bar kit and unfortuneatly only got one side of the car done as there is a big storm heading this way so heres a few pics of the one side i got done! you will have to excuse the picture quality the camera wasnt the best with all the cloud cover ect. i also threw in a before and after pic of my drivers side door handle after i had used the scratch remover on it. there are a few scratches on the handles that are to deep for the remover to get out but it works pretty well for the little ones and brings the paint back to life!!oh and a pic of the comeing storm (so no one thinks im lazy and makeing excuses for not finishing the other side) also a drivers view pic of my 2 gauge install for good mesure

[cxcxcxvcvcvc]

the pic of the dash

[nick_]

buy it, do yourself and your car a favour. i use it and it's bloody fabulous..

+1

[AttaBoy]

Man... your car really shines like it came outta the factory!!!!!

If you don't mind me asking, what are those switches under your radio??

[vr_owner]

it looks like a fusion equalizer

[cxcxcxvcvcvc]

Man... your car really shines like it came outta the factory!!!!!

If you don't mind me asking, what are those switches under your radio??

cheers mate yeah its my fusion equalizer i had to custom fit it by cutting away some of the plastic with an air saw but it turned out nice and neat

[mar-d-mac]

ok i got the clay bar kit and unfortuneatly only got one side of the car done as there is a big storm heading this way so heres a few pics of the one side i got done! you will have to excuse the picture quality the camera wasnt the best with all the cloud cover ect. i also threw in a before and after pic of my drivers side door handle after i had used the scratch remover on it. there are a few scratches on the handles that are to deep for the remover to get out but it works pretty well for the little ones and brings the paint back to life!!oh and a pic of the comeing storm (so no one thinks im lazy and makeing excuses for not finishing the other side) also a drivers view pic of my 2 gauge install for good mesure

the car looks brand new mate, a job well done...c, we told u it works....now i bet u can't wait to get to the rest of her...she looks great even in overcast weather, the depth in the paint colour is awesome.. wait till the sun shines on her, get out the sunnies....

u using a wax over the polish, if so, what brand...? if not, i'd recommend using wax after u polish....

[cxcxcxvcvcvc]

the car looks brand new mate, a job well done...c, we told u it works....now i bet u can't wait to get to the rest of her...she looks great even in overcast weather, the depth in the paint colour is awesome.. wait till the sun shines on her, get out the sunnies....

u using a wax over the polish, if so, what brand...? if not, i'd recommend using wax after u polish....

thanks mate yeah im killin to get stuck into her today and do the rest but im pretty busy for the rest of the day so will have to wait till this arvo ect. and cheers to everyone for recomending the clay bar kit its worth its weight in gold as for the wax/polish i dont use a polish! all i do is wash the car normally then i use the clay bar and the use turtle wax platinum wax over her and then buff to a beautifull shine i think the turtle wax is a wax/polish in one will have a look later but it does a reall good job

[Cobez]

well its decided for me then i am heading out to buy a clay bar kit today! results look fantastic!! but the thing i dont quite understand is, wouldnt the clay bar have heaps of grit and crap stuck to it by the time you have done say half to three quarters of the car therefore not working as well on the rest of the car?

[AttaBoy]

well its decided for me then i am heading out to buy a clay bar kit today! results look fantastic!! but the thing i dont quite understand is, wouldnt the clay bar have heaps of grit and crap stuck to it by the time you have done say half to three quarters of the car therefore not working as well on the rest of the car?

Clay bar is like clay, do one area of the car and fold the clay so you have a fresh surface on the clay to work on. If you know what I mean.

I recommend you to cut the actual clay in half or in a smaller piece so that if one piece becomes unusable or dirty you can grab the other fresh piece.

don't forget to wash the car before to get rid of big crap on the paint.

[cxcxcxvcvcvc]

well its decided for me then i am heading out to buy a clay bar kit today! results look fantastic!! but the thing i dont quite understand is, wouldnt the clay bar have heaps of grit and crap stuck to it by the time you have done say half to three quarters of the car therefore not working as well on the rest of the car?

thanks mateyeah it does get stuf on it but as per instructions you just nead it over and they disapear! i found a bit of time so i will get stuck into it now and afterwards throw some more pics up

[dufus]

Looks great mate, almost like new

[cxcxcxvcvcvc]

Looks great mate, almost like new

got the bonnet done and the shine is mint but no amount of polish will remove the stone chips ohwell that will get sorted when the respray gets done in the future also i cannot recomend the turtle wax polish enough! the clay bar works wonders but the wax really finnishes the job off and brings the car to life

[Cobez]

*adds turtle platinum wax to list*

[NickVR]

I have used that clay bar and I too can't praise it enough. It make your paint smooth as and after polishing it, it comes up really well. I use the clay bar then Auto Glym polish then Meguiars Hi-Tech Wax. The wax is hard and you rub the polishing towel into it and it rubs on to the towel then go over the car with it. It makes the water bead really well and if you drive your car while it's wet and not raining it actually runs off cos of the wind. Its like rain-X but in a polish form, obviously not those ingredients but it acts the same with water and lasts about a month or more (did it on my dads car about a month ago and it's still going). Even when dirty it still runs off. Highly recommend using it after a

[AttaBoy]

Meguiars products are quite expensive compared to other products but they are worth it and are way better.

[Scooter79]

What everyone has already said is correct. A good finish is only as good as the prep work you put in. Just keep in mind that you don't always have to polish but you should always wax. Each time you use the bar it will strip any previous coat of wax. My preference is the 3M clay bar. It's a 200gram bar. Be careful not to drop it either. Once you do you need to throw it away.