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View Full Version : Clay bar really works (now with piccys)



t5 pete
Friday 31st August 2012, 23:52
I had the apprentice over tonight and let him loose on the gay gold i cannot get over how good the car has come up espically with the clay bar the car looks and feels like class the ammount of crap that was in the paint work was unreal and that was straight after a really good wash, then to top it all off its had 3 layers of megs stuff on it and really looks awesome ide reccomend the megs stuff very easy to use and gives brilliant reasults.
Top job my apprentice lol


http://i595.photobucket.com/albums/tt39/t5pete/IMAG0724.jpg
http://i595.photobucket.com/albums/tt39/t5pete/IMAG0725.jpg

Kingsford G
Friday 31st August 2012, 23:59
What clay did u use Pete?I used megs gold wax,easy on and off really good.

Jamest5r
Friday 31st August 2012, 23:59
Is the apprentice free tomorrow evening :)

Wobbly Dave
Saturday 1st September 2012, 00:00
sonus green or grey clay is my preferred weapon. You can reduce the claying effort if you use tardis or a citrus degreaser & yes it is amazing how much inorganic contaminents dull your paint work. megs dc #1 is a good post clay cleaner.

As with much in detailing - prep is everything.

Dangerous Dave
Saturday 1st September 2012, 00:00
Of course it does Pete! I love the feel of the paintwork after a claybar session, sooooo smooth.

So come on, you can't do a thread like this and not post any pics!

M-R-P
Saturday 1st September 2012, 02:16
I work next to the Ryvita Jordans factory and the amount of crap that lands in my car is unreal. I find myself claying the car at least once a month.
Although the car is a dull white any way, it makes me feel better lol.

ROZER
Saturday 1st September 2012, 15:06
after reading this i went to hallfords and got me a meguiars smooth surface clay kit omg can not believe the difference . the kit cost me £25 and was worth every penny feels like glass cheers pete.

M-R-P
Saturday 1st September 2012, 17:13
I paid £3.49 for two large blocks from Hong-Kong ;)

ROZER
Saturday 1st September 2012, 19:15
I paid £3.49 for two large blocks from Hong-Kong ;)

ye thats cheap but ye get a microfiber cloth ,detailer can,cleaner wax and 2 50g clay bars in the kit. plus those flights to hong kong are not cheap martin :uglyhamme

volvokid
Saturday 1st September 2012, 19:25
Guys you have to remember after using clay bar you will be marring your paint, just be careful........

JamesT5
Saturday 1st September 2012, 20:53
I work next to the Ryvita Jordans factory and the amount of crap that lands in my car is unreal. I find myself claying the car at least once a month.
Although the car is a dull white any way, it makes me feel better lol.

I bet that drives you 'crackers' doesn't it Martin....? ;) :hihi:

JamesT5
Saturday 1st September 2012, 21:03
About 10 years ago I was a vehicle valeter (before I realised how crap the wages were and had a career change)...... Anyway, clay bars were often used to remove industrial fallout and similar paint blemishes. We used to use plain water on the paint and then keep dipping the clay bar (which was usually blue), in a bucket of water to keep it wet, it was gobsmacking to see how much stuff came out of the paintwork, it usually looked like black grit with a hint of brown. :)

One thing that really annoys me is when people try and detail their cars but leave tar spots on the paintwork - a complete waste of wax.

As for me, I haven't clayed my car yet but if you get chance to see the true state of my paintwork you'd understand why I haven't exactly bothered to make it my top priority - I don't see much point in claybaring a car with peeling lacquer and a substandard half respray. :D Saying that, I am tempted to give it a go, to see if I can make the best of a bad paint job. I do use Meguires Carnauba wax on the bodywork and the Endurance Tyre Gel to try and make my chipped and corroded wheels look half decent. ;)

Regards

James

JamesT5
Saturday 1st September 2012, 21:04
Guys you have to remember after using clay bar you will be marring your paint, just be careful........

What do you mean?

graemewelch
Saturday 1st September 2012, 23:19
Guys you have to remember after using clay bar you will be marring your paint, just be careful........

Perfect excuse to attack the car with a polishing mop. Done mine friday. Just adding multiple layers of wax now

kyboy
Sunday 2nd September 2012, 00:50
I used my mates megs clay while we were on hol can't agree more I advise anybody to give it a go I've always been put off it as I thought it would be hard work!, it didn't take long at all and I've had loads of comments about how the car looks since!!!

jdavis
Sunday 2nd September 2012, 08:45
What does it involve? Heard a lot about it but never really looked into it.
Can you buy decent kits with everything you need in? What kind of process is it?
Product details would be great. I normally take my car to local hand wash place but want to pamper this one.

Dangerous Dave
Sunday 2nd September 2012, 11:15
I use the Meguiars Clay bar kit, got it from Halfords (expensive though) but have found it cheaper from Camskill.

They do two kits
5 piece (clay, spray, cloth, wax) http://www.camskill.co.uk/m37b0s3519p10097/_MEGUIARS_-_Smooth_Surface_Clay_Kit_Set_Of_5
2 piece (clay and spray) http://www.camskill.co.uk/m37b0s3519p817/_MEGUIARS_-_Quik_Clay_Detailing_System_Set_Of_2
(http://www.camskill.co.uk/m37b0s3519p817/_MEGUIARS_-_Quik_Clay_Detailing_System_Set_Of_2)
There's probably other places cheaper or other products, but I found this one easy to use.

JamesT5
Sunday 2nd September 2012, 11:29
The great thing is, with the clay, you can turn it into a teapot when you've finished with it. Bargain! ;)

ROZER
Sunday 2nd September 2012, 14:08
took some pics not bad for 1 hours work 16702167031670416705

Dangerous Dave
Sunday 2nd September 2012, 14:40
Very nice Rozer!

ROZER
Sunday 2nd September 2012, 15:16
cheers mate pics could have been better was only on my phone but ye get the picture clay works nice.

volvokid
Sunday 2nd September 2012, 19:07
Clay bar will put fine scratches in the paint, I wouldn't recommended it unless you plan on machine polishing afterwards

t5 pete
Sunday 2nd September 2012, 20:35
cheers mate pics could have been better was only on my phone but ye get the picture clay works nice.

Give me chance i havnt stoped all weekend finished the car at 11pm fri then up next morning getting ready for trax any way to keep you all happy there are now PICCY'S lol in the first post

ROZER
Saturday 8th September 2012, 23:53
pete what colour did you paint your pegs am looking to get mine done love that colour think it would work on mine being green.

jotter22
Friday 14th December 2012, 19:25
If the clay bar is not abrasive how does it work and not damage the paintwork?.....what happened to the old days ..a bucket of hot water a bit of fairy liquid and away you go?
Tony.

T5frankie
Friday 14th December 2012, 19:28
If the clay bar is not abrasive how does it work and not damage the paintwork?.....what happened to the old days ..a bucket of hot water a bit of fairy liquid and away you go?
Tony.

because you use it with the right lubricant

jotter22
Friday 14th December 2012, 19:59
because you use it with the right lubricant

Not sure that explains it Frankie but cheers mate.
Tony.

T5frankie
Friday 14th December 2012, 20:05
Not sure that explains it Frankie but cheers mate.
Tony.

Clay is actually an abrasive like polish, however it is selective in what it abrades. What that means is by lubricating the surface of your paint and gliding clay over it, the clay will hydroplane over the surface of the paint until it hits something that isn't level with the rest of the surface, then it will remove it by disolving, or abrading it. It sounds like a horribly dangerous concept, but if done properly it's not at all.

volvokid
Friday 14th December 2012, 20:13
If the clay bar is not abrasive how does it work and not damage the paintwork?.....what happened to the old days ..a bucket of hot water a bit of fairy liquid and away you go?
Tony.
It does damage the paint work it will put fine lines into the paint that are easily removed with a DA

Wobbly Dave
Friday 14th December 2012, 20:23
If the clay bar is not abrasive how does it work and not damage the paintwork?.....what happened to the old days ..a bucket of hot water a bit of fairy liquid and away you go?
Tony.

F/L contains sand - as an abrasive - not recommended - neither is scourer or pumice stone. Poor wash technique is where the problems start.

JUDGENINJA
Saturday 15th December 2012, 02:12
It does damage the paint work it will put fine lines into the paint that are easily removed with a DA

Ah that's why the golf looks like its been done over by a Brillo pad!!

M-R-P
Saturday 15th December 2012, 02:25
I use a polymer based clay bar (that's another way of saying a £3.50 one from hong kong). It looks like Blu-Tac but works really well for removing Ryvita deposits. (I work next to the ryvita/jordans factory)

jotter22
Tuesday 18th December 2012, 22:07
Clay is actually an abrasive like polish, however it is selective in what it abrades. What that means is by lubricating the surface of your paint and gliding clay over it, the clay will hydroplane over the surface of the paint until it hits something that isn't level with the rest of the surface, then it will remove it by disolving, or abrading it. It sounds like a horribly dangerous concept, but if done properly it's not at all.

Thanks frankie thats more like it ;-)

Haizum74
Wednesday 19th December 2012, 20:33
This is my mates car after I suggested he clean and clay it, he hadn't done it in years, literally as you can see, before on the right, after on the left (yeh its t'other way round below of the back) so you can see the bloody difference 19684

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/556083_10151070076876110_1314065353_n.jpg

volvokid
Wednesday 19th December 2012, 20:46
Surely that cant be just clay that's done that, clay only removes contamination it doesn't polish :-).
I just spent 6 hours non stop claying the flash today because some numpty (me) got the car covered in wood stain, I can't believe it came off!! I thought my paint was knackered, got to correct the paint now but that will have to wait.

Haizum74
Thursday 20th December 2012, 13:03
Surely that cant be just clay that's done that, clay only removes contamination it doesn't polish :-).
I just spent 6 hours non stop claying the flash today because some numpty (me) got the car covered in wood stain, I can't believe it came off!! I thought my paint was knackered, got to correct the paint now but that will have to wait.

No, its not just clay, that was with a polish, however he had tried polishing it before and it still looked crap, the clay helped.

volvokid
Thursday 20th December 2012, 17:33
No, its not just clay, that was with a polish, however he had tried polishing it before and it still looked crap, the clay helped.

Definitely claying before polishing will help, if it's not clayed your just rubing all the crap into the paint, I actually wish I was 17 again, when a sponge and some megs soap was the dogs §§§§§§§§ Haha how it's all changed

jotter22
Friday 28th December 2012, 08:45
I work next to the Ryvita Jordans factory and the amount of crap that lands in my car is unreal. I find myself claying the car at least once a month.
Although the car is a dull white any way, it makes me feel better lol.

M-R-P you should consider a very strong letter to said rabbit food company i would think they have a duty of care to keep their unwanted 5h1t inside there own site boundry.I used to live near a major cement works and after a few lively phone calls and letters i was given a security pass to use their on site washing facilities i know its not much reward but you may do better with todays H+S laws and company invironmental policies its worth a try ...nothing ventured nothing gained!
Tony.

The White Knight
Monday 14th January 2013, 17:40
I quite like the Bilt Hamber range of clay bar, you can use them with water as the lubricant.

http://www.bilthamber.com/clay-bars