mjr24

I see so many good reviews of clay bars and since I have a little overspray on the car I think I may try one.
Is it hard to use or could I really hurt my car if not done properly?
What does it do exactly? I know it removes overspray and contaminants...but does that mean it removes small scratches too?
Does it work as sandpaper almost? BTW my car is black.

Daddy-O

Anyone can use a clay bar. It's pretty simple.

If not done properly, the paint can be scratched.
But, that can be said anytime one touches their car's paint.

It removes contaminants on the surface of the paint. It does
nothing for scratches. It's not an earthen clay...It's plastic, like silly-putty. There really is no abrasiveness to the clay, only in what the clay picks up.

Check out this thread for some basic instructions:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...threadid=61040

RalAegidius

My amateur experiences with a clay bar reveal that you need to be VERY sure to keep the surface of the car lubricated sufficiently while using the bar itself. It doesn't work well otherwise and will leave streaks of clay on the car. Not damaging, exactly, but annoying to remove.

Ral

Parlett316

The Clay bar and Automagic Body Shine is a good combo.

Guitarman

Remember not to do it in the sun or on a car that's been sitting in the sun, you want a cool surface so the clay dosen't soften and smear. Cheers.

PakShak

Hello All,

Claying can be very simple . However, before just running out to your local auto department store or ordering online here are some things to consider.

There are three (3) different grades of clay and usually they are differentiated by color. Different manufacturer's use different color schemes. For example, here are the three (3) clays that I own which I got from one manufacturer.

1. Gray colored clay - mildly aggressive - for dark color cars such as black. This is great for a dark colored car because with darker colored car scratches standout.

2. Light blue colored clay - aggressive for normal use on overspray, fallout, bug, tar, etc.

3. Red or Purple colored clay - super aggressive for body shops heavy overspray.


When buying a clay bar it is important to know which one to buy so always ask. Also, when using a clay to remove contaminants off of your paint always make sure that the working surface is well lubricated with your mixture of shampoo and water or a lubricated spray for claying. Never rub or press down hard on the clay when it is in contact with your working surface. You should actually be gliding the clay horizontally across the working surface that is well lubricated. The more lubricated the surface the better, so in this case "more is better". After your done claying make sure you wash down your car with dawn or your favorite shampoo. Because claying removes existing wax and sealants from your car, you want to make sure that you put a nice coat of wax or sealant soon after. You wouldn't want your bare surface to be left unprotected. When choosing a car shampoo it will depend on whether you will be using a wax or sealant on your car. If you have or will be applying wax on your car then you want to get a shampoo that does not strip wax. You would want to get a shampoo that has wax in it because it will help to prolong the existing wax on your vehicle. Everytime you wash your car you are actually washing away some wax so this will help the longevitiy of the wax on your car. Unless your using Dawn which will completely strip your car of any wax - not recommended. If your using a sealant, you want to stay away from shampoos with wax content in them because if you plan to add adidtional layers of sealant you want to make sure that there is nothing between your existing coat of sealant and your new coat. Wax and sealants don't bond so try to keep them separate.

I hope that helps.

With Aloha,
~Ranney