Wishbone

Just bought the Mother's Clay Bar Kit today for $15 after researching other comparable products in the market. I liked the fact that Mother's has a website plus videos to show u how their products work. About the clay bar..I'm starting to get iffy and uncertain about using it. Hearing that other people are scratching their paint while using clay.....hmmmm....should I have second thoughts? Daddy-O???? I understand that a well lubricated surface would reduce the possible occurance of scratches. I have a black 99 RX and since it was bought used....there are a few spiderwebs. I do not want them to get any worse. Tips anyone? Thanks!

Daddy-O

Where did you read that other people are scratching their paint while using clay?

Guitarman

I believe he was referring to Lvangundy's last post Daddy-O.

Wishbone, as I said, anytime you touch your paint, whether it be with a wash mitt, towel, wax etc. you CAN possibly cause a scratch, but it's better for your paint overall to do all these things for it.

If you don't clay it eventually, you will run into other problems. Just be careful and you'll be fine.

Daddy-O

Lvangundy posted: "It could have been the mitt I used to quickly clean that small section or my drying chamois."

One person has scratched paint. Other possible reasons for the scratches are offered.
Extrapolating his one post into "other people are scratching their paint while using clay"?




Here's a mother's Clay movie. It's good. I only wish he cut his claybar up into smaller pieces.
Right click on the link below and choose "Save as"...Warning: It's big.

http://www.mothers.com/reelworld/reels/clay_bar_320.mov

Guitarman

That's right, many things can scratch paint. He needs to chill on the paranoia and just learn to do it correctly.

Wishbone

thanks guys...yeah...the paranoi kicked in a little bit....i'll keep it on the DL

GS300Rich

As long as you keep the surface well lubricated you should be fine, no scratches. Once you are done with the clay bar the results are well worth it. The paint is so smooth, definately one of my favorite chores to do with the car. I have used the mothers clay bar system also and as long as you follow what the box says you will be fine. I have found though that I get better results when I use the ZYMOL Detail Finisher than when I use the stuff that is supplied with the mothers.

LEXman13

Im curious what you guys use for lube?

Would you recommend GRIOTS products?


heres what i did the other day and the results were and still are awesome....by the way its my dads BLACK GS 430.


1. wash and scrub with dishwashing soap.
2. dry
3. clay with griots speed shine
4. wax with griots wax.


it turned soo well! car is soft and wonderfull?
its kinda funny....i tried resting my waxing sponge and bottle the roof or trunk and they slid right off, due to the wax
hehe


take it EZ

Deanski

You MUST clay your finish B4 you polish and wax or sealant the finish!

Using dishwashing liquid will strip ALL wax off the finish in prep of a full finish cleaning and polishing. After you wash the wax off and dry it, clay it. I use a mix of Z7 (car wash detergent) and water in a spray bottle. Be careful of other products containing wax in the lube if you plan to polish and seal!

Wash car AGAIN after clay with your normal car wash soap, dry it fully. Now you can polish the finish.

Polishing ANY finish w/o claying first is a guarantee that what is on the finish will work loose during polishing and lodge in the pad and now you have new swirls or micro-marring all over!

My steps:
1) wash with Dawn and dry (Only to REMOVE WAX-otherwise Z7)
2) clay
3) wash with Z7 and dry
4) polish (Menzerna IP or Megs DACP if needed)
5) Z6
6) Z5/Z2 with ZFX
7) Z6
8) Z2 with ZFX multi-coats
9) top with Souveran wax

This is for a '03 Absolutly Red SC430 which has a brittle paint finish I'm finding out due to stone chipping.

As long as you wash the car and check the finish B4 claying, you sould be fine. Check finish with a CLEAN HAND and it should feel glass smooth. Other way, put hand in baggie and rub over finish, if you feel any bump, CLAY IT. DO NOT RUB HARD! Let the clay glide over the finish, if it starts to hang, add more lube. Fold it often as well. Check results B4 moving to new area.

I would NEVER polish a finish first w/o claying it! You want a swirl-free finish right?

Yes it takes time, but results are well worth it!!

Need more info on claying and products? Try Autopia.org website for all the detailing info you can handle!!

Regards,
Deanski

joshoowa

iTrader: (1)

whats a good lube to use when claying ?

jeremyp111

I use Four Star's Platimum Ultimate Gloss Enhancer, but you can use car wash shampoo or any good quick detailer like Meguiar's Final Inspection.

The general rule of thumb I use is "you can never use too much lube!"


JP

Deanski

OK guys, now you're getting me concerned. Those of you who want to know more on detailing and which waxes or sealants work better along with tips/tricks, you need to check out this site!

Autopia

There are several good clay kits out there. One is Clay Magic, Mothers, Pinnacle, Zaino etc.

GO to the site and click on "Learn".

Regards,
Deanski

RA40

iTrader: (6)

A buddy on a Porsche forum relayed me to this site about the clay:

http://www.carcareonline.com/viewarticle.aspx?art=0

Also interesting is:

http://www.carcareonline.com/viewarticle.aspx?art=9
and
http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc

mrshabo

i remember reading that someone posted to wash the car after you clay it. i find this way isn't the best because of all the residue you leave behind even after you wash it. you see streaks of the left over clay. i found out that if you buff off the clay then wash it, it leaves a lot less marks for you to try to rub off before you wax it. i've tried a lot of products and i think i like the liquid 3m the most. zaino works great but it doesn't give you that deep wet look that i love so much. another reason i like 3m over zaino is because of the price difference!. zaino is pretty expensive if you think about all those little products you have to buy. don't get me wrong, i love zaino but when you wax/clay your car as much as i do (2-3 times a month).. wax get's pretty expensive.

golfkwesi

For all you "clay first timers" like me: I just finished my first claying of my '02SC430 and it was NO problem at all and NO clay residue to deal with after washing with Z7 to complete the claying process.. I used a diluted mix of Z7 & water for the lube, cut my Zaino bar into a 1/3.

A client gave me an entire bucket of 3M products ( he works for them ) and I was thinking of using the show polish product BEFORE going with my Z5/Z2 Zaino which if I understand the posts will add a deeper wet look prior to applying my Zaino. Is this correct?

Also, must I wash the car ( using Dawn dishwashing soap ) to remove any oil after 3M but before Z5/Z2 for the Zaino to bond properly?