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Clay Bar Your Car

M

Man In Black

Guest
I bought everything to clay bar my vette and plan to use Meguiar's NXT Generation Tech Wax 2.0 How many people have used it and how did you like it ? Did you buff it before applying the tech wax ?
 
I used the Mequiar's clay bar system on my Mag Red C5 when I owned it and was very pleased with the results. The Mag Red had a deep glow to it that a lot of folks complemented me on......I will use it on my GS this spring.....
 
I use the clay bar from Griot's Garage, but for wax there's nothing like the C-Magic products sold at the Corvette Museum!! FANTASTIC shine, VERY durable, and EASY to apply!!

:thumb:thumb:thumb
 
I am definitely an advocate of using the clay bar at least once a year. And I have recently switched over to Meguiar's NXT. I have a friend who had a Monterey Red coupe that was much shinier and deeper than any others I have seen. He used that exclusively. I've used it on my Cyber Gray...great results...and on my former '05 Daytona Sunset Orange convertible. Haven't tried it yet on my "new" 05 DSOM, but I imagine I'll be just as pleased. And, no, I didn't buff anything. No need to.

Elaine
 
I used Mothers clay bar kit on my 96 in the fall. Then I used Meguiars Carnuba wax to finish. The paint is still smooth as a babys behind Its dirty from the bad weather but protected
 
I used Mothers clay bar, and then Mothers California Synthetic wax on my Polo Green LT4 and was very pleased. It made the
color much deeper I thought, really pops.
 
I am definitely an advocate of using the clay bar at least once a year. And I have recently switched over to Meguiar's NXT. I have a friend who had a Monterey Red coupe that was much shinier and deeper than any others I have seen. He used that exclusively. I've used it on my Cyber Gray...great results...and on my former '05 Daytona Sunset Orange convertible. Haven't tried it yet on my "new" 05 DSOM, but I imagine I'll be just as pleased. And, no, I didn't buff anything. No need to.

Elaine
The reason I mentioned buffing is my car is black and even though the paint is in very good condition ( 19k. miles ) it has those microscopic swirls from many washes. I was thinking that instead of hand application just buffing the Meguiar's NXT on with a soft foam pad at low speed would eliminate them. What do you think ?
 
The reason I mentioned buffing is my car is black and even though the paint is in very good condition ( 19k. miles ) it has those microscopic swirls from many washes. I was thinking that instead of hand application just buffing the Meguiar's NXT on with a soft foam pad at low speed would eliminate them. What do you think ?
You have a good start if you are using Griots clay bar. I haven't used them all, but it is the best of what I have tried. I don't think buffing on the NXT is going to cure your swirls. Since you have black paint, I would use Griot's number 4 machine polish or depending on how deep they are, start with number 3 machine polish. I follow the above regime and then finish with NXT. Griot's Best of Show wax is very good but NXT seems to last longer for me. You should have a great looking Vette with that shiny black paint.
 
You have a good start if you are using Griots clay bar. I haven't used them all, but it is the best of what I have tried. I don't think buffing on the NXT is going to cure your swirls. Since you have black paint, I would use Griot's number 4 machine polish or depending on how deep they are, start with number 3 machine polish. I follow the above regime and then finish with NXT. Griot's Best of Show wax is very good but NXT seems to last longer for me. You should have a great looking Vette with that shiny black paint.
When I say microscopic swirls I mean that they are almost not even detectable by most people but it keeps the paint from having that deep smooth gloss look that it had from the factory. I'm hoping to bring that back again since the car looks virtually new in every way with only 19k.
 
Hey, just want to verify the steps I believe are required to properly get my Corvette shining.

Please, advise, if there are more steps.

1. Wash and dry.
2. Clay bar.
3. Wash and dry.
4. Use a quality pre-wax.
5. Wax

Is it necessary to use a machine buffer or will the old fashioned way of using ones hands work just as well?
 
Hey, just want to verify the steps I believe are required to properly get my Corvette shining.

Please, advise, if there are more steps.

1. Wash and dry.
2. Clay bar.
3. Wash and dry.
4. Use a quality pre-wax.
5. Wax

Is it necessary to use a machine buffer or will the old fashioned way of using ones hands work just as well?
Step 3 is not required. On step 4, if you mean use a polish, that is only needed if you have the swirl marks or other imperfections that should be removed before waxing. Having a good smooth, clean, clear surface is required before waxing to achieve that super shine. The old hand method still works but the orbital buffer makes the job easier and quicker. Plus there are a lot of excellent products available for buffer use that won't work with the hand method. Happy cleaning.
 
I used the Mothers clay bar kit. Seemed to do a very nice job and was not to hard to do. After that i used the zaino aio and the spray finish. Really turned out nice. I use a Griotts Garage random orbit polisher to put on the wax and good old elbow grease to remove.:thumb
 
I clay bar with Meguiars to remove he contaminants from the clear coat, then buff with Meguiars cleaner and then machine polish. I then wax with NXT, great stuff. My C5 has been a consistent show winner at VOTR the past three years and has multiple concours show wins during the same period.
 
If ounce using a clay bar after wash, then polishing compound. I finally bought a polisher and that works great to work in a carnuba wax.
 
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Just so everyone knows, all clay legally sold in America is made by one company, Auto Wax Company, Inc. or Clay Magic as most people know them. It doesn't matter who's name is on the clay you buy in America, it is all made by the same company and they have successfully sued the hell out of everyone who has infringed upon their patent. But don't take my word for it, check out their website here. They list all the judgements that they have won.

Next, if you want to really know how to make your paint perfect, your thread is here. So many people have a misconception about a lot of products (especially wax), so I dedicate a lot of time teaching folks how it is done. Here's a picture of my car without a DROP of wax on it. Why is it so shiny and why does the paint have so much depth? Follow that link and get some popcorn. There's 2 hours worth of instructional videos waiting for you. You won't believe what you will learn.

These pictures were taken with a regular Canon digital camera. Nothing fancy, just point and shoot.


washpics0.jpg


washpics3.jpg


washpics2.jpg


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Last week I finished the corvette with clay bar and Mcguires tech wax 2.0 and I couldn't be happier. The car has under 20k. miles but the paint just didn't quite have the shine or depth that it had new , but after this process it actually looks showroom again with a very deep gloss and it is very easy to work with. I also have a 2002 Chevy Silverado that has perfect red paint that I thought couldn't be improved but I decided to do the same process and I was surprised to see that it was not only improved , but it too looks showroom again. I would have never believed that the claybar process would have this much affect and as far as this wax , I will never switch back to regular waxes again.
 
Last week I finished the corvette with clay bar and Mcguires tech wax 2.0 and I couldn't be happier. The car has under 20k. miles but the paint just didn't quite have the shine or depth that it had new , but after this process it actually looks showroom again with a very deep gloss and it is very easy to work with. I also have a 2002 Chevy Silverado that has perfect red paint that I thought couldn't be improved but I decided to do the same process and I was surprised to see that it was not only improved , but it too looks showroom again. I would have never believed that the claybar process would have this much affect and as far as this wax , I will never switch back to regular waxes again.

Clay doesn't make paint shine unless you have a LOT of oxidation on your paint. With that said, I could just imagine how much better your paint would look if you actually polished it. Polishing paint (along with anything that shines), is how you make it really pop (as demonstrated in my pictures above). Here's some more in-depth information that I wrote up about clay.


What is the clay bar process, you ask?

Clay Bar is used to remove paint contamination, overspray and industrial fallout.

What is paint contamination?


Paint contamination consists of tiny metal shavings from rail dust, brake dust and industrial fallout. This contamination affects all paint finishes and can cause serious damage when left untreated. Paint contamination can be felt as a "rough or gritty" texture on the paint's surface and can lead to tiny rust spots. This contamination can not be removed by washing, waxing and/or polishing. Check out the three stages of paint contamination.

Stage 1:

Metal shavings land on the paint's surface.

Stage1.jpg



Stage 2:

Shavings start to oxidize.

Stage2.jpg



Stage 3:

Rust spots forms in the paint.

Stage3.jpg




Where does it come from?


There are three major causes of paint contamination:

1. Rail dust - produced from the friction of train wheels against railroad tracks. Over 70% of new vehicles are shipped by rail. Rail dust can contaminate a new car's finish before it even reaches the dealership. Anytime a vehicle is parked or travels near a railroad it is subject to rail dust contamination.

2. Brake dust - particles produced from the friction of brake pads rubbing against the rotor. This metal on metal friction disperses tiny particles of bare metal into the air and on the highway where it collects on passing vehicles.

3. Industrial fallout - another word for pollution, industrial fallout is a byproduct of our modern industrial age.


Testing for paint contamination:

After washing and drying your vehicle, put your hand inside a plastic sandwich bag and lightly run your fingertips over the paint's surface. It should be as smooth as glass. If your car's surface has a rough, gritty or pebble-like texture, it indicates the presence of paint contamination. This should be removed with a clay bar before applying a polish or wax.


Removing Paint Contamination:

There is no wax, natural or synthetic, or any chemical treatment that can prevent or protect against this contamination. Compounding with an abrasive polish may remove paint contamination but it can only be performed a few times before removing too much of the top, clear coat finish. This is why the process of claying is required. Claying removes these impurities without removing your clear coat. It is the safest, most effective way to do so.

Claying is a simple process, although you may have to exert a little energy. The secret to proper claying is to keep the area that you are working on wet at all times. Not doing so makes the claying process difficult and it also causes marring of the paint. The amount of pressure that you apply is directly proportional to how bad the paint is contaminated. A 10 year old car that has lived in a driveway all of its life is going to require a little more scrubbing than your new car that you have just driven off the car lot.

The object of claying is to get the paint as smooth as glass. Work in small sections (1 foot square areas). Once you get a section smooth as glass, you move on to the next section. Work in small areas so that you don't miss anything. Here's a short video of me claying an area of a bumper in which a deep scratch resides.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0_pFgsjlJk



The claying process itself does absolutely nothing to remove swirls or scratches.
It simply removes the impurities from the paint as stated before. Claying is a very important process when necessary, and contributes effectively to obtaining that deep, glossy shine.


When should I clay?

Only when your finish fails the baggie test described above. Some folks clay their finish too often. It is not a set in stone step with paint maintenance, it is only required if your paint needs it. A car that stays garaged, covered and not driven often is not going to get clayed as often as a car that sits in a driveway night and day, in a dusty or dirty environment. I have personally clayed my car once, a year and a half ago. It of course is the first car in the scenario above.

Performing the claying process in the shade or indoors helps keep your lubricant from drying to quickly. :thumb

The Junkman
 
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Hey Junkman , You are one of the reasons that I decided to try the clay bar process. I have watched some of your videos and from testimonials on the corvette forums and I have to tell you , that stuff really works. As my silverado showed a huge improvement and I didn't even realize that there was anything wrong with the finish because it looked so good before. You pointed out some interesting places where the contaminants come from. Brake dust seems to make sense since everytime you wash your car there is heavy dust on the wheels but I would have never thought about rail dust since I don't live near railroad tracks but I can see how new cars would already be contaminated so I guess my new Honda Civic will probably need it too. I will do the plastic bag test. As always thanks , and keep up the great work that you do with your videos. :thumb If I ever run into you I'd like to buy you a :beer
 
It's the baggie test that opens people's eyes. You can't feel the contamination with your finger tips unless the contamination is very bad (paint overspray and tree sap comes to mind). But the thing that turns most folks into a believe is when they go to a new car dealership and test out a brand new car. Unbelievable! Brand spanking new cars feel gritty as hell! Keep in mind that the cars sitting on the lot are constantly being bombarded with contaminates all day long. Cities like Los Angeles have no telling what falling from the sky.

Until you remove that barrier of grit and dirt from your paint's surface, you are not even dealing with the paint. Everything that you do to your paint is like wearing cologne every day instead of taking a bath. You never get to the root of all that funk and thus, you walk around smelling some kind of funky all day long.
 

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