How To Use A Clay Bar

[Wamp]

Oh, Jealousy....

I think that is what my husband was trying to say...
Actually, it is my car and after the shock of him bringing home the 74 wore off and we got involved with the local club and started doing events I started letting him know I would like my own. Since we do all things Corvette together, I thought it would be fun to be able to work on my car while he works on his. I am not very mechanical, but figure I can handle the looking good thing. I am very excited to try this out, Sunday is my next day off, hopefully all is good weather wise. The car is black and in AZ cannot stay clean. Fingerprints are another thing that drives me nuts. I think I will have to carry my 100% cotton towel in my purse to open and shut the doors!! The guy at the paint shop also told me that when I wax the car, being that it is black, to not use a circular motion or I would end up with the swirls I want to get rid of. Since I am a blonde I could stand there and take up about 30 minutes of his time asking ridiculous questions!;help Thanks for the encouragement! I will let you know how it turns out.

Deb

 

[DetailingDude]

This is what I love about 2 Vette families! You guys are great! If you have a digital camera could you take pix of the cars and the process. This would make great copy. I am glad the rival is civil. If there is anything you encounter along the way let me know and I will do my best to talk you though the process.

 

[supernatural400]

I have good luck with all of Zaino's products including their claybar

 

[luvmy82]

This is my Camaro and that was claybarred and Zainoed the MINUTE I brought it home from the dealership. You would not believe the crap that the clay bar pulled from the body!
[url]http://www.picturejudge.com/memberpics/luvmy82/images/Back End.jpg [/url]
The Corvette has "product X" on it....but I'm just like you Deb, anal as the day is long about how good my cars look. However, my hubby could care less about cars, and I live and breathe good looking, vintage, fast cars! http://www.picturejudge.com/memberpics/luvmy82/images/Side View a 5x7.jpg

 

[luvmy82]

Let's try that again...here's the Camaro. Took me almost 8 hours to do. The body on this car is HUGE compared to the Vette! Hubby was quite impressed with my work though when he asked to jump in and take it for a ride!

 

[mick_s3]

I used a kit I got from pinnacle wax. The result was unbelievable. My 6 year old white coupe looks like it just rolled out of the paint booth.

The wash kit comes with "shampoo", paint cleanser (to remove wax) that is 100% non-abrasive, and a tub of carnuba. I clay barred it in between the cleanser and the wax, and the products all perfomed excellently. I will nothing else from now on, on my Vette.

The clay barring is ESSENTIAL.

Mick

 

[DetailingDude]

I used a kit I got from pinnacle wax. The result was unbelievable. My 6 year old white coupe looks like it just rolled out of the paint booth.

The wash kit comes with "shampoo", paint cleanser (to remove wax) that is 100% non-abrasive, and a tub of carnuba. I clay barred it in between the cleanser and the wax, and the products all perfomed excellently. I will nothing else from now on, on my Vette.

The clay barring is ESSENTIAL.

Mick

the link: Pinnacle

 

[mick_s3]

Oops... guess that would have been helpfull.

Thanks!

Mick

 

[corvettecrazy]

my first clay bar usage but i used the Meguiars and it really wasn't that bad, the results were AWSOME and followed by more cleaning steps the black vette looks better than when it rolled off the showroom floor. the bar took up everything. I would reccomend it even w/o trying other brands

BTW if you are going to use it call meguiars and let them tell you what to do because the directions on the box suck.

 

[vette ed]

I have used all brands of clay bar's (white - grey - yellow), however, this past Saturday I bought the Claymagic "BLUE" clay
bar - WOW - using this bar is soooo much easier than the other brands - I did the whole car in approx. 30 - 45 minutes - in the
sun even! I would suggest the "BLUE" clay bar to all!!!!
my .02 worth

 

[V..rroom]

where can one get the microfibre towels...I have purchased some here at walmart but they are small hand towels and I'm not sure of the thread count...they work fine but a larger size would be great...is there an online store for detailing stuff??

 

[GS Diva]

I just ordered a bunch from www.pakshak.com and am very happy with them. They have the larger micro fiber towels, too. If you mention that you're a member of Autopia Detailing, there will be a substantial discount. Click on the "contact" and ask them for a quote.

Some on-line sites for car care products are:

www.properautocare.com
www.goodspeedmotoring.com
www.autogeek.net
www.griotsgarage.com
www.autodetail.com

Elaine

 

[atmmac]

Aggrivating water spots

Im noticing water spots on my car. You can only see them in direct sunlight and up very close but they aggrivate me! The only way to get rid of them is to wax the car. I end up waxing the car once a week. Why are these damn things showing up! Also whats the best brand of wax? Im currently using Turtle wax color cure. It seems to work pretty well. Im gonna look into the clay bar soon! I have a lot of wax on this thing. a good 4 or 5 coats! (I cant stand it dirty my friends think im crazy cause i was it nearly every day!

 

[mick_s3]

Re: Aggrivating water spots

Im noticing water spots on my car. You can only see them in direct sunlight and up very close but they aggrivate me! The only way to get rid of them is to wax the car. I end up waxing the car once a week. Why are these damn things showing up! Also whats the best brand of wax? Im currently using Turtle wax color cure. It seems to work pretty well. Im gonna look into the clay bar soon! I have a lot of wax on this thing. a good 4 or 5 coats! (I cant stand it dirty my friends think im crazy cause i was it nearly every day!

Check out www.pinnaclewax.com

No I not affiliated with them in any way, other than as a very satisfied customer.

You must use the liquid carnuba, awesome stuff.

Mick

 

[atmmac]

IM going to go stop at lappens and see if they have any

Thanks

 

[LT1 95]

Bird Crap

I keep my 95 in purfect shape. Only 43K. The paint is in excellent shape. I have it waxed at least once a month. Why is it that a little bird crap can leave a mark on your finish? And you can't even wax it out?! How do I remove the imperfection that the bird crap has caused?:confused

 

[DetailingDude]

Re: Bird Crap

I keep my 95 in purfect shape. Only 43K. The paint is in excellent shape. I have it waxed at least once a month. Why is it that a little bird crap can leave a mark on your finish? And you can't even wax it out?! How do I remove the imperfection that the bird crap has caused?:confused

Not to complicate things for you, but it could be several factors.

First off, bird dung is quite acidic and can penetrate most waxes if left on for too long.

Secondly here are a few questions for you about your car care approach:

Was the product you used a polish (the type of polish that is a cleaner and protector in one).

What are you using to wash it?

How long did the bird droppings sit on your paint?

 

[LT1 95]

Bird Crap

Hey Detailing Dude,

I have my car professionally washed and waxed. I do not know what they use however they are reputable detailing pros in my area. As for the amount of time the bird crap was on my car, just hours.

I asked my detailers what to do and they said the bird crap can eat away at your clear coat in just minutes. Wet sanding may be the only way to remove the marks. What are your thoughts?

 

[DetailingDude]

Hey Detailing Dude,

I have my car professionally washed and waxed. I do not know what they use however they are reputable detailing pros in my area. As for the amount of time the bird crap was on my car, just hours.

I asked my detailers what to do and they said the bird crap can eat away at your clear coat in just minutes. Wet sanding may be the only way to remove the marks. What are your thoughts?

They're right...... in some degree or another. I've seen bird crap go through a well waxed car quickly and some have not been very quick at all. There are a few key factors:

• The Birds Diet
• The Surface Protecion

I don't know what sort of products your detailer used or what type of food the bird had been eating but worst case scenerio....... ineffective protection and lethal dung and yeah, you could be in for a round of wet sanding........ and I've seen worse where it needed a repaint.

There's no standard for how long the feces can sit on paint car and not have damage happen.

A good thing to carry in your trunk is a bottle of carbonated mineral water. What you can do, if you get bombed, is:

1. Pour a bit onto the paint and let the bubbles and water work to soften it
2. Let sit for until it looks like it's softened
3. Shake the bottle and "Pressure Wash" the remaining excrement
4. Wipe down..... BUT........Be quite careful when wiping down that you're not pressing hard
5. Wash your car immediatly when you get home to clean up the mess

You want to be quite careful with the wiping away the defecation as many species of birds assist digestion by eating tiny pebbles.....which you don't want to grind into the surface.

 

[01TriBlack]

Some great, great information! Thanks so much.

When you all clay-bar the car, do you actually feel it's doing anything as you're actually clay-ing? I clay-barred my '96 once and kind of just shrugged, quitting after 1/2 the hood because I wasn't convinced it was doing anything. Was it?

I've always used Meguiars products but am going to try Pinnacle Souveran.