Okay, I am no detailing professional, but King came up with a good idea to make a thread about claybars, so I will tell what I know and how I use a claybar to benefit my car's paint.

I hope this kind of helps some of you who are lost in regards to claybars.


Q: What is a claybar?
A: A claybar is literally a piece of clay that usually comes in a little block.

Q: Where can I get a claybar?
A: Most automotive stores, Wal-Mart, auto supply shops/websites will carry claybar kits.

Q: What is included in a claybar kit?
A: A piece of clay and usually some kind of spray detailer.

Q: How much do they cost?
A: Hell if I know all the prices, but the ones I see are usually around $15-$20, sometimes more depending on the brand.

Q: How do I know if my car needs to have a claybar used on its paint?
A: After you handwash your car, lightly run your hand over the paint. If you feel any grittiness, those are embedded contaminants in the paint and they will need a claybar to be removed.

Q: How does a claybar work?
A: A claybar is kind of like a 'deep wash' for your car. When you hand wash your car with regular soap, you are basically removing minor surface contaminants like dirt, dust, etc. However, hand washing does not remove embedded contaminants like tar, bird dookie, tree sap, light paint overspray, etc. That's where the claybar comes in. A claybar removes most embedded contaminants that normal washing fails to remove.

Q: How do I use a claybar?
A: There are a few different ways to use a claybar. The most common way is to wash your car using what you normally use and dry the car. Next, you spray the spray detailer that came in the kit on one section at a time, and drag the claybar over the spray detailer and occasionally knead the clay to keep any contaminants it may have pulled out of the paint from scratching the surface.

Q: I still don't understand the point of the spray detailer.
A: The spray detailer is used as lubrication between the clay and paint, basically, to make the clay slide on the paint.

Q: Do I have to use the detailer?
A: No, not unless you want to and unless you want to waste it. It is a common practice to use just clean car soap and water to use as lubrication. It works just as well and is cheaper than using bottles upon bottles of detail spray.

Q: Why do I have to wash my car again, after I already washed it before I clayed it?
A: The reason you wash your car after claying is because the clay will leave behind a residue that is cloudy. It is basically just wet clay on the paint. It won't harm the paint, but it is unsightly and washing the residue off will give you a clean surface to apply your wax to.

Q: How do I know when I am finished claying the car?
A: When the surface is smooth to the touch.

Q: How often can I clay my car?
A: This is a debatable question. Some people will tell you that claying your car too much is not good for the paint. Some people, such as myself, clay their car often. I personally have not had or seen any problems arising from my paint due to frequently claying the car.

Q: Oh ****! I dropped my piece of clay in the dirt! What do I do?
A: DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES REUSE A PIECE OF CLAY THAT HAS BEEN DROPPED ON THE GROUND ON YOUR CAR. Throw that piece of clay away, unless you want your paint to get scratched to hell and back. You are pretty much screwed and you will need to purchase another claybar kit. A way to avoid this problem is to tear the claybar into two pieces before you start to clay your car. Use one piece of clay to clay the car and put the other in a small Ziploc bag or container. That way if you drop the piece of clay you are using, you will have a back-up piece of clay.



Okay, that's all I can think of for now. If anyone else has any questions, let me know and I'll edit the post or add additional posts to it.

 

Here are some links that Evan (WNRacing) posted in another thread that will be helpful.

http://www.autogeek.net/detailing-clay-bar.html

http://www.autogeek.net/detailingtips.html

http://www.showmewithvideo.com/play.php?vid=783

 

I personally do not use the "quick detailer" lubricant. It can get expensive depending on how often you clay bar/ how many cars you detail. Soap and Water works just as well, if not better in my opinion, plus it is much, much less expensive.

I recommend going to Wal*Mart or Lowes and picking up one of these guys.



It spreads the soap best on the "center" nozzle selection and best of all it only costs about $10.00 compared to a "foam gun" which can be upwards of $100.00. Do not expect this to foam anywhere near as much as the commercial grade foam gun. It does get the job done though, and at 1/10th the price I'd say it's definitely worth it.

 

Thanks for making the thread, Val, I found it very insightful.

 

Also, there are different "levels" of clay. More aggressive one's that you should only use once or twice a year(like over the counter ones: Mother's, Meg's, etc). And gentler ones if you are a fanatic(Pinnacle, search autogeek.net for others).

 

Mother's and Meguiar's claybars aren't at all aggressive.

Using the Clay Magic red claybar will require machine polishing afterwards, as it is super aggressive.

 

Meguiars has different grades. Mothers yellow is not aggressive at all.