So I Claybar'd The Carrera Today...

[Brando]

And WOW what a difference.

For the past 2 months I haven't been able to drive the car. I was hit while riding my motorcycle and couldn't walk, drive, etc. I got my roommate to help me replace the battery (dead due to sitting so long) and drive it over to the carwash. It was filthy.

Did i mention it sat outside without a cover?

We came back from the wash and even though you could tell the car was "cleaner" you could tell there was staining on the surface. I did a small section (rear lid and left rear fender) andthe difference is phenomenal. Its glossy and so deep. Since i can now walk somewhat I now have a task for the rest of the week. I will snap before & after pics.

I ordered a new cover as well. No more bug crap, dirt and cat prints on the paint.

[Flieger]

no photos?

[James Brown]

Wow, just purchased some today! Does yours have a 2 stage paint (base, clear coat)? I know it won't help with the rock chips, just want it baby smooth.

[D911SC]

Just did mine a few days ago and the difference is remarkable. I thought the paint was clean but now it is like glass.

Agreed on the "glossy and so deep".

I always wondered how some guys got their cars looking so good - the answer is clay!

[Scott Douglas]

Clay is the way to a streak free shine.

[mickey356]

Does it help with light swirls in black paint?

[HFR_Racer]

Clay bar is the bomb.....

http://mysite.verizon.net/ahamilto/HFR_Racing/July%202009%20garage.jpg

[Canada Kev]

I don't think so. It mostly just really cleans the paint of all the crap that gets imbedded in it. It also works well for glass.

[McLovin]

Originally Posted by mickey356

Does it help with light swirls in black paint?

No.

But claying is essential to a nice finish. It also makes the car a LOT easier to wash and wax. Polishes and waxes work much better and easier on a clean surface.

You can clay the whole car in a half an hour, it's the highest value use of time you can spend on your paint!

[mickey356]

Eh, it can't hurt to give it a try. I suppose it'll clean off all the old wax, dirt etc... and then I'll have a good sense of whats under there. A project for some time down the road, I got bigger fish to fry right now.

[porschenut]

A clay bar is used to remove contaminants that are bonded to the car's finish and won't come off with regular washing. It should never be needed more than once a year for a car that is driven often. It will not polish the paint or remove swirls. It is most often used as a prelude to an actual polishing regimen.

Originally, it was developed for body shops to remove paint overspray from body panels. Later it was adopted by the professional detailing crowd as an effective way to remove stubborn contaminants like rail dust, pollution particulates and water spots.

There are many different brands and types of automotive detailing clay, ranging from very aggressive to very mild. Be sure you know what you are doing and what kind of clay you have, because you can damage your paint if you're not careful. Technique is important.

Anyone who is new to claying should spend some time reading the detailing articles and threads at Autopia - Autopia Home before using it.

[Scott Douglas]

Clay barring won't help existing swirl marks in black paint, or any color for that matter.
It will help prevent them when polishing though.

Mickey356 - I'd clay the car, then try a foam pad buff compound on it.
I always work from the least harsh to the harsher steps since I like to leave as much paint on the car as possible. In other words, try a foam pad buff then hand glaze then wax. If you don't like it go to a harsher first step, followed by the others. You can do just a small area to see how it turns out. Once you find out what is needed then you can do the rest of the car using that method.
Once your car is cleaned this way it'll be a lot easier to keep it looking that way since it'll be soooo smooth nothing (well, almost nothing) will stick to it.

[Tonka]

Clayed mine and polished last weekend.

[Brando]

No pics yet... I'm away from home and my roommate took photos. I'll upload them when I get home from physical therapy tomorrow.

Just think of it this way... looking at the rear of the car, the decklid and rear-driver's fender are superglossy and the rear-passenger fender is a "matte" white. The doors and front of the car are "semi-gloss".

In a couple years I want to wet-sand the body, shoot a few coats of original Grand Prix white on there to fill all the pits and scratches, finally do 10-15 coats of clear.

Of course, that will be when I've got the body sorted out how I like.

Imho, clay-baring is friggin awesome. If you take our time you can work most of the "swirls" out. Most all of the ones in my paint were gone. Be sure to wax afterwards!

[juan ruiz]

I could ask first what is that you are trying to accomplish, with the clay bar ;

The detail clay will remove embedded brake dust and fallout that penetrates the clear coat or paint as well as over spray.

Now if you have road grime, light oxidization and tar.

The Pre Wax Cleanser will be your product.

Clay Bars are a great tool, however although a lot of people think that a clay bar is a clay bar and that all of them are the same they are not, you must be aware that there are different types of Clay bars which differ in color and density but what is most important the type and amount of abrasive particles they contain. All clay bars will be labeled from "mild" to "strong" abrasive quality, it depends on the manufacturer.

Also good to know is that, If the clay bar is dropped it must be discarded otherwise some serious damage will happen to your automobile surface and I know that for fact.

[Paul K]

FWIW, I used a clay bar on the windshield of my '89 targa and it really helped.

The Griot's one seems pretty good.

[kanadary]

i need to clay bar the car. what is the best one to use for a novice. ie. one that i hopefully can't mess up.

[kenikh]

Clay bar is great for glass and final detail. For removing swirls, you'll need to machine polish, typically with a few different cuts or rubbing compound on a nice polisher, like the ones from Makita and DeWalt. For really bad scratches that haven't gone through to the primer, you may need to wet sand thep paint with a 1200 or higher grit, then machine polish.

Wet sanding and machine polishing is not for the average home detailer, as it is easy to go right through the paint and end up with thin spots. Nonetheless, with practice, it isn't hard to get the hang of it.

[Benny771]

What brand and what size bar should i be looking for?
Do you add anything to the bar?
Or need to finish?