OK, I have to admit that I've never been one to spend a lot of time washing/waxing my car. (puts on flame-proof undies) And I'll admit that I've had cars where I didn't even wash it for a couple months at a time. But, now that I have a car (my SRT-6) that I plan to keep for many years, and that deserves special care, I'm trying to figure out some of the finer points of car cleanup/care.

I've read a bunch here in the forums and a lot of people mention using a clay bar on their paint/finish. What are they talking about? What is a clay bar? How does one use it? What does it do?

Thanks in advance,
Tom

 

Hey Tom2112,
I've been wondering the same thing and found in "detail shop" (it's a sticky at the top of the page) the thread by Golfdude "how to detail your crossfire" the answer about the clay bar and more. https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...ad.php?t=12891
I'm glad you asked, now I know.

 

definitely do the claybar. I just recently did my windshield with it. A lot of the things I thought were pits, turned out to be very stubborn sap that would only come off with the clay bar.

When you finish with the clay bar, run your hand over the paint. Smooth as glass!

 

I think I'm feeling a heart attack coming. Andrew might be in the ER already after reading this.

 

What it all comes down to is this: waxes and sealants are designed to bond to paint, not the dirt on the paint. Further, gloss comes from reflectivity, and you can't get good reflectivity off of dirty paint or paint that isn't really flat. So you basically have two types of major defects in paint; above surface contaminants and below surface defects.

Above surface bonded contaminants are things like paint overspray, industrial fallout, tree sap, etc. Basically anything that does not come off when you wash the car. This is what a clay bar is designed to remove. Used with a lubricant like a quick detail spray or soapy water (the quick detail spray is the best though) a clay bar will gently remove the bonded contaminants that make your paint feel rough to the touch. It does nothing for swirl marks, scratches, etc and will not damage the paint or remove any clear coat. While there are various grades or abrasiveness levels of clay, all of the popular over the counter clays (Meguiar's, Mothers, etc) are very mild. The heavy duty stuff is mostly for body shop or pro detailing use where serious issues exist and they will micro mar the paint, but a full polish is always expected to be done after using these clays so it's a non issue. The process of claying is quite simple in itself though, and takes very little effort. You don't need a lot of pressure so it doesn't wear you out. Just remember that if you ever drop the clay on the ground to throw it away immediately. NEVER allow that dropped piece of clay to touch your car ever again.

Below surface defects are things like swirl marks, scratches, etchings from bird droppings, eggs, acid rain spotting, etc. The only way to remove these is to polish the paint using some sort of abrasive product that does, in fact, remove a very small amount of clear coat. I've seen numerous tests using paint thickness gauges showing fine swirl marks being removed by high speed rotary that indicate the amount of clear removed is so negligable that you shouldn't be concerned at all - at least when the rotary is used by a skilled detailer. Nonetheless, this is the ONLY way to actually remove these defects. There is also the issue of what is called "dirt in paint" and this is exactly what it says. Over time a vehicle left outside, even if regularly waxed, will actually get dirt embedded in the paint. A paint cleaner, which is really just a very mild abrasive polish, will remove this. It can be quite noticeable on lighter colored cars but since it accumulates slowly over time you might not even notice it. Until you start working on the paint, then it sort of slaps you in the face.

So what you ultimately want to do is wash and dry the car then critically evaluate the paint under very harsh light. Direct sunlight is good for this, as are halogen lights. You're looking for swirl marks and other defects. Also, slip your hand into a plastic sandwich bag and lightly drag it over the paint. It should feel as smooth as a new bathroom mirror. If not, it's time to clay. You'll want to clay before you polish so as to remove all those above surface contaminants first, then you can attack the below surface defects. If you clay and polish properly you'll end up with a finish that looks absolutely stunning, and you haven't even waxed it yet!! Now apply your favorite wax or sealant, or combination of the two, and you're set.

 

Well written Mike.

 

If you think your paint is smooth to the touch of hand try then placing a plastic sandwich bag over your hand and then run your hand across the paint again. If it still feels smooth and you don't feel any slight roughness on the surface the job is done.
Check out this short video clip:

http://www.adamspolishes.com/t-Videos_DVD5_16.aspx

 

Thanks guys! Especially for the full explanation and the link to the videos. That's serious "For Dummies" action, and exactly what I needed.

 

Your question was not perceived to me as "Dumb" I had not ever heard of a clay bar either until August this year. It does work great and is easier than waxing the car although after clay barring the car it is recommended to follow up with a good coat of wax protection.

 

A great set of videos. One question however, how long should you use the claybar before you discard it for a new piece?

 

It should be good for 3 applications, maybe four.

 

And, I've read where it is only necessary to clay bar once or twice a year.

 

True, but that will typically vary with environmental circumstances like where you live; where you drive; whether you park near trees or in the open; what kind of industrial facilities might be nearby; the kind of rain and wind and road dirt the car is exposed to; whether the car is garaged or not; and similar conditions that can affect the amount of crud that might end up on your paint. As noted earlier, the "plastic bag test" will usually tell you whether you need to clay or not.

 

The bad weather in Spokane, WA caused some pitting of the front bumper and the plastic on the fog lamps. What do you suggest? Clay bar, wet/dry sanding, rubbing compund? Thanks in advance.

Convertforever

 

If you have real pitting then a clay bar won't do you any good - they remove bonded surface contaminants only. Rubbing compound is generally a bad idea unless you know what you're doing as it will usually scuff the paint up pretty badly. If you know how to fix that then it's sort of a non issue, but most people don't and end up with a mess. Wet sanding would be akin to rubbing compound except the potential for disaster is far, far greater. You need a rotary buffer to completely pull the sanding marks out of the paint.

Do you have any pictures of the pitting? Sometimes short of repaint there isn't much you can do for some defects.

 

Sadly, I washed her up, put the cover on and relocated to Arizona for the remainder of the winter. Upon returning in May, I will resume this qwest and provide some pictures. What piqued my interest, and inquiry, was the item on clearing up fogged headlight covers. This seemed like a non-destructive abraison scheme that could be propagated to the bumper. Anyway, thanks for the getback.

Convertforever

 

Good to see you all using my thread as a reference...I am proud that I put that up a while ago. I knew it was going to be usefull and it makes me happy to give people a new meaning to what it takes to maintain their cars properly. I will always suggest polishing your paint after clay barring. Being that clay bars are mildly abrasive, they might create light marring of the surface that is easily removed by machine and a light polish. I've never liked the hand in a sandwich bag thing. I never felt anything but the surface of the plastic when I tried this. A naked, clean hand works fine at telling if a surface needs to be clay barred or not.