This weekend I am going to use a clay bar on my black '04 coupe for the first time. I want some opinions about which one is the best. But it has to be one that I can buy at a big box store or automotive supply store, because I won't have time to wait for something bought off the internet. What's the best off-the-shelf in your opinion? I have researched on here and on the internet and can't get a feel for what to stay away from or to definitely buy. As always, thanks for your input.

Amd what do you make of that ICE liquid clay bar?

 

I've only used Magic Clay and I think it's a very good product, but haven't compared to others. It is sold at any auto store and big stores, I'm sure.

 

I have always used Mothers with great results. Can't say about the rest of them.

James

 

I was looking at the mothers also but it didn't have any liquid with it, what would you use for liquid. I was thinking of using my ice detailing spray.

 

I use the Mothers clay bar as well.

You can use the clay bar with any detail spray, it's basically just used as a lubricant.

 

I have never seen Mother's Clay without the bottle at a retail store.

James

 

Meguiar's, Mother's, Black Magic - all good quality clay bars and you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference with any of them. You just don't want to use an aggressive pro level clay unless you have an extremely bad finish and plan on doing some machine polishing afterward. Good news is you won't find these in your average auto parts stores so there's no risk of accidentaly grabbing the wrong stuff.

As for the ICE Liquid Clay Bar - don't waste your time. They took a very simple and highly effective process and made it a messy, complicated, less effective process. Stick with the real thing.

 

I settled on Maguiars, simply because the kit includes a big bottle of Quick Detail, which I love.

I notice these kits only include 4oz of paste wax. Kinda like the discrepancy between a pack of hot dogs and a pack of buns.

 

[quote=Mike-in-Orange]Meguiar's, Mother's, Black Magic - all good quality clay bars and you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference with any of them. You just don't want to use an aggressive pro level clay unless you have an extremely bad finish and plan on doing some machine polishing afterward. Good news is you won't find these in your average auto parts stores so there's no risk of accidentaly grabbing the wrong stuff.

As for the ICE Liquid Clay Bar - don't waste your time. They took a very simple and highly effective process and made it a messy, complicated, less effective process. Stick with the real thing.]

I kinda figured the "liquid" clay was bogus. Thanks for the info. I'm gonna go with Mother's based on everything I have seen and read. Thank you to everyone who has responded. I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

4oz of wax is way more than enough to cover a Crossfire. Heck, you can cover a full sized pickup truck with 4oz of wax if you're doing it right.

 

I used the ICE liquid clay bar and as the paste ICE it worked well. I don't work for TW....

 

I've always used Zaino clay, my son uses Mothers, both are excellent products. Two points - clay your car no matter what clay you use, #2 don't waste your detail spray, a spray bottle of clean water works just as well.
Pat

 

Not so sure I'd use plain water - at least add a couple drops of car wash soap to your spray bottle. You really want/need that extra lubricity when using clay and water alone doesn't offer it. I think the only real advantage to using a QD spray instead of soapy water is that there's no need to rewash the car between the clay and paint cleaning steps.

 

Really? I never thought I was slathering it on, but I do use more than 4 oz. Could you elucidate?

 

You always want to apply a wax or sealant, anybody's wax or sealant, in a very thin coat. Thin coats dry faster, avoid streaking, are easier to remove, and waste less product. I've waxed a Nissan Frontier crew cab pickup truck using a D/A polisher and a 2 oz sample pack of Meguiar's NXT Tech Wax. Yeah, that one was a stretch, but I did it.

Basically, if you've ever seen a black car with a coat of dried wax on it and the car looked more white than black, there's probably enough wax there for 6 cars. If you apply a coat properly, ie very thin, to a light colored vehicle you should actually have a hard time telling where you've put it and where you haven't. Only the diminished gloss from the wet, freshly applied wax will clue you in.

 

Mike I've never had a problem with just plain H20. Maybe its the Zaino Clay Bar? I've clay'd various cars at least a dozen times. Imafink was just over here two weeks ago and we did his that way as well I'm sure he'd back me up. Perhaps other Clay is different?
Pat

 

Sal Zaino doesn't recommend plain water either; from his website:

Quote:

To use Z-18 ClayBar™, you spray a water-based lubricant on a small area of your car and rub the bar back and forth with light to medium pressure. If the lubricant begins to dry, you'll need to spray more. Z-18 is fairly sticky, and cannot be used dry. If you try using it dry, you'll make a big mess. We suggest mixing one cap full of Z-7 Show Car Wash with water in a 16 ounce spray bottle. Z-6 also works as a lubricant for Z-18 ClayBar, but Z-7 Show Car Wash is much more cost effective.

The key here is "water-based lubricant". You need to lubricate the surface, not just wet it. I don't know anyone who recommends plain water for claying as water itself isn't a great lubricant. Even for wet sanding we prefer something a bit slicker than plain water. I think you run a greater risk of hazing the paint ever so slightly by not having sufficient lubrication. While you may not have an issue yet, to me this is like guys who use a water blade to dry their car - they haven't caused a scratch YET, but eventually they will and then their attitude will change. Whenever I touch my paint I always err on the side of caution.

 

Tell ya what Mike ask anyone who sees my car tomorrow in Carlisle if they see any haze. I've never had a problem with it. If you were in the neighborhood I'd be glad to show you. My car's finish is like glass, no haze, no swirls nuthin' but shine.
Pat

 

Don't get me wrong Pat, I'm not saying the your car is hazed - I'd never make an assumption since I've never seen your car. What I'm saying is nobody recommends using plain water for a lubricant because water itself is not a good lubricant. It's not a best practice situation, and that's something I always try to avoid.

Further, just because it hasn't hazed your paint doesn't mean it won't haze someone elses paint, or cause other issues, no matter how easy they may be to correct. Not all paint systems react identically to the same techniques, processes, chemicals, etc. Again, it's like the guys with the water blades saying "it's never scratched my car". I'd rather empty the gun than dodge the bullets, that's all.

 

I used the Meguiar's kit and it was my first try at this process. I found it very easy and the results were great, and the finish is holding up nicely.If you are on the fence about this, don't wait. Just do it. You will not be disapointed.