Correct Claybar method ?
 

Guys Ive never clayed my ride before and it does appear to have some light (rough) surface contamination, so I wanna clean it up nicely before a hand glaze then waxing.

What is the CORRECT procedure and what claybar brands are the best? I know the basics but I want all the benefit of your experience !!

Thanx...BTW the way, the colour is BLAZE RED.

Re: Correct Claybar method ?
 

It is pretty simple:

Wash the Red XF, Dry!

Spray clay lubercant (section by section) Use clay bar in a back and forth motion (heavy pressure not needed). I follow up with damp chamie. Should come out awesome.

Should feel like clean glass when you wipe your hand across treated area.

I use Clay Magic, from Automagic (out of Dallas, TX) They do sell online for those that care.

www.automagic.com


Good luck,

Re: Correct Claybar method ?
 

Thanx Sandman,....say, what does that lubricant consist of? Also does"back and forth" mean grille to winshield on the hood for example?

What about the sides of the car? Would it be from the top of the door to the bottom or longitudinally ie" along the side of the car...working your way from the top of the door to the bottom ? Does it make a difference?

The reason I ask is that when i wax I do the roof, hood and trunk areas in a front to back motion, and the sides of the car in an up/down motion ie: from the top of the door to the bottom. This is beacuse light is reflected in this way on both the top and the sides of the car.

Thanx

Re: Correct Claybar method ?
 

Using wax you go in a circular motion to apply and remove. With the clay bar it does not matter what pattern you apply the motion to the clay bar. Use lubercant panel by panel, clay, then use dmp chamie to clear. then move to next section.

The lubercant is the solution that allows the clay br to slide smoothly over your finish and allows the clay bar to remove those contminents you mentioned.

When I do the procedure on my Red XF I always start in the same way.

Wash & Dry

Clay:
Hood, roof, trunk, rear sides, doors, & front fenders.( 20 min. )

Do not make it harder then it needs to be, no rocket sceince...lol

Now follow up with your wax of choice.

Re: Correct Claybar method ?
 

There are detailed instructions on the Zaino site. I recently clayed my car before using the Zaino wax. I used a spray bottle with a cap full of the Zaion car wash soap in it for the lubricant. Any car wash soap should be ok. After I clayed the whole thing, I washed the car again to get all the residue off of it.

Re: Correct Claybar method ?
 

Does the finish feel smoother after you finished?
I have a car with lots of bumps in the finish and clay bar was suggessted. Just wondered it it smooths out the finish.

Re: Correct Claybar method ?
 

Yes, it does smooth it out. You will definitely feel the difference. It's really not that hard to do, it just takes some time. After I clayed and then Zaino'ed my car, the surface feels slicker than grease, almost like you were running your finger down wet glass.

Re: Correct Claybar method ?
 

Cool! Thanks.
Guess I'll be trying that when I have a couple free hours!

Re: Correct Claybar method ?
 

I have seen mentioned a couple of "GOOD" brands to look for.............
Are there any in that "NO GOOD" catagory that we should steer clear of???
I had a friend used some brand and after he finished we thought he had repainted the car.
TALK ABOUT DEEP GLOSS...........................a Red New Beetle and he "out-shown" us all!!!

Re: Correct Claybar method ?
 

I have used the clay bar many times (granted, on a white car). I used extremely watered down Armorall in a spray bottle for lube. Also, I would rub the clay bar in the same direction as the lines of the car. Same with washing and drying. God forbid there was a chance to leave a mark maybe from a not so clean chamoise or grit on your bar, the lines wouldn't be as obvious as if they were in the opposing direction. My $0.02. Please don't blast me if you think otherwise.

Re: Correct Claybar method ?
 

[QUOTE=GoodEnough]I used extremely watered down Armorall in a spray bottle for lube.[QUOTE]

i use a quick detailer product for a lube...much safer and streak free.

Re: Correct Claybar method ?
 

i use a quick detailer product for a lubricant...much safer and streak free.

Re: Correct Claybar method ?
 

Yeah your supposed to use detail spray like Andrew said.

I would not use 'extremely watered down Armorall'.

That stuff is for the interior, not the exterior... even if it is extremely watered down.

Armorall is silicon, which I have never seen in any wax, polish, or paint product. It's used on interior, and on tires to give them that new tire shine. Especially on our car, they tell you DO NOT use Armorall on the interior, as it will take off the silver or black paint. If it's taking off the interior paint, I'm not about to use it on my exterior.

Good idea to keep the grain going in one direction.

Use detail spray.

Re: Correct Claybar method ?
 

How do you keep the claybar from drying out after you used it once? Do you go buy a claybar every time you do this? Thanks.

Re: Correct Claybar method ?
 

I haven't used any yet, but I think there's some in the garage here, and it's in a jar with a lid. It's not actually a bar.

Re: Correct Claybar method ?
 

put the bar into a zip lock bag....squeeze out the air.

Re: Correct Claybar method ?
 

Thanks for the hint.