o.k. so whats claybar?

do a forum and google search, you will be able to find your answer

Moved from another conversation... the question came up about claybar.

Here'* what a favored brand looks like: Mother'* Clay Bar (big box in the middle).


You will likely find many topics on claybar - it picks up all of the tiniest dirt and grim that even the best washing cannot get out of your car'* finish. Everything you need (except for towels) comes in the box... cost me $17 at AutoZone... couldn't find it at Walmart. You will need to then polish and wax your car...Took me a total 3 hours to mine yesterday (that'* wash, clay, polish, etc).

Be very careful though. It is possible to screw up your paint.

Interesting... can you give a bit more info? Did you screw up your paint? Was the surface hot? How can it screw it up? Sorry for the 20 questions... but I'd honestly like to learn more.

I'm curious too. I've yet to see someone mess up their paint with a clay bar.

you could drop your clay on the ground, not turn it enough, or not use enough lube... possible to screw up

Yep. My roof is seriously F'd

Surface was cool. I started around 6:15 one Sunday morning figuring it would remove the "Acid Rain" stains that were on the roof since I worked near a steel recycling plant and the fallout would sit and dry after it rained

After a double wash using Dawn Ultra to help finish removing what wax was left.
Using copious amounts of the lubricant that was supplied, I started doing it by the directions. I got the whole roof done and then washed to make sure there was no residue left from the claying. The spots were still there

I did it all over again using more elbow grease and eventually wound up ruining the clearcoat on the roof. I have paint flaking off over the drivers door and the roof is a flat dull blue :(

I went ahead and put a coat of LG over it hoping to preserve what is left of the paint that is there. I was so pissed off i didn't even clay the rest of the car before glassing it

I'll get some pics tomorrow to show exactly how bad it is

A claybar is a non-abrasive (if you do it right) method to remove small dirt particles and such sitting on top of your clearcoat. It is a great thing to do a couple times a year to keep your paint smooth.

However, you should always use a pre-wax cleaner to deep clean the paint, followed by a polish to remove scratches and swirls, followed by wax or sealant to protect. A claybar will not do this.

It'* best to use a claybar before heavy detailing, since it can strip some waxes.

This is good info:

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

the spots were still there... what spots? from the acid rain? I'm thinking that has something more to do with your damage than the claybar itself. Perhaps there was a chemical reaction between the acid rain spots... but even so.. is clay a reactive type of compound?

EDIT: Sol answer the claybar compound question at the same time I posted.