Clay bar

[suzi]

If Santa is going to buy cleaning stuff (woohoo here comes the carnauba wax! ) for Suzi, does it matter which brand of clay bar?
I know you generally get what you pay for, but is there a any real differnce between them?

[Boags]

I am led to believe the difference is immense.

Talk to PT, send him a PM and get him to explain it for you. He is the Guru on detailing!

Boags

[lowmiata]

If Santa is going to buy cleaning stuff (woohoo here comes the carnauba wax! ) for Suzi, does it matter which brand of clay bar?
I know you generally get what you pay for, but is there a any real differnce between them?

I've always used the meguiars one
when it comes to the grade of the claybar you get what you pay for!
but all round the meguiars one is pretty damn good for the $$

Usually it comes with a bottle of quick detailer which you use for lubrication.
I just get the soft wash gel and use that as it lasts alot longer and the clay bar never bites the paint

Couple of things to not though:

if you paint is new beit from the factory or aftermarket the clay bar will be less effective overall because of the amount of 'peel' in the paint if its say 6 years old and been cut and polished a few times then for sure it would make a big difference.

if it is newer though a light (very light compound cut and polish with a swirl remover afterwards followed by a wash then machine smoothed ,
then waxed and waxed again the next weekend.)
will bring it up a million bucks

I have just done my surf and only done half the car(ran out of time and its raining)
I didn't use a clay bar as it was not that for gone and it probably hadn't been polished in 5 years!

but i did/am machining it so it does work easier!

if you have a red mx and its got the dreaded faded colour then by all means it would be the best bet

clay bar is a good tool but used on the wrong surface and or by the in experienced it could do more harm than good

all you have to remember is that a clay bar(like a coarse polish compound will go right back to a clear or in early mx's the colour coat, what you take off you need to put back on which could take alot longer than expected!

good luck though!

maybe a pic of your cars paint work would be better to see what it needs!
might only need light work!
as you can only clay bar a car a few times before you will be able to see through the paint!

Just read your car details on your post
2000 model shouldn't need that much work unless it has suffered some major neglect from a previous owner

Probably going to do my mazda this Xmas as i had steve in sydney touch up a ding in the door and now the rest of the car has fallen behind!

[JBT]

Suzi, I think all your car really needs is a good wash, polish and wax. Maybe a paint clean before polishing if you want to go crazy. The fnish on your car is excellent from what I remember.

[suzi]

Thanx guys.
After having the car clay barred a few months ago & then topped off with Swissol Saphir wax I was looking at getting Santa to buy for the future as well.
I was thinking of going over the car again with the bar before waxing again next week but after checking this morning it probably isn't needed yet.

I'm trying to get Santa to provide a 'complete package' of what I need for now (wax) & future maintenance (clay bar).

[Casey]

Thanx guys.
After having the car clay barred a few months ago & then topped off with Swissol Saphir wax I was looking at getting Santa to buy for the future as well.
I was thinking of going over the car again with the bar before waxing again next week but after checking this morning it probably isn't needed yet.

I'm trying to get Santa to provide a 'complete package' of what I need for now (wax) & future maintenance (clay bar).

If you've used the Swissol after the clay bar the paint should be in excellent nic. Just get some Swissol cleaning fluid (paint cleaner) and apply this before re-waxing with the Saphir or Samuri. GP Cars in Brissy used to stock the stuff when Kirky was the owner - offered a great discount/service to club members too. With regular applications you shouldn't ever need the clay bar again unless a disaster happens to your paint.

[JBT]

GP Cars still have it.

[Techno]

I hate to admit this.

I used a clay bar on my NB8B.

I must have picked up a some grit from somewhere on the car and once in the bar it just acted like sand paper..

The result was that the clear coat turned a white in places and there were so many scratch marks that I had the car resprayed at the MX-5 factory.

The insurance company paid half the costs.

Learnings from this .... I don't use a claybar anymore. Pay for a professional detailing. It will probably be better than you will ever achieve and with minimum risk.



Rob

[kula]

there are a lot of different clay bars, and some are quite aggressive..

most like the meguaris one are very safe, and almost impossible to damage your paint...

i do my cars all the time with them, and love them.

always after a wash, while the car is still wet, and spray heaps of lube.

[Hot Rodders]

I hate to admit this.

I used a clay bar on my NB8B.

I must have picked up a some grit from somewhere on the car and once in the bar it just acted like sand paper..

The result was that the clear coat turned a white in places and there were so many scratch marks that I had the car resprayed at the MX-5 factory.

The insurance company paid half the costs.

Learnings from this .... I don't use a claybar anymore. Pay for a professional detailing. It will probably be better than you will ever achieve and with minimum risk.



Rob

If you feel the grit catch, roll the claybar into another shape to get the grit away from the outside. If you drop the clay bar, THROW IT AWAY!

[PT]

I use a mild clay bar that cleans the contaminants from the surface of the paint. I use a proper clay lubricant, quick detailers and car washes are NOT ideal lubricants and will cause the clay bar to perish prematurely.

Most clay bars will take the waxes and protectants off so it is important to use a sealant or wax to add protection and shine.

Every 3 months I wash the car, then clay bar it, then use a cleaner polish, then a sealent, then a wax.

I wash the car weekly and use a spray wax after I wash it to top the wax, every month I wax the car.

I do not use an abrasive polish as my paint does not need it, I have no swirls or spiderwebbing, not minor superficial scratches. However, some vehicles may need a swirlremover or other added to the recipe.

A sealent will over about 80% of the shine a wax will, but offers much more in the way of protection and is what I recommend to most people instead of a wax. I want my cake and eat it too, so I top the sealant with a wax.

As a guide, follow the instructions on the product with regard to application, some say wipe on then wipe off, some say leave it on for an hour.

Also, after I have waxed the car (applied and removed) I'll push it out into the sun for an hour to allow the wax to cure.

[Benny]

A little known fact about clay bars, is that they are also very useful on glass.
I first saw this demonstrated at the Meguir's demo site and was quite surprised at how well it works on those really stubborn marks you sometimes get on your glass.
The tecnique is exactly the same as you use on the paintwork, using a lubricant such as a good detergent or Quick Detailer.
Obviously, after you've used the lubricant, you will have to clean the glass with metho or similar to remove the wax, but it does a really good job.

[sirbob]

Clay bars are also the best process for removing bugs that have embeeded themselves into your front bar...

[suzi]

Thanks guys - will call into GP next visit to Brissie.