fatboyp

First the bad news. My car got inadvertently sprayed with a fine mist of tar thanks to some ***** who were asphalting the parking lot at the train station where I leave my car. It was covered, body, glass everything. After half and hour of swearing I decided to try my Zaino #2 to get the crap of the body. The towel was brown by the time I was done but the Zaino worked pretty well. I had to use lighter fluid to get it off the glass.

Now the good news. The paint still felt a bit rough so I went and bought a Mother's clay bar as I've heard that they can remove all contaminents (including TAR!) from the paint finish. Well I tried it on the front fender and I can't believe how incredibly well it works. It is absolutely unbelievable how smooth it leaves the paint. If your paint feels even slightly rough, buy a clay bar, I guarantee you will be blown away.

This is how I feel now....

UMD_MaxSE

iTrader: (1)

Y2K1MaximaDevil

Never heard of a clay bar before. I'll need to get one of those! Glad to hear that you got all that crap off your car though!

DooBall

explain how you used it... do you follow the lines of the car like if i was washing/waxing?

and do you clean your car with your hand and water before using the claybar?

i have been staying away from it b/c im afraid im gonna scratch the whole car with a dirty claybar

RBa

iTrader: (2)

I picked up my Meguiar's claybar today... Haven't tried it yet but reading this post makes me anxious to use it...

fatboyp

DooBall, its quite simple really. Wash and dry the car. The Mother's Clay Bar kit comes with a Detailing spray, a small bottle of wax and of course the clay bar. Spray the detailing stuff on a small section and rub the clay bar, backwards & forwards, lightly over the paint. You can actually hear the crap coming off! Keep the area lubricated with the spray and lightly rubbing until its totally clean then use a white, 100% cotton towel to remove any excess spray. The clay bar gets dirty of course but you just roll it into a ball, flatten it out again and move onto the next section. The instructions say that one bar can do 3 cars.

I wonder how its going to look once I'm done claying the car and give it a couple of coats of Zaino. I might have to take some pics!

mdeal

iTrader: (2)

A clay bar is awesome. I by-pass the wiping with a dry towel, and re-wash the car after applying the clay bar treatment. Either way works. The clay bar does seek out those areas thas "look" ok but really contain blemishes. Highly recommended.

Note: I've only used Meguire's and don't know if other brands of clay bars are any better.

RcticMax

When I got my order of Zaino, the Z-18 clay bar was the first thing I did. Well, actually the second. I washed the car with Dawn first to strip all the previous coats of wax (no, I haven't done it since) and then used the clay bar to remove all the remaining crap on the car. Used a Z-7 carwash/water solution as the lubricant. Followed the lines of the car. When I was done I washed it again, this time with Z-7 in prep for the Z-1 and Z-5 combo.

That sucker was smooth as a baby's bottom by the time I got done with the clay bar. Frickin' sweet.

After multiple applications of the Z-2 polish and Z-6 gloss enhancer, my baby is silky smooth.

Cheers!

mdeal

iTrader: (2)

I'll have to second the notion of a clean car once you hit it with a clay bar. The car will feel as if it has been polished already. It should be the cleanest of the clean.

KennyLau

The clay bar is awesome, indeed. There's really nothing like it.

I've been told by multiple sources, however, that it does strip away a very fine layer of clearcoat with each use. Think about it...how else can your car feel so smooth without something on the surface being stripped away? Makes sense to me.

So I try not to use the bar too often.

umpopa

Clay bar is great as a prep before applying Zaino (or another brand), and really is as good as everyone has been saying. It's very important to keep the area lubricated, though, so the bar dosen't stick to the surface. It's really easy to use.

I'd suggest reading about the Zaino clay bar on their site, www.zainobros.com. It's the one I used on my brand new GLE when I first got it, and plan to use next on my wife's '98 Buick Regal (OK, I know, it's only a GM product...at least it has a supercharger. That has to count for sumthin')

killrwheels

Kudos to the clay bar. Just remember to use alot of liquid cleaner to keep clay from sticking to finish. I bought mine at www.griotsgarage.com and have had it for two years. Pulls baked on grass (lawn cutters) off the ground effects and keeps finish from tar, and sap also.

Umpopa, I have a wife and a 99 Regal GS also....purchase the smaller supercharger snout and you will never complain again. Car makes 275-280 gross hp and traction control cannot even stop initial light up (tires).

mike-777

I'm sold also on this stuff. I bought some clay from NAPA for about $17. I have a grey lustre car, one year old and I could feel lots of tiny bumps on the lower front doors. Suspecting is was tar I got this stuff and it is amazing.
I ended up doing the whole car in about 1 hour and the paint is smoother that when I took delivery. Plus it is easy to use.
Power to the clay!! )

Lumbee799

I like to use 80 grit sand paper. None of that wet sanding stuff. To finish up I use course steel wool. It brings out the shine in the paint chips.

bcannon

you should have had the company that was doing the work with the tar, or the train station pay to have your car professionally cleaned, unless their is a "park at your own risk" notice, you probably could get some money...

radpp16

I was about to post something regarding the claybar. I ordered my Zaino products. Just the 3. prelok, z2,z-5. I am gonna pick some Dawn up on the way out. BUt as for the claybar, i forgot to order it from Zaino. DO you really think it matters that i use a NON -Zaino claybar to prepep my car?
Roger

KennyLau

Nah, it shouldn't matter.

I was using clay bars imported from Japan way before they were popular here in North America. I've since started buying the ones offered here, and they all seem to be the same.