o man, today, i went all out cleaning my max. first i did the usual washing, and drying, but of course just like everyother time i washed it, there was this dirt looking stuff left behind, and no matter what i did, it wouldnt come off, so i went over to local pep boys and was looking at all the waxes and stuff, then i saw the clay bar. i remember alot of u guys talking about using a clay bar and how it does good stuff, so i ended up not buying ne wax at all, and just bought the clay bar, mother's clay bar kit, it came with showtime lube and some carnauba cleaner wax. so once i started, i was like this is gonna take a while, about 2 hours later, i was done, and all i could say was, wow . my car is super clean, and really smooth. no bumps at all. and after i put on the wax, i just walked around the car for like 10 minutes, with my hand running across it. heh, so now i am left with some questions, how often do u clay ur car? how do i know when the clay bar is all used up?

id like to thank the detailing forum, for helping me to get my max shine i never knew there could be so much to cleaning ur car. hehe

 

i usually take a chunk off the clay bar and use that on the car. I try to clay my car every season.

glad it worked out for u!

 

Many people clay their cars every six months. Some every three. Some every month. Some even spot clay.

However, the concensus is to do it every 3-6 months.

 

1st time it took me 4 hours for the whole thing. wash, wax, clay and all that.

clay bar simply owns. i couldnt get enough of the smoothness and the shinne. simply amazing. claybar #2 is coming up for me sooooon. !!

 

ha, ya it took me 5 hours to do mine, there was alot of "contaminents" on my trunk and rear bumper, and i had to make couple of passes on it to get it smooth

 

wat exactly does the claybar doo? is it possible to totally f*** up with this thing or is it easy as waxing???

 

if u rub ur hand across ur car after a good wash, and u notice that there are these little sand like things on ur car, and no matter how much ya try to scrub it off, it wont come off, well a clay bar will go and remove very easily. the method i used to tell whether my car needed some barring was by rubbing my hand on my car, then my mom's new car. and i could definetly feel the many very little bumps on my car, that were not there on the new car. and after i had finish barring it, the paint became just as smooth as the new car.

and i dont believe that it will mess up ur car, just make sure that ur car is properly lubed and you will be fine.

 

a claybar will remove all the imperfections in your paint. For instance, if you run your fingers along the hood of your car and feel little bumps, that means your car can benefit from clay.

The only way you can screw up is if you dont use a lubricant with the clay bar. Most clay bar kits will include a soapy spray. If you dont have one, just mix up some car soap and water and put it in a spray bottle.

 

The lube actually contains silicone and that allows for the slippery texture. DO NOT use soap with the clay bar as the soap will start to break the clay down. You'll notice that the clay feels really grainy, little pieces will start to break off and the bar will be hard to work with. Use "instant detailer" as the lube...many OTC brands make it, Meguires, Mothers, etc. Some of the professional products include PRO's Wipeout and Car Brite's Snappy Shine.

 

Just a tip on using a clay bar. A friend of my let me try a home made detailing spray which works great. You fill a spray bottle with murphy's oil soap about 2 oz. ( just eyed it up. looks like the color of ginger ale) and fill the rest with water. now you just saved $5 for detailing spray.

 

I know of lots of people that sucessfully use car shampoo (not "soap") as claying lube.

The key seems to be to make sure you do not let the clay get waterlogged. That is, when you are folding and kneading the clay make sure you are not folding/kneading water into it or it will start to soften and disintegrate. Pat dry it before folding.

This goes for using both shampoo solution AND detailing spray, as it can happen with either one.