Are the clay bars that automotive stores sell to remove grime and sticky spots basically the same stuff as the clay bars sold in arts & crafts shops?


I once bought a box of Mother's Quick Wax and Clay Bar from AutoZone. From what I could tell, the little yellow clay bar packed in the box looked just like the modeling clay I've used in arts & crafts.

If it is the same, then it sure would be cheaper to buy it from an arts & crafts store rather than from an auto parts store.

 

Are you talking about clay from the earth?(pottery) or like playdoo

 

yes those clay bars do work. especially for paint overspray.

before using it, do some research on it first. because if you apply it wrong , it will screw up your wax job and paint....

do a goole search and there should be some instructions with a good looking female in the pictures..

 

Check out this site:

http://www.properautocare.com/usclaybartor.html

No pretty female, but a very pretty Infiniti.

 

When you said ruin your paint...
Do you mean like using the bar with out lubication?

 

Keep in mind, claying does remove wax, so definitely wax your car when finished. Of course you could always throw some polish into the mix before waxing.

I clayed my cars this past week and it makes your paint smooth as GLASS! It really does a good job of removing those little pieces of bugs that get embedded into your front bumper/grille. I even clayed my windows.

 

which is better clay bar the meguiars or mothers?

 

Claybars work well. You just need the right process. After I was my car I use the claybar with the water. You're not supposed to use it dry so you either use it while the car is wet or use a spray. So after yuo clay make sure to polish then do your wax. Clay will not ruin your paint job it you do it right.

Clay bars are clay bars. Buy what you want.

 

I went with Mother's.

Here's the result of clay, spray, and a lot of elbow work:

 

Looks great.

 

Thanks!

After I cleaned off all of the residue, I laid down some Carnuba wax that came with the Mother's kit (which has a 3" clay bar and a bottle of spray detailer).

I used about 1/3 of the bar. I thought it would come off easier than it did, but apparently the previous owner had reglued the badges at some point.

 

Did you polish inbetween clay and wax? You should.

 

I sprayed a lot of detailer when using the bar. I did polish it frequently. After all the crud was removed, I waxed it with Carnuba.

 

What do you people use for polish

 

I use a mothers polish.

 

Eagle 1 Nanowax

 

Polish and Wax are not the same things. Polishing involves the use of an abrasive chemical (e.g. DACP) to remove defects from the finish. Wax has no abrasives. The cleaner waxes you buy in the stores are actually a form of polish because it has a light abrasive in it.

 

There is no need to polish after claying unless you need to. Obviously if your paint is dull and you've got some scratches or swirls it would be a good idea. Otherwise, don't feel like you HAVE TO.

 

There is a little bit of disagreement in the posts above mine concerning what is meant by "polish." Since you were the original poster to posit the question, could you clarify what you meant by "polish?"

Actually, I interpret it more as a repetitive action rather than just a product. For example, using a high-speed buffer.

If you have ever used one on your car after removing all of the wax residue by hand, then you know how much better is the shine it produces versus trying to do it by hand.

I'm not talking about applying any abrasives or waxes with one, but using the power buffer with a thick sheepskin cover to bring out the shine. I think that there is just so much residue that the human hand can remove. If you look at the surface of your car with a black light, you will see what gets left over.

Of course, you can overdo the buffing, too, especially if you press too hard or do not clean your buffing pad frequently.

When I used my clay bar, I sprayed detailer on the surface in place of a true lubricant. i'm not sure, exactly, what is the composition of the lubricants that they sell with professional clay bars, but I have to imagine that they contain some kind of silicone compounds or wax.

Anyone who has used it can chime in here and correct me.

Using the clay bar removes hidden particles that were embedded in the surface of the car and laying down some Carnuba fills in the microscopic pits where those particles used to be.

My sister clay-barred her entire car and it looked as good as new...which is significant since her car is over 10 years old and has 170K on it. I might add that she drives a little Saturn, so the job of claying the whole car was not as daunting as it would be for us with our larger cars.

BTW, I did read that the clay used in clay bars are not significantly different from modeling clay -- they do have a much higher density and are much less porous. Basically, the clay bar I used absorbed hardly any of the spray detailer I used. But, like any clay, bars will dry out, so it is important to keep it moist: I wrapped mine in cellophane wrap and put it into a Ziploc bag as well.

 

Funny that you mention that...my other car that I clayed was my wife's 98 Saturn. It's got a little over 100K and the washing, claying, Meguiars Scratch-X & NXT Wax made it look practically new. Unfortunately the Scratch-X was not abrasive enough and didn't get all the swirls out. Plus this was all done by hand.