I've been hearing good things about the Mother's clay bar. I went down to by local Kragen and Autozone, and to my surprise, they don't have any brand of clay bars. Perhaps someone can point me to the right direction. Thanks in advance.

 

You can try Pepgirls... they sell some claybars.. not sure which brand.

 

walmart sells them -at least here in kansas- for ~13 bucks

 

autozone..........meguires clay bar for 12

 

I got mine at Advance Auto...

Worked OK.. Going to try Zaino next...

 

wal-mart, here in IL. guess all wal-mart accross the US have them.

 

Cool! Didn't know that. I went to an Auto-Zone close by (Streamwood) looking for Clay-Magic and the attendant was like "WTF is that? What is it used for?"

 

i actually went to the automozone to get one today and they didnt have anything, went to pepboys and for like $18 got a clay bar, shine spray, and wax

 

How exactly do you use the clay bar, and is it recommended for new cars... ??

 

you got a 2k2 and you need to clay? I bought from auto-zone the same thing. but guess my 97 is still clean from residue and stuff (guess I wax too often) and find clay not useful.

 

Thats why I asked what the clay bar was for. I wax my 2K2 once every 2 weeks. I see no need for anything more. But Im open to suggestions !

 

Even a new car can use some clay bar luvin. I swear by the stuff. My personal favorite is mother's, but it's kinda pricey. A clay bar removes surface contaminants and oxidation that have embedded themselves in your clear coat. It doesn't matter how new your car is, you've got it. Rail dust and brake dust and tar from transport are on your car the day you bring it home from the dealer. A clay bar will remove these things. If applied correctly your paint will feel so smoother than a baby's bottom. I got goosebumps feeling my paint after I clay barred it for the first time. It does WONDERS for white cars. No more little spots. The sooner you clay bar, the less chance those nastly little bumps become permanently part of your car.

DO IT!

oh strip all your wax first with a good wash with liquid DAWN, then apply polish, then wax, you will be AMAZED at how good your car looks.

 

Did you see the pics of my maxima after I used Mothers clay bar?

smooth and shiny after clay bar

 

hmmm....do you think I should do this before or after I have my car wet sanded and polished...the paint job is about 2 weeks old now...

 

Your car looks nice! Shiney, wet look. My 2002 feels a little bit gritty. When I did my Z2 the paint didn't feel smooth. I might have to do clay. The only thing is I am afraid all the coats I did is wasted. The car looks shiney, with lot of swirls, and has residue.

I can go with non-zaino clay bars? I have Z1, Z2, Z5, Z6, Z7. If the other brands are good I will buy them instead or ordering.

 

I have Majestic Blue 02 also, and I use the Z. Have you tried just using the z5 for a while until you fill in the swirls and cover them up. When you use the z2 it highlights the swirls.After Dawn wash and claying, you may want to try some 3m swirlmark remover with an orbital polisher to actually remove the swirls(not cover them like z5) before doing the Z treatment. I did that on Majestice Blue and it turned out nice.

 

Nope. You need to hold up at least 2 more weeks because your paint still hasn't had enough time to cure.

 

a) Torq: PM me. I might be able to help you out in the Clay Magic problem. I can get them from the AutoZones in my area with no problem whatsoever. Plus, you might want to also consider www.autodetail.com since they have the 200gm bar.

b) I have used all three (Meguiar's, Mothers, and Clay Magic) and found that the Clay Magic works nicely for my needs. In fact, in Kev's thread, I posted a review on all three. Here's the actual review.

Clay Bar Review
A short time ago, I wrote a review for three different clay bars I have used. I used the Meguiar's Quik Detail Clay Kit, Mothers Clay Kit, and now the Clay Magic Kit. All three can be bought OTC at Pep Boys or AutoZone.

Now for the review:

Clay Magic

Pros: Very soft and pliable, very effective in removing contaminants, Natural Clay, Price
Cons: Will leave residue on un-lubed areas if you aren't careful (residue can be removed with a MT and the lube)

I used the Clay Magic kit on the Maxima last weekend and found that the product is very easy to use. I found it very easy to form into the requisite patty and break off pieces from the bar. The bar was a bear to get open because it was somewhat sticky (but that's a good thing in this case). After claying, the finish felt very smooth and it made the application of AIO a breeze.


Mothers

Pros: Very effective in contaminant removal, largest bar in the three
Cons: Difficult to shape and break off, Price is highest (Mine ran me around $17 at Pep Boys), I did not get more than 3 good uses out of it before I had to toss it.

The first thing I noticed about this bar is that it was very hard to shape. No matter what amount of brute strength I used, this bar took a lot of force to break apart and/or form into a useable shape. It had gotten to the point where I wanted to use a saw or serrated knife to cut the bar into pieces. The supplied QD is a very good lubricant (I still have some left). After claying my '94 Maxima, a '92 Accord, Part of a '99 Navigator, and an '00 Concorde, I had to toss the bar.


Meguiar's

Pros: Very pliable, inexpensive, QD is a good lube
Cons: Can leave a lot of residue, bar is smaller than Clay Magic

This item is inexpensive but the adage of "You get what you pay for applies here." I like the fact that the bar is easy to open but the bar is smaller than the Clay Magic and the Mothers. As far as ease of use, the bar would leave moderate residue on the thinly lubed areas. The finish was smooth but not as smooth as the Mothers or Clay Magic. I liked the pliability of the bar but the extra work to make sure that the residue was gone made me give that kit to a friend of mine. I did clay more cars with it than with the Mother's.

My personal preference is the Clay Magic because it gives me the best balance between pliability, ease of use, and effectiveness.

 

Wow, nice writeup; very helpful.

 

I've been using clay bars for years, using Mother's, Meguire's, Zaino's and Clay Magic. I have to agree that Clay Magic is the best of the lot. I buy mine online at www.clay-magic.com You can get the 200 gm bar there too.

 

Thanks for the advice !

 

PrinzII you've turned me into a detailing freak! I read all your threads in the 5th gen detailing forum and got turned on to the autopia forums.. Then I went out and spent a whole crapload of cash on detailing equipment. Just got a PC and all the accessories can't wait to use it!!

 

Liquid dawn wouldnt that strip off the clear coat??
I heard to NEVER use liquid dish detergent on your car.. someone correct me if I am wrong.
Thanks

 

dunno but i did it today, i used the mothers bar, didnt feel it did too much but i may just not have some of the paint problems yall have, for instance i know many of yall have snow, road salt, and all that which can make a mess, it was effective however i getting off some spots on the bottom of the body

 

not really, the clear coat is pretty strong to protect the color. clay only strip off the wax but you gonna wax again anyway after the clay (probably need couple time of waxing). heard never use detergent is because not many people clay their car but more people wax their car. but I still think clay is not really useful if you already wax the car often.

 

Iv'e heard NEVER use Dawn on your car too, but that's because it will strip off the wax; exactly what you want to do in this case!

 

Dawn is a relatively additive free and gentle detergent. You dilute it with a lot of water and use it to strip wax. There is NO WAY dishwashing liquid is going to take off your clear coat. People say not to use HARSH detergents on your car's paint. Also not to use dawn except to strip off wax. This has been distorted to become "don't use dishwashing liquid on your car".

Part of the reason for the above also is that dawn will also strip your paint of oils which will eventually dry it out. Hence the "squeaky clean" feeling of your car's paint after you use it. Most good car wash solutions are filled with oils and lubricants so that dirt particles will glide off and won't rub against your paint causing scratches and swirls. Dawn is not. That's why you should be extra careful to make sure that your wash-mit is clean and grit free. A good technique is to use two buckets, one with soapy water, one with clean water to rinse off your mitt periodically.

For more info, visit http://www.autopia-carport.com/forums

the guys over there give dawn the OK