time to start treating and taking care of the new paint job

 

Clay Bars

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.

 

Like PrinzII I've also tried all three, but I like the Mothers the best. Clay magic and Meguiar's tend to stick to my paint, while Mother's worked perfectly. I liked the Meguiar's quick detail lube the best. For quick detailing, Mother's quick detail lube tends to take a little longer to buff out. But for the purposes of claying, all three lubes work great.

I'm not sure where PrinzII lives, but I'm in Hawaii, so the temperature may have alot to do with the Mother's clay being perfect for me and too hard for PrinzII. Similarly the temperature may also make the Clay Magic and Meguiar's too soft for me while more workable for PrinzII.

In Hawaii, you can get Mother's for $12 on sale, which is about the same as Meguiars and Clay Magic.

My only suggestion is to use a lot of lube (no pun intended) so the clay doesn't stick.

 

I'm using Griot's.

 

Blackfire synthetic clay bar works well...less residue than Clay Magic IMO

 

I also prefer the Mothers. I used the Clay Magic once on an Acura RL and I had to toss it when I was done. It was too soft and it stretched to much to fast. But with the Mothers I was able to Clay Bar my max, a Focus and 1/4 of the Acura RL that I mentioned before. JMO.

 

for Mothers. Mayn have tried it, many have liked it. I am one.

 

umm playdough

i like mothers..megs just left WAYY too many chalk/clay marks.

 

Clay Magic here. I've liked it the best, plus Autozone has it on sale all the time by my house

 

I've only tried mothers, clay magic, and meguiar's. I absolutely hated meguiar's. I'm not sure if the bar I bought was old, but it was definately very hard to work with and not soft at all. Either mothers or clay magic get my vote

 

Mothers!! I find to eliminate/prevent residue, I use the whole bottle of QD on the car as a lube...no residue, no problems

 

Is it really necessary to use a clay bar on a relatively new paint job? ie less then a year old.

 

Rub your hand on the body after a good washing...if you feel anything other than baby's **** smoothness, you need clay bar....I've used Meguire's and Mothers...no comparison here, Mother's all the way!

 

a clay bar is used to remove impregnated dirt/dust from the paint, mostly caused when the car is trucked into the dealership for sale.

IMO once a year claying is good for the paint, but prepare to wax afterwards...

 

Has anyone compared Zaino's clay bar with others?

 

To further elaborate on what the others have said, you can clay a car even after you just get it from the dealer. The main purpose of a clay bar is similar to an exfoliant for our skin. Like out skin, our car's finish is under assault from a variety of environmental factors such as industrial fallout (dependent on the area).

The reason I recommend claying a new car is that the finish is still being assaulted in transport. Many owners of Glacier or Icelandic Pearl Maxes have reported seeing rust spots forming on the paint. Those rust spots are from rail dust. Also, couple that with the fact some dealers store vehicles outside and theya re under attack from the elements as well.

A month after I bought my '02, I clayed it.

 

I clayed mine about 1.5 months after I got it, which was just last Thurs.

 

I just clayed my car for the first time today and used the meguiars clay kit. The clay was very soft and the quick detailer was a good lube for it but it did leave alot of residue and the clay got stuck alot, being that it was the first time I ever clayed before I dont know how to compare it to others, but I do know my paint is smoother than it has ever been. Im gonna try a different kit next time, probably the mothers.



-Steve

 

I purchased a Super Black 2K Maxima in late 1999. Although I have washed the car maybe two or three times a year, I have never waxed it. Last month after washing it, I noticed that the paint felt really gritty and no matter how hard I scrubbed, the surface just felt real rough.

I just recently heard about using clay on the paint to remove the surface contaminants and purchased Clay Magic for $10 at a local Auto Parts Store. Not expecting to see noticable results, I was truly impressed with this product as the grit was easily pulled by the clay action. I finished it off with a Zymol wax job. I am proud to say that the finish would be at near showroom condition, if not for the several dozen paint chips on the hood and bumper. However, that smooth as glass feel has been totally restored.

The Black Clear is the most difficult to maintain, and I am convinced that using Clay can easily restore most mildly neglected finishes with great results. I was gonna try Mothers but it was nearly twice the price. I am sure that I would have gotten similar results.

 

I just clayed my Gray Lustre 00 for the first time since I took possesion of it. (Nov)
I did the whole car with Meguires and used about 3/4 of a bottle of QD. It seems like the only time I felt any resistance was when I was doing the lower half of the car: door, bumpers, etc. It really worked well. I followed it with some polish and then #26 wax. Looks good so far. Now if I can just keep the damn pollen off the car.