well i bought the clay magic clay bar yesterday but im not exactly sure how to use it. it may sound weird i sprayed a little on my hood and took the bar but i guess i may have sprayed too much of the spray cuz it was jus like watery afterwards. although it did take off dirt and stuff i dont think im usuing it properly can any give advice on the proper way to use this. also how do i get rid of fine scratches in my finish. like wat products can i buy for that. thanks

 

From what you typed, you are correct. You put too much lubricant on the surface you are trying to clay. What you do is spray enough lubricant to cover a 2' x 2' area. Once you spray it, rub the clay bar in a linear motion within that area. Once the clay starts to glide effortlessly across the paint, you should wipe it with a towel and then continue to the next section.

As for the scratches, How severe are they?

 

not very severe they r very fine scratches i was thinkin about just repainting it but if there is a way to remove it then ill gladly take the advice. thanks

 

hey saw you lived in miami, you going to the markham park meet on sunday? Check out the southeast forums for more info.

 

When you're moving the bar over a dirty area of the paint you will feel/hear a "tick..tick...tick" noise as the particles are picked up by the bar. Once it becomes silent you've cleaned the area.

As for using too much spray...it won't harm anything..its just a waste of the product if you use too much.

Someone jump in here...I've heard you can use a plain soap (lots of it) and water spray instead of the detail spray the clay kits come with. Is this true?

CM

 

Sure you can use car wash as a lube.


if the scratches are fine then a good polish should repair them, try something OTC like SratchX. If they don't work a detailer could try to correct with a machine polishing. From what you descibed, it doesn't sound like a repaint is in order.

 

I have just used plain water with good results. Just make sure that the car is clean and use lots of water. Makes the job very easy. Takes me 20 - 30 minutes to clay my car after I wash it and before I dry it. I always do this as part of my spring detail.

 

Ya, I used clay magic last weekend as well and was not exactly stunned by the results. I too thought that it was a bit too slick as it was going over the paint and didn't have much change in the paint.....although the rear end seemed like it was getting all scuffed up when i was claying it.

 

i just used clay magic on my car and i had great results with it and will deffinatly be useing it again

 

You probably could but why not just use the lube it comes with, I get good results by following the directions

 

It's cheaper and faster and does just as good of a job.

 

oh man , no need to repaint for very fine scratches ... an orbital and the right pad / polish will do the trick!



I've been using Mothers clay bar for a very long time now .. i just found Clay Magic at Autozone last month and bought a box for $10. I haven't tried it yet.

The "lube" is pretty much detailer spray, right? At least that's what Mothers always used to be. I also have used Meguiar's quick detail spray as "lube" for claybar.

 

Yeah its just a detailer spray. I get sick of paying a steep price of it just to overspray the panels and clay the car. But hey I guess it's only twice a year I do it, so a bottle lasts me a couple years. I should stop being so cheap.

 

a good buff job will take out the scratches. Works every time. As for the claybar, I use it every time I clean my car and I always spray too much lubricant. It only wastes it, doesnt hurt anything. Just make sure you NEVER use it after youve dropped it on the ground. EVER!

 

a) Some clays are natural and it can wreak havoc with them if too much lubricant is used.

b) You can use a mixture of car wash soap and water or even plain water as a lubricant.