Clay bars – opinions?

[mystery machine]

Anyone here used one?

I was thinking of giving it a go. Just a wee bit wary of scratching the paintwork as the bar collects dirt/grit during use. Also not quite sure how worthwhile it'll be if it's merely removing a layer of dirt that I didn't notice anyway

...do they remove tar spots?

Cheers

[dan_jess]

They are brilliant. Couldnt believe the results after id used it. My dad was impressed aswell, he went out the next day and got the Meguiars kit for his own car.

[Alastair]

Clay bar, never used them till last year. Now I love clay bar, just preps paint for a polish removing dirt and grime you can't see. But you will see the difference when done. No need to worry about scratching, they don't and easy to use, spray lube and away you go. Not the best at tar removal, but when you run your hand over the car and it feels rough clay bar takes the rough away ready for polishing. If you never used before, once you have you will always use ,.......

Edited March 7, 2011 by Alastair

[little vodka goblin]

Clay bars are absolutely fantastic, the paintwork will feel as smooth as silk after using one and once you've waxed the car you'll achieve a shine like you never have before

[big den]

Have to agree, clay bars are excellent - as said just use plenty of lube and turn/knead the clay when using and should be no issues with scratching.

The 'Mequiars Starter Kit' is usually a good buy - check amazon or Halfrauds for offers.

Den

[corsa]

If you fancy a wee run through to Glasgow i would be more than happy to show you the results after a wee shot ;-)

If interested give me a PM.

Davie

[thebigfelly]

have used aswel and got the meguiars kit , required alot of elbow grease , pain in the alot of work and effort, but the results speak for themselves

[StrikE]

Yes worth it, use plenty lube, don't let it stick to the paint & for christ sake if you drop it don't use it again as it will pick up everything it touches on the ground.

Run your hand over a section of paint for a before & after result.

Keep 'turning' the clay for a clean surface, once you start to use it you will catch on quick enough.

I used this one but there are others about.

Hope it helps

[Dougs Scoob]

I've never used it before either but have been wondering about it. I've always used the old t-cut then a good wax but thats very time consuming. Is it quicker than using t-cut?

[corsa]

I've never used it before either but have been wondering about it. I've always used the old t-cut then a good wax but thats very time consuming. Is it quicker than using t-cut?

AAArrrggghhhh dont torture us any more, get into the garage and squirt all that cream of the devil known as t-cut all over your neighbours front lawn and never ever come on here posting those bad words again !!!

At least you dont use a sponge !!!!

Or do you ;-)

Davie

[subarucraig]

very good to use i normally break bar in half just incase you do drop it what a finish you get though will be claying mine in the coming weeks

[Dougs Scoob]

AAArrrggghhhh dont torture us any more, get into the garage and squirt all that cream of the devil known as t-cut all over your neighbours front lawn and never ever come on here posting those bad words again !!!

At least you dont use a sponge !!!!

Or do you ;-)

Davie

It gets the tar off. I don't use it that often as I know it's not good for paint but I'll look into getting a clay bar. How quick is it to do?

[corsa]

Its not, it can take the best part of a day to do it right, very time consuming but attention to detail and all that certainly pays off.

Davie

[Ovv]

For larger blobs of Tar I like to use some Tardis 1st. Like others have said the meguiars kit is a good place to start.

Plenty of lube and whatever you do dont drop the clay bar, if you do its buggered - straight into the bin so best to snap off a wee chunk at the start and take a new bit off the bar once it gets dirty looking.

Have a look here - Step by Step Guide - How to Clay Your Paint Safely and Effectively

[jebus82]

used it for 1st time last week as had some scratches on paintwork so was cleaning area before using scratch x.

it left the paint smooth as hell!! really good. wasnt great at removing larger tar spots but it aint really designed to do that. gona go through the same process again this week to hopefully make the scratches disapear.

cheers jebus

[johns]

I've found a clay bar very useful during the summer months when you get welded on insect debris that doesn't wash off easily.

For tar spots I use Tardis: spray on, leave a few minutes then wipe off. I find I get more tar spots during the winter months - must be all those pot holes flicking up tar and crap off the roads.

For the past 6 months I've also used a product called IRON-X. This is a good product for removing lots of almost invisible metal particles that cling to your paintwork. You just spray it on and it turns a lurid purple colour as it dissolves any metal particles. It also stinks a bit when working - so use in a well ventilated area! It's also great at removing stubborn brake dust particles from your wheels as well, though you might need several applications. I found that using tardis then iron-x last weekend that my paintwork was very smooth afterwards (it felt like sandpaper at the bottom of the doors before), and using the clay bar made very little difference. Obviously using the chemicals is a lot less effort (and faster) than claying the car all over, but will be more expensive.

[corsa]

As all these questions over car detailing and specialist products would it be worthwhile organising a wee demo night at the Chemical guys in Canbuslang, im quite sure if he was to get business out of it then he would be happy to show off his services and wares?

If enough interest i can have a word with him.

Davie

[C_WRX]

Use it, absolutely, for all the reasons everyone else has said and likely a few more ! You'll wonder why you didn't hear about it / use it before once you've finished the protecting bit and see the results and how long they last...not to mention what you see come off on the bar! As Del says though if you drop it chuck it, think of what it has just picked up and what it'll then do to your paintwork.

I've used it on a car with 400miles on the clock and still pulled contaminents off.

There's a few choices of claybar & lube but the Megs one is probably the most accessable.

This link can help read more about it if you can be bothered going through it....

http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/decontaminating-paint.html

[StrikE]

A wee trick i use is with a bit of strimmer cord, when you fold the clay bar over it's self have a bit long enough to go around your wrist and a bit folded into the bar, wee knot at the end keeps it in place. Don't use string as it tends to stick onto the bar.............. Shhhh don't tell anyone tho

[cusco kid]

I've never used it before either but have been wondering about it. I've always used the old t-cut then a good wax but thats very time consuming. Is it quicker than using t-cut?

t-cut aw naw , thats against all we have been taught about paintwork

geo

[thebigfelly]

like the high def vid on the guys cleaning the ferrari 122hours of work on it

http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/blog/2010/01/ferrari-355-f1-berlinetta-ne-plus-ultra/

[kennyuk300]

As all these questions over car detailing and specialist products would it be worthwhile organising a wee demo night at the Chemical guys in Canbuslang, im quite sure if he was to get business out of it then he would be happy to show off his services and wares?

If enough interest i can have a word with him.

Davie

Davie that is a good shout mate

Kenny

[mystery machine]

Blimmin' 'eck! That's a fairly unanimous verdict!

Suppose I'll have to try one now – thanks for all the comments and links, fantastic!

Dare I ask which brand of bar people prefer?

[StrikE]

A free bar

[kennyuk300]

A free bar

Del