i say only clay what needs it, in most cases not EVERY part of your car is subject to the same wear and tear as say, the lower front bumper.

 

Good point, most of the times I found almost zero contamination on the doors and other vertical panels. The worst parts are usually the hood, roof, trunk, and bumpers.

 

mmmmmmm.....(lights up post-wax cig) aaaaaaahhhhhhh.....

Was it as good for you as it was for me???

 

Are you claying and waxing your bumpers??

 

Yeah why wouldn't you?

 

Part I have to clay the most is the rear bumper right next to the hatch. Normally a bumper aplique would go there, but since I don't have one that's the area where most dust falls and stays. Even with a bunch of wax that area gets nasty.

 

I use ice liquid clay bar and it seem to do its job = )

 

i will asap. i've only owned vehicles with metal bumpers till now.

 

https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/fit-...o-article.html

 

I clay MzFit in the shop (outa the sun) and like qbm13 and some other here I have only clayed the whole car one time. Now it's usally just the upper surfaces. And like Cat said it feels like glass but! there's NO protection for the paint. So qbm13 says sealent and then wax so that's what I'm doing next time I've been just using nextgeneration by megs. But that's a sealer only and not a WAX oops soo the wax is what gives it's self to the elements so the paint stays on the car. And there are much better products than what walmart sells..... This has been a great read I'd like to thank everyone that has input to this thread.

 

Yeah, when you clay, you have to wash, clay and then wax/seal. It takes me the better part of a day to get the whole job done. I sure can't do it all the time. I wish I could, though. After it's done, the car is just amazing to run my hand over. There's nothing like it.

 

not sure if i posted already, but i only spot clay areas that feel rough or contaminated. if you keep your car maintained you wont have to clay all that much.

 

You can't put a specific time limit on how often you should clay. That would be like saying "how often should I go pee?" Well that will vary upon the last time you went pee, how much water you've had, how much water your body is used to. Just as in that example, there are many factors that determine when your car needs to be clayed. As suggested the baggie method is how you will want to determine when it needs to be clayed. Also as suggested, put a layer of protection on the car after you have finished claying.

 

Wow! I am amazed at the wrong information being thrown around here. So here is the deal...this comes from years of researching/waxing/polishing and taking care of cars.

Step 1) wash the car very well
Step 2) Use a clay bar and lubricant to remove microscopic and very small particles embedded in the clear coat. If you turn the clay inside out enough and do it properly, you wont scratch the paint. It is the purest way to prep before polishing.
Step 3) Polish. Polish fills in the microscopic gaps in the clear coat and helps give the car that shine that we all love...it doesnt protect
Step 4) use a wax to seal in the polish and help protect the paint. Wax wasnt designed to shine like most people think, it is designed to protect the paint, the polish gives the gloss.
Step 5) Enjoy your gorgeous paint and finish

 

So that's not entirely correct either - a polish is not intended to fill gaps, it is intended to remove them. Fillers in a polish are a crutch for improper polishing technique or unwillingness to have deep scratches properly repaired. Scratches which can't be removed through polishing are either rounded off to be less visible or corrected through repaint or recoat. The problem with fillers is that they only mask problems and don't last long so that scratch-free finish disappears after a couple of days.

 

I agree with your statement. I was in a rush, it was late and I didnt think my wording would get analyzed that much However, some polishes do fill in the micro gaps in the clearcoat.

Example, rubbing compound and polishes are different types of abrasives..rubbing compound is much more harsh. If you use a compound and get a haze, that is because it is making micro grooves in the clearcoat that are visible. A polish will remove the haze some because it is smoothing out the edges and some because it is filling in the areas.

An excerpt from Properautocare.com, which is in my opinion, a leader in the auto detail industry look at #3

"
In car paint care, nanotechnology refers to the study, creation and application of molecular materials, in particular nano-coatings, with a particle size that is typically less than 100 nanometers. The significance of a polymer nano-coating is that is can form a very tight bond with the undulating surface of most substrates. All substrates used in the automotive arena, including glass, paint, plastic, rubber, aluminum, chrome, stainless steel, textiles, and leather will have many pits, fibers, valleys and unevenness when viewed under high magnification. These undulations allow a nano-coating to get a tight grip on the surface.
There are four reasons that nano-coatings are important in car paint care products (surface care in general, actually):

1. The better "grip" a polymer can get on a surface (substrate), the less likely it will be that another substance or element can knock it off (break through the coating). This has a direct relationship with the coating's durability and tolerance to detergents and chemicals.
2. A nano-coating has a particle size that's smaller than water. As a result, nano-coatings are hydrophobic (lock water out).
3. A nano-coating fills micro-size pits in glossy surfaces, further improving the gloss.
4. Nano-particle UV inhibitors are perfectly clear, yet they absorb UV light energy."

 

What brand has a good, soft clay bar?

 

I think they are all about the same - you have to work them in order to get them soft, but if they are too soft, they don't last.

I use Meguiar's.

 

It's only been in about the last decade that readily available clay bar systems have been sold widely. I find it interesting that it's become the "thing" to do. I'm old enough to remember decades and decades when people simply did not clay bar. Now, you aren't taking care of your car unless you do.

The only problem I see with Claybar is that as is evident within this thread there is a wide variety of approaches and ideas on how and when to do it. I think clay barring incorrectly can cause a lot of damage.

I also believe that if your standards aren't as high as microscopic surface smoothness, then for many people simple washing and waxing can keep your vehicle looking good. For many decades clay barring was almost an exclusive action of Auto Show enthusiasts and professional detailers, NOW everyone is doing it...and not everyone is doing it right.

 

What kind of damage are you talking about? I can tell you that from the short time I have known about clay barring, I can tell the difference between when I just wash and wax and when I use the clay bar. There is a very noticeable surface difference. However, this is a very labor intensive job, necessitating 3-4 complete cycles of car washing/clay/polishing/waxing. It's at least an entire morning's worth of work, and if you take breaks, it can take most of a day. So 2 x a year is about all I can manage. But oh! The softness of that paint once it's done....so sexy....