thesushiboy

Beautiful day+day off=detail daddy's car.

Washed. (Black Magic soap)
Rubbed all mah little scratchies out. (Turtle wax rubbing compound)

Then, for some reason, decided to claybar. Why the hell not? Bought the kit, read the directions, trolled the forums, I did it right. I did 1/2 the hood, just to compare. Y'know. Like we all do.

Waxed. (Eagle 1 nano)
Buffed with lamb's wool on an orbital. The taffeta white was brilliant.

But you know what? Can't tell ANY difference with that claybar side. Same shine, same everything. Am I missing something? Is claybar for a REALLY messed up car? Did i just blow $22 bucks? Does anybody have a different experience?

xRiCeBoYx

iTrader: (22)

You should feel a difference if you run you hand over it. Every tine I clay bar, the surface is noticeably smoother

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

what mindbomber said. its on a microscopic level that you can only feel...

.....unless you have a deep glossy color like black.

plus, if you have a new/still new paint job, you wont be able to tell too much of the difference.

check this out. look at the 50/50 shots of clay and non clay

https://www.civicforums.com/forums/3...8-cayenne.html

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

it depends how bad the car is. paint should be smooth like glass. if there are any bumps and particles after washing, then a claybar can clean it up. only time i had to use one was after the car went to the body shop and there was dust stuck everywhere. otherwise if you keep the car in good condition, you are likely never gonna need to clay.

iSharix

I swear to god the poster above you is riceboy,

... when is it okay to start using a claybar on a new car? .. ;O I wanna do my 09

raigen18

What brand of clay bar did you use? I've clay bar'd my car twice so far both times with meguiars and the difference is night and day. The paint is smooth as a pane of glass.

04 Honda Civic

iTrader: (2)

look at the claybar? Was it black? Then thats what you took of. Was the claybar clean afterwards? Then you didnt need to do it and you wasted your time. Next time take a clear plastic baggie (sandwich bag) and feel the paint if it feels smooth no need to claybar, just polish and wax.

04 Honda Civic

iTrader: (2)

Keeping the car in good condition has nothing to do with it. Overtime it just happens. You really cant control the elements.

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

you can clay bar your car anytime u want. just make sure you wash it first.

claying just deals with that extra imperfection.

sdaidoji

iTrader: (1)

yes, put it over your roof and wait for 3 days until it dries out and start cracking

04 Honda Civic

iTrader: (2)

I am pretty sure they come with directions. However you basically wash the car (good) once you have done that you use the detail spray to liberally spray an area 1 foot by 1 foot and then use a small section of the claybar to remove any contaminates on the paint.

pjb3

I think you misunderstood what a clay bar does. A clay bar removes microscopic contaminates on the surface of the paint. On an older car this could be tree sap, bugs or small specs of tar. On a new car it could be rail dust (The metal train wheels against the metal rails create a very fine dust). Basically any contaminate that sticks to the paint and does not come off when you wash it. Since you used rubbing compound there was nothing for the clay bar to remove. Clay will do nowhere near the cleaning of rubbing compound but it also does not remove any paint.

If I am going to clay the car I do a section of the hood to see if it needs it. If when you rub the clay over the paint you feel it start to slide easier then you are removing contaminates, if the feel stays the same there probably is nothing to remove. Also use lots of lube to be sure the clay glides, either the detailing spray that comes with the clay or put some soapy water in a spray bottle.

thesushiboy

Although I know the answer to my question, which is 'as often as it needs' generally, is this a once a year thing?

04 Honda Civic

iTrader: (2)

Depends, if you garage your car I doubt you would even need it once a year. It depends where you park your car and alot of other factors. I say for most daily drivers once a year should suffice. Make sure you at the very least, apply wax after you do this. This WILL remove any protection your car currently has.

pjb3

I agree that once a year is probably about right. Also, you don't have to do the whole car. I find clay is good at removing dried bug guts that don't wash off. So, if you take a long trip and end up with a lot of bugs on the front, just do the area with the bugs.