Clay bars

[Hudders]

Just bought a Dodo Juice clay bar kit and I'm amazed at the tiny piece of clay that came with it.

 

Can anyone recommend a decent size clay bar and the best place to get it from?

 

After reading a few reviews on EBay I found out that there are 3M clay bar copies out there !!

[coldel]

Invest in a Megs/Autoglym/Bilt Hamber bar and you should be fine.

 

That said, I bought a clay mitt recently and its every bit as good as a bar but x10 faster to do the work.

[Hodaka]

I use a clay mitt as well. Went for the Farecla G3 mitt as it seemed to have good reviews and was easily to get from Halfrauds.

 

I found it a bit unnerving at first, but works well and as coldel said, much faster

[veeg33]

As above, I got my clay mitt for Halfrauds when the have 3 for 2 on all cleaning products

[Payco]

Clay mitt is the way forward. Clay bars are a thing of the past now. Mitts are so much better.

[blobbish]

I couldn't agree more with the above. Used clay bars and there a pain but the new clay mitts are fantastic.

[Guest]

Another vote for the mitt here to, sooooooooo much faster, clay bar is in the bin.

[JohnM]

Interesting video on the results of using a clay bar:

 

It’s a lengthy video, so to summarise, here are his results:

1. new clay bar using water = micro scratches
   
2. new clay bar using specialised lubricator = no scratches
   
3. old clay bar using water = scratches
   
4. old clay bar using specialised lubricator = scratches
   

 

To me, re-using a mitt falls under the ‘old clay bar’ above. I’d be happy to use a mitt (and special lubricator) once and then throw it away…but that’s going to get a little expensive.

 

What do you think?

[coldel]

You need to wash the mitt in warm soapy water.

 

Old clay bar won't scratch if you fold it and expose a clean area. Clearly once you have used it enough you will never get a clean face on it no matter how much folding. The clay mitts are good for 30 cars by all accounts before you should ditch it.

[ilogikal1]

What do you think?

 

That you've fundamentally misunderstood the purpose of a clay cloth/mitt. It ain't the same as a bar thus won't behave the same way.

[Mopedmark]

Meguires held a seminar/hands on morning last Saturday and 25 of us attended, they explained the clay bar to us and showed us how to use it properly, the key is to Not use water but use detailer cleaning lube and plenty of it and keep the strokes in line and mostly one way

[KyleR]

You don't need much to clay a car, I guess you got about 50g with the kit? If so, thats loads for a car.

[Stutopia]

Bilt Hamber give you a big bar - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bilt-Hamber-Auto-Clay-Soft/dp/B002OHTN8C/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1467833744&sr=8-3&keywords=Bilt+Hamber+auto+clay

[ilogikal1]

Meguires held a seminar/hands on morning last Saturday and 25 of us attended, they explained the clay bar to us and showed us how to use it properly, the key is to Not use water but use detailer cleaning lube and plenty of it and keep the strokes in line and mostly one way

 

It depends on the brand of clay bar. Bilt Hamber, for example, you're better off using water. Most you can replace the QD/"specialist" lube (f'nar) with suitably diluted shampoo. Of course the marketers are very good at selling you a specific product for every job.

 

The real "trick" to using clay, be it bar, cloth or mitt is to keep it clean, keep it lubricated and don't apply any pressure. Also do a proper decontamination before reaching for the clay. It's like almost anything on soft paint, use it correctly and you'll do no damage at all but the more hamfisted you are the greater the risk of inflicting damage to the paint.

[Paul K]

I suspect the meguiars "use detailing spray" is just a marketing thing to sell more spray. I use the BH clay with water and a small squirt of car shampoo.

 

Apparently all clay is the same as it was patented by one company in the 70's

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TT350]

I got 5x claybars off ebay for a tenner. Every bit as good as they meguiars. Much bigger too.

 

I don't use detailing spray either. I use a spray bottle with a very weak car shampoo mixture for lube. Got this tip off a few forums after searching an alternative to mentally priced detailing sprays.

 

Brought my sh1tty focus up a treat.

[AndyG8nby]

I bought my clay mitt last year and got round to using it for the first time last weekend and couldn't get away with it as it kept leaving the rubber compound on the paintwork which was a pain to get off, Now it was quite warm that day which could be the problem?. I ended up using my claybar to remove the residue from the clay mitt.

[coldel]

If you want to use detailing spray just buy the concentrate plus use an old spray bottle and dilute to what you need, lasts ages.

[Ricey]

200g clay bar will do 6 cars. Get a Stanley knife and chop it into sections.

 

I'm not sure about clay mitts. I just can't make my mind up about them I really can't. I don't think I looked after mine enough.

 

As for lubricant it depends on the bar. Some clay is quite sticky and others are more rubbery.

 

The one I'm using at the mo is fine with water and the Bilt Hamber one is excellent.

 

Trick to claying is light pressure. You want the clay to do your work not hand pressure.

 

Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

 

 

[ilogikal1]

I bought my clay mitt last year and got round to using it for the first time last weekend and couldn't get away with it as it kept leaving the rubber compound on the paintwork which was a pain to get off, Now it was quite warm that day which could be the problem?. I ended up using my claybar to remove the residue from the clay mitt.

 

Which mitt did you try?

 

Even on a hot surface it shouldn't do that. On a hot surface it just becomes grabbier - it's best used on a cool, shaded car - but it shouldn't leave anything behind unless it was cheap eBay knock off.

 

Cloths/mitts are better, easier and quicker than bars on large, relatively flat surfaces but they're next to useless for anything fiddly. Bars are much more pliable to smaller gaps. they each have their uses. Also I've never seen anyone yet claim that you need a specialist product to use as lubricant for cloths/mitts either.

[AndyG8nby]

I bought my clay mitt last year and got round to using it for the first time last weekend and couldn't get away with it as it kept leaving the rubber compound on the paintwork which was a pain to get off, Now it was quite warm that day which could be the problem?. I ended up using my claybar to remove the residue from the clay mitt.

 

Which mitt did you try?

 

Even on a hot surface it shouldn't do that. On a hot surface it just becomes grabbier - it's best used on a cool, shaded car - but it shouldn't leave anything behind unless it was cheap eBay knock off.

 

Cloths/mitts are better, easier and quicker than bars on large, relatively flat surfaces but they're next to useless for anything fiddly. Bars are much more pliable to smaller gaps. they each have their uses. Also I've never seen anyone yet claim that you need a specialist product to use as lubricant for cloths/mitts either.

 

I ordered it from the Clay Cloth Company, I think it was recommended somewhere, thought i would give one a go as using the clay bar took all day

[ilogikal1]

I ordered it from the Clay Cloth Company, I think it was recommended somewhere, thought i would give one a go as using the clay bar took all day

 

Hmmm, I would have expected their products to be better than that tbh, although I've not actually tried them for myself,

 

I can recommend the CarPro cloth. That's what I use and I much prefer that to the Farleca mitt or clay bars (except in small areas for the latter...). Just remember with any clay cloth/mitt to break it in on the glass first otherwise you risk considerable marring.

[retro_al]

I have been claying cars for a long time I have never needed any lube, water has worked just fine

The only way you can scratch is if the clay is contaminated or the surface of the paint is not 100% clean

And also if the car has a bad case of metal fallout that can cause scratches when using clay ( if you have not used a good fallout remover first), but its nothing that cant be sorted with a machine after.

I have only just recently bought one of these clays mitts and was very dissapointed,i had to resort to the old fashioned way as it just didn't do anything,but having said that it was a £8 ebay thing so maybe I will try another brand.

[Science_GT]

Clay mitt?? What is this magic you speak of? Will invest in one next time it needs doing. Only clay I wasn't happy with was the autobrite one. Preferred the cheaper turtlewax one which came with lube!

Edited August 13, 2016 by Science_GT

[Marv]

I have to say I was very impressed when I switched to a clay mitt - fantastic results and perfect base to start the polishing process on. I use one I bought from The Clay Cloth Company, great product