Clay bar question

Messages
493
Likes
0
Location
Kapolei , Hawaii
#1
Can a Clay bar put scratches on cars? I've used it many times with great results but my buddy mentioned that he sees scratches after i used the clay bar on his roof . His car had alot of trash in his paint so my question is...Can the particles that I get out with the clay bar scratch the surface when they're stuck in the clay .

And what the diff between clay bars...ie. fine, medium? Thanks alot .
 

Tom

1
Staff Team
Messages
8,351
Likes
13
Location
Southwest
#2
Yes it can if there are trapped debris in it. If it's new then you have nothing to worry about, just make sure you don't drop it. I spray the area down with Meguiars' auto detailing before rubbing it with the clay bar.
 
Messages
240
Likes
0
Location
South
#4
...With a good Quality lube mix...
Make sure the paint is properly washed before claying, keep an eye on the condition of the bar, turn frequently, all should be fine:)
 
Messages
493
Likes
0
Location
Kapolei , Hawaii
#5
You're right guys ,I do all of those things . It must be that after cleaning the clear coat now he can see all the imperfections.

Do I need more than one diferent clay bar in my detailing arsenal??
 
Messages
57
Likes
0
Location
Oklahoma
#6
Megs Quik Clay (grey) is a HUGE improvement over the last one that I tried. It did not fall apart and was actually pulling some contaminents out of the paint. I would say it performed as well as my measuring stick which is the Mother's clay.

Now for Megs new agressive clay the C-2100 is GREAT CLAY!!! Here is how I judged it. After claying the car with Quik Clay (BTW, I used it with both soapy water and QD and it performed the same), the paint still felt a little rough. So I brought out the Mother's clay and re-did the hood, roof and back lid to see if the Mother's would smooth things out better. It didn't. In addition, using the Mother's clay I began working on a spot that had another color on it, like the car had been run into by an red/orange car or some other object. Neither the Quik Clay or the Mother's clay would get the foreign paint off. I thought this would be the perfect time to test the "New" aggresive clay the C-2100.

I began to rub the new clay on the foreign paint and it started coming off I than began re-claying the top half of the car. The strange thing about the roughness of the car was that I could not see the contaminents, only feel them. After claying with the C-2100 the paint was smooooth. I felt the clay and I could feel the bumps on the clay but again, I could not see them.

I don't know how clay compare to each other in terms of aggressiveness but I did find that there can be a big difference.
 
Messages
6,984
Likes
0
Location
New Jersey
#7
How often should we clay bar our cars? I have the Zaino Z-18 Clay Bar and Zaino told me I should clay bar my car every 18-24 months, depending on conditions.
 
Messages
240
Likes
0
Location
South
#10
Clay-
Used for "pulling" contaminants "out" of the paint...,
Picture it like this-
The paint has "splinters-
Clay is the tweezers....
Your paint will be much healthier, the shine will last longer, polishing and waxing will be easier, the finish will be smoother, lots of good benifits:)
 


Top