will the clay bar application create swirl marks on a 6 month old black exterior?

 

If not used properly. Has to be kept uncontaminated, if you drop it, throw it away. Use plenty of lube. Used properly, it should only clean.

 

The best clay bar we have ever used is by AdamsPolishes. He has video documentation with everything he sells. The way he explains to use it is great. Awesome products!

 

Claybar is a very good product if used properly. First is to use alot of lurication, at my dads shop we use just window cleaner and spray it on the car and move the clay bar in a front to back motion. I would not recomend going in circles because i could only imagine that it would cause swirls. The claybar is used to remove any dirt or sap on the surface on the paint that might get caught in the buffing wheel and cause swirl marks. It is key to keep folding the claybar in half so you always have a clean side to work on. Now weather or not you need to use claybar is up to you. I would suggest to rub you hand gentley across your hood after you have washed it and if it feels gritty then i would do it. but if it is a fairly new car and the paint is pretty much smooth then i would save the effort for when it needs it. Or you could be like me and just do it before every time i wax my truck......I hope this helps.

 

If used properly, with adequate amounts of a good lubricating QD spray, you'll have zero problems.

There are a few golden rules with clay... some have been mentioned, the MAIN one has not... if the clay hits the ground, it's trash. Period. No questions. One tiny grain of sand or grit caught in the clay and then applied to the painted surfaces of your truck can cause more hell than you can imagine -- I've worked on a vehicle that something like this happened to and NEVER got it back to 'good' -- much less excellent.

Clay is designed to remove boneded contamination. This can range from industrial fallout to bird goop and other stuff that regular washing did not remove. In and of itself, your paint should feel like a clean sheet of glass with absolutely no texture feel to it. If it doesn't, clay is the preferred method to remove this bonded contamination (there are other methods but, clay is easily the safest and easiest in my opinion).

I clay on 90 degree angles. I'll clay using an up and down motion -- straight lines. Then I'll switch 90 degrees and use the side to side motion. All the time, I'm using plenty of lubricant so that the bar isn't snagging on the paint and isn't leaving behind a gooey residue on the paint (it will on occasion -- don't worry -- not the end of the world).

Downward pressure to the clay should be kept to a minimum... you aren't there to try to strip off the paint -- using a lot of downward pressure can cause paint problems.

Another golden rule is to use a lot of common sense. If your clay is looking goopy, toss it and get a new piece. What many of us do is lop our claybar into a few pieces using a clean cutting device (I typically snare a kitchen knife -- which my wife loves -- HA!). You don't want it so small that you can't use it but, you do want to have a couple of pieces so that, when you drop it (notice I said 'when' -- because the best of them will drop clay), you still have a new piece at hand and it's not as painful to chuck it -- because a $15 clay bar isn't easy to let go of...

Start high on the truck -- roof. Work downward avoiding the wheel wells, well lips, and front of the truck until toward the end of your routine. I will often times only clay the 'upward facing flat surfaces' as those are the ones that will typically receive the worst of the worst bonded 'stuff'.

I'm rambling at this point but, I hope that helps a bit. I strongly recommend that you search this forum for 'CLAY' and read up... there are some other very good reads that have been authored here that will help. Being a fellow 'black' owner myself, I understand your concern -- it's a very legit one -- but, done correctly, clay is VERY safe and won't cause harm.... keep in mind, claying should be done as part of a full detail as one of the preparation steps -- in short, you're going to have to follow with, at a minimum, a last step product (wax) to protect your finish following claying.

RP

 

Hey thanks for the help guys! I am hoping to clean my truck after the rain clears.

 

1 VERY KEY element that his been left out here is this:
(RP, I am sure you just had a brain fart and forgot )

There are several varying degrees of clay. Some are lighter, some are much harscher. I found this out the hard way. The heavier duty clay will somewhat *scar* the clearcoat. It then has to be high sped to get the markings off. It looks kinda like a scuff mark. The medium grade clay could cause something that looks like swirls if you used it to heavily. For instance, I use a blue colored clay that is a light version. One day, i accidently grabbed a purple clay and didn't pay attention to the label. When I went to use it, I just figured that changed the color of the clay (read:brainfart) It scarred the **** out of the black paint on this car, and I spent several more hours fixing what I F'd up. LESSON LEARNED!

 

I Think Im Gonna Buy A Clay Bar And Do My 1997 Larait This Weekend..ill Try To Get Before And After Pics..i Ve Never Used The Clay Bar System Always Just Used Reg Wax....

 

I used the Meguiars clay kit last week. It was very soft, much softer than any clay I've used before. I view this as a + and - thing. Harder clay removes contaminants faster, but softer clay is more forgiving. The key to using clay is to use your ears. A grain of sand makes a high pitched sound when rubbed against paint. I used to wet sand $10,000 dollar paint jobs, so I got pretty in-tune with that sound. Paper or wax, it sounds the same.

 

Yeah... just didn't add that tid-bit. Kind of assumed that he'd be snaring a Meg's/Mother's/Clay Magic kit (thus getting the 'medium' grade all the way across the board with those brands).

Great point though... the 'high' abrasion clays are very mean. Like you, I've marred a finish using them as well.

RP

 

The naked eye will be hard pressed to tell the difference after the clay as the effectiveness is really in the feel. Like mentioned, it should leave the surface glass smooth. It lays a nice smooth foundation to start working on the swirls and scratches to build from there with the proper polishes and waxes. The end result should leave your finish with a nice deep glow.

 

I disagree. When I claybared my truck for te first time, it shined like never before. Perhaps it had sat in the open air for awhile, or something I couldn't guess, but regardless, it removed visible dullness and replaced it with sheen. Also, hard water spots can be removed with a claybar (if gotten to soon enough). Some have been left on my mom's x-terra, and washing wont take them out, but claying will. (This is mostly due to her infrequent washing, though)

Either way, it's a great way to utilize $15.

 

i went out last week and brought the mothers clay bar...did a little section on my truck didnt tell any diff my truck must not of been that bad i ddo keep it up to date with washings etc. so maybe that helps...i waxed it with megiuars gold class and after it was done being waxed i sprayed on Showtime Instant Detailer and know my truck shines like never before..ill post pictures later on..the only thing i dont like know is you can see every scratch...it was scratched up when i brought it but soon im gonna try to fix them on my own...

 

Didn't the clay pick stuff off the surface or discolor at all? When I clay my truck, I have to keep kneading the bar and turning it over, I can't SEE that much of a difference in the finish, but I sure can FEEL it.

 

You should be kneading and flipping the clay around... As per the directions of just about every brand out there, you should constantly do these things...

And, while some may not see the difference (and some of us can to a certain degree), the bottom line is that, in the long run, this is an important step to proper paint preparation.