Clay bar - oh the horror!

[bbocaner]

I would stay FAR FAR away from detail authority in Herndon! They dented my wife's E46 (really badly!), damaged some exterior trim, and broke bits of the interior, and then completely denied it and harassed her about it! Over $1000 worth of damage! Jackasses!

[jmcgraw013]

Sorry to hear about your experience at Detail Authority; I had nothing but a positive experience. Are there other detailers in No. VA you'd recommend?

[DueceCoupe]

Sorry you had one of those days but I've done worse.

I pretty much agree with everyone that is for claying...even the guy who uses soapy water instead of lube. I know many who do it that way. (The "soften in warm water" thing is new to me and I'll try that and see what happens.) I'll throw in some random comments to things I have read here...just my 2 cents and I claim no special insight, etc.

Auto Magic #49 Body Shine, detailer supply store in El Paso is where I find that, is the same Clay Magic lube one gets in the kit. Use plenty of lube like everyone says....#49 used to be under $20 a gallon. Assuming a perfect wash and dry, put your hand in a thin zip lock bag and carefully move it across the paint. If you feel little bumps then you know....clay. For the rail dust potential alone I clay a new car.

Just so you don't feel like an idiot, I once clayed a windshield and ended up micro marring it to h#ll years ago. AND....I just clayed my wife's new Lexus last weekend. Afterwards I see too many fine lines here and there. Did I just do that? During the wash? Maybe from the dealership when they took off the shipping protection? Something in the clay bar I picked up is most likely what happened. It got better....I later discovered two "bad marring" spots the clear guard and window tint shop put in the finish! Took an hour to correct with the "folded cotton towel" method....but the slow build up or micro marring here and there is a trivial matter to me after many years of trying to be the perfect hobby detailer. I'll clean them up a bit once a year with the PC.

[elciddragon]

Originally Posted by D CH0ZN 1

+1
You're using a harsh abrasive if you use a clay bar. It's harsh on the paint and thus it has the capability to remove the contaminants. If your car isn't that old and you keep it fairly clean, I don't think there will be much for the clay bar to remove.

I tend to stay away from using a clay bar unless I feel I really need to use it, maybe once every 1 or 2 years. A friend of mine used Mother's clay bar on his dark blue A4 quite often and over time it made his paint look more like purple.

I have a dark blue (europa blue) A4 and the paint has some purple in it depending on how the light hits it. Also, I definitely noticed the accumulation of more purple after just the years of exposure to the elements and I have never clayed my car, so who knows what is to blame?