Clay bar before polish, is it worth it?

[94 NDTA]

Well, is it?



Won`t the clay bar essentially do the same thing as a cleaning polish?



Educate me!

[BobD]

Very worth it. Clay pulls the contaminants out of the paint and polish doesn`t.

[jake9364]

Do you have to use a professional lubricant with a clay bar or can you just use water?

[a.k.a. Patrick]

You can certainy use water, but it doesnt provide the level of lubrication which may assist in detering marring from an abrasive clay. I mean, I do, but Im polishing afterwards. So light marring isnt an issue. You can also use most quick detailers which you may already have on hand. Evaluate your level of experience/confidance using clay, then pick the "lube" which best fills your needs.

Clays gently pull/sheer fallout and various industrial contaminants from a paints surface/pores. Polishes/paint cleaners are limited to topical issues.

[Kriminal]

Well, is it?



Won`t the clay bar essentially do the same thing as a cleaning polish?



Educate me!



Most definitely worth it IMO.



My car was an absolute pig with the paintwork containing oxidation and tree sap when I bought it.



A simple session of using Mother`s Clay + QD Spray, and it had a perfect glass feel finish.



You will certainly save alot off money on polish as well, when it simply glides on and off after the claying :2thumbs:

[RyanDe680]

I can`t imagine polishing a 6 month old + surface w/o claying it first.

[ZeroDfx]

The clay lifts and removes the surface contaminants that would otherwise be ground into the paint during the polishing process. You`d be creating swirl marks at the same time you were trying to remove them if you didn`t clay first.



Re the luibricant, you could use soapy water as opposed to a QD if you like. Mix some of your car wash with water in a spray bottle, or lather the car to wash it again (assuming you washed it before beginning) and clay each panel one at a time, being sure to keep the surface slick.

[TwinTowers]

The only time I clay is before I polish, and I never polish w/o claying. Just plain water doest work well for me. A QD or car soap are all I really need. Now that the weather is warmer, the clay is easier to mold to shape so dont be skipping this step.

[Junebug]

I was a skeptic too, then I clayed my 2 month old Toyota Rav4 and woohoo! man, it had some crud in the paint!

[twitch]

Definitely worth it. Actually it makes the steps following more enjoyable because of the slick surface that is left behind.



If you don`t clay, and the surface needs it, you will know it. The level of gratification is also lessened because you don`t have that smooth surface! :xyxthumbs

[EdLancer]

Contrary to many beliefs, clay bars are abrasive tools, they scrape off the contaminents and then stick to the clay so it will eliminate a majority of the contaminents before you polish, they do not pick up the dirt by pulling it out as they have you believe, but it is easier from the marketing point of view for a simpler explaination ! If you don`t believe me, then how does clay remove paint overspray if it doesn`t scrape it off ?, try using adhesive putty if you think it is the pull theory and see if any paint overspray will come off !



If you don`t clay, your pads will be black in no time and spread the dirts while you are polishing.

[Impreza06]

I clayed for the first time today.. and I`ll tell you it wasn`t as easy as I thought it would be... the clay stuck to my hands like crazy all the time when I went to mold or fold it.

[SVR]

It must of been a poor lube. Shampoo and water can break down clay and cause it to stick plus the surface isn`t as slick as if you used a QD or other lube and you may need to rinse and dry it before polishing

Polishing just takes the heads of the fallout particles off and leaves the rest of it underneath.

[B-Diddy]

Most definitely worth it. Especially the horizontal surfaces. It may take a little extra time, but I believe you make it up in the end. Most of the time I don`t do it for looks. I do it because it makes polishing/waxing much easier.

I try to tell the guys at work all the time that the time spent claying will help...especially on a dark colored car that you are gonna buff with a rotary. They`ll be whining about how the buffer is skipping around, hard to control, and bogging down. If they`d have clayed it things would be much easier for them.

[Flexin]

Yes it is worth it. I use soap and water.



James