clay bar options... so many! which to replace my mothers system?

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paradigmGT

New member
I used to use OTC mothers clay bar system, which worked decently well but left a lot of marring in my last application. I am looking to replace it with something of similar cost.



Does anyone have any other suggestions? I will be ordering from a professional / botique supplier online, so toss me any suggestions you may have.



The cars I need to clay are black ('01 Nissan Maxima) , and dark blue ('00 Mustang) if that makes a difference.



Also what about lubricant - should I use ONR/water combo, or something else? Looking for something cheap once again.



Can anyone suggest a good tutorial on how to clay as well?



Thanks
 
I definitely am - I am hoping to find a good online tutorial for claying...

I am going to go with the riccardo's yellow clay, and ONR / water mix for lube.
 
Mothers is probably the best OTC clay system there is. Tell us a bit more about what paint you are having issues with.
 
'01 Black Nissan Maxima - the paint has never been corrected or even protected before. Many drive-thru washes, thats about it. Tons of stone chips in the front of the vehicle, side of the vehicle has a lot of touch-up paint that should not have been used (to cover clear coat scratches that could have been buffed). Lots of swirl marks, paint has lost a lot of its lustre.



'00 Ford Mustang GT in Atlantic Blue - nothing other than typical swirl marks.



I was going to use Riccardo's Yellow Clay, followed up by DA Yellow Pad + Meg's UC on the touch up paint to try and remove it, DA Orange Pad + Meg's UC, DA White Pad + Meg's UP, Black Pad + Collinite 845 on both cars. Some people have suggested using a microfiber pad on my DA instead of the yellow pad to remove the touch up paint.



Pics of both cars:

mustang1009_10.jpg




teinmaxima_04.jpg
 
paradigmGT said:
I definitely am - I am hoping to find a good online tutorial for claying...

I am going to go with the riccardo's yellow clay, and ONR / water mix for lube.
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Why are you changing products if you know your process is off?
 
D&D Auto Detail said:
Why are you changing products if you know your process is off?
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I am placing an order with a pro site for other stuff, so I wanted to get a new claybar at the same time, as my current clay is end of life (had it for a bunch of years now).
 
I love mothers otc clay. this sounds like a user error to me. either way, clay magic holds the patent for it so most clays are the same just under a different name.
 
I always thought that Monthers and Meguiars were about the softest clays available. ONR can be used for lube if mixed properly, and the quick detailer included in the kits should be fine also. Use lots of lube, knead the clay frequently, and don't use real excessive pressure when moving the clay
 
I started out with the Mothers brand. Absolutely loved it. Very gentle on the paints. Thing is, if there is a lot of stuff on the paint surface, the clay is very delicate and gets loaded up very quickly, and creates more risk of heavier marring. Edges of chipped paint or even areas that were touched up can transfer to the clays and cause loading up as well. Another thing I discovered the hard way is not to use my claybars for removing tar, as dirt and grit can attach to those deposits, and once the clay picks it off, it can be scratch city.



If you are looking to decontaminate while minimizing scratches, try some chemical cleaner(s) first like Iron X, Wolfs DI gel, or maybe even the Autoint ABC system. And then if you still need to, grab a clay and remove whatever is left over.
 
As far as Clay goes, I like Claymagic Blue and the their #59 Bodyshine clay lube, but Mothers would be a strong second choice. I've found that if the paint is really crap, like I had a Pontiac that sat under a tree for 3 years, wash it with a good APC and bug sponge first. In the case of the Pontiac, I sprayed Goo Gone over it, drank a few Coronas while it worked, scrubbed, powerwashed and THEN did a regular car wash. I know, extreme example, but I still have flash-backs about that car. The owner was surprised to find it was actually silver and not gray when she came to get it.
 
I'm with everyone else, mother's is a nice and soft clay. Best bang for the buck for sure. ClayMagic blue is a bit more effective, but its not nearly as good of a value.
 
paradigmGT said:
I am placing an order with a pro site for other stuff, so I wanted to get a new claybar at the same time, as my current clay is end of life (had it for a bunch of years now).
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Have you been using the same piece of clay over and over for that bunch of years, or breaking new pieces off now and then and tossing the dirty piece? If you've been using the same piece of clay for a number of years, chances are that's where the marring is coming from. Too much dirt and junk built up in the clay.
 
ExplicitDetails said:
Have you been using the same piece of clay over and over for that bunch of years, or breaking new pieces off now and then and tossing the dirty piece? If you've been using the same piece of clay for a number of years, chances are that's where the marring is coming from. Too much dirt and junk built up in the clay.
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I have been using the same piece of clay for years, though I only used it for 3 applications. I simply fold it over everytime I use it so that I can expose a fresh looking side.
 
paradigmGT said:
I have been using the same piece of clay for years, though I only used it for 3 applications. I simply fold it over everytime I use it so that I can expose a fresh looking side.
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That very likely could be your issue. You've VERY likely picked up some contaminants in the clay. Even if it was only three times it's still a lot of time for your two cars to pick up stuff and transmit into the clay. Get some new clay, just about anything (mothers, clay magic, megs, sonus, griots) will work. But take off a quarter size piece, use it until you can find a clean side, then chunk it after you finished the car.
 
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