dr_detail
Beautification Specialist
Ignorance is cureable....
Just my two cents, -- and this comes from one who had the opportunity to have been involved with the testing of claybars prior to their availability in the North American marketplace -- you are both right as well as both wrong. Clay bars do contain a micro-encrusted silica which helps in removing surface contaminates and imperfections. Claybars would be the equivalent of wet-sanding your car with something in the neighborhood of 8,000-10,000g paper or a mild compound with a wool pad. Since most newer vehicles contain only 2-3mils of total paint surface (this is the primer, base-coat, and the clear-coat all combined), if overly used, yes, clay can cut through the clear-coat -- so can continually polishing a vehicle "over the course of several years." In either case though, the chances are slim that in the hands of a professional any noticeable damage will happen, that doesn't mean that it can't or it wont.
If one doesn't believe that clay doesn't remove some of the surface of the painted area, try a spot on a red single stage paint (any Ford truck with factory paint from the 70's) and tell us all what color the claybar turns after working a spot.
Once again, just sharing my wisdom, take what you like, leave the rest.
Scott P said:
Just my two cents, -- and this comes from one who had the opportunity to have been involved with the testing of claybars prior to their availability in the North American marketplace -- you are both right as well as both wrong. Clay bars do contain a micro-encrusted silica which helps in removing surface contaminates and imperfections. Claybars would be the equivalent of wet-sanding your car with something in the neighborhood of 8,000-10,000g paper or a mild compound with a wool pad. Since most newer vehicles contain only 2-3mils of total paint surface (this is the primer, base-coat, and the clear-coat all combined), if overly used, yes, clay can cut through the clear-coat -- so can continually polishing a vehicle "over the course of several years." In either case though, the chances are slim that in the hands of a professional any noticeable damage will happen, that doesn't mean that it can't or it wont.
If one doesn't believe that clay doesn't remove some of the surface of the painted area, try a spot on a red single stage paint (any Ford truck with factory paint from the 70's) and tell us all what color the claybar turns after working a spot.
Once again, just sharing my wisdom, take what you like, leave the rest.