Novice armed with a clay bar

P

Pelch

New member
I have found the promise land! Wow, what a great board you guys run!



I just picked up the Mothers Clay Bar System on sale. Also got the Sealer and Glaze (Phase Two) / Pure Canuba Wax (Phase Three). All Mothers products were on sale so I got a good deal.



Now that I have a garage I'm going to try out the kit, but I never used a clay bar before. I read the instructions, seems easy enough. Any additional tips I should know about? Has anyone ever used the whole line of Mothers stuff? Also, how long to wait between the clay bar, polish, and wax?



Let me know what you guys think. Thanks in advance! :up
 
clay is simple to use. you can use a quick detailer or soapy water.

break the clay bar in half and put the other half away.

soak one half in quick detailer or soapy water and place in palm of your hand. wet the panel you are about to do with QD or soapy water and move you hand side to side, (bumper to bumper) several times, dont dry out on the panel.

once you rubbed the whole panel just wipe it down.

you can polish right after you are done, just be sure it is dry.

you may want to wash the car again after you clay it

good luck!

NYD
 
Thanks for the info... I'm detailing it tomorrow.



Another question: What about washing the car with Dawn soap? Should I do that first? I have waxed the car before so will Dawn strip all that off?
 
Dawn would be a good idea. The clay will have some effect on your previous wax jobs but it probably won't take it all off. Doing a Dawn wash before claying is a good idea. Then follow up with which ever kind of wash you like to use and then polish and wax away! Welcome to Autopia! :xyxthumbs
 
All right, so this is what I gather so far:



1)Wash the car with Dawn dish soap (strips old wax)

2)Dry completely

3)Start Claying one section at a time, buffing out the QD as I go

4)Once done claying use Cleaner Wax to remove excess residue

5)Polish with Sealer and Glaze (Phase 2 of Mothers System)

6)New wax coat with the Carnauba wax (Phase 3 of Mothers system)



Now, should I use the detailer spray in between polishing and waxing? I have read that some guys do that to give the shine a little “deeper� look.



Also, I read that when polishing, use a back and forth motion (not circular). This helps hide swirl marks in clear coat. Then when waxing switch to a circular motion. Is there any truth to this?



Thanks again to everyone replying... :bow
 
NerfBall said:
All right, so this is what I gather so far:



1)Wash the car with Dawn dish soap (strips old wax)

2)Dry completely

3)Start Claying one section at a time, buffing out the QD as I go

4)Once done claying use Cleaner Wax to remove excess residue

5)Polish with Sealer and Glaze (Phase 2 of Mothers System)

6)New wax coat with the Carnauba wax (Phase 3 of Mothers system)
Click to expand...





you dont need to dry before claying. a lot of pple use the water on the car after a wash as extra lube for clay beyond the QD
 
I clayed with claymagic for the first time ever last week. It worked great. The left two smudges of residue on the first panel I did, but it easily buffed out. It's quite easy, just make sure where you glide it across is lubed up.



No, don't dry the car before claying. The car will get wet again during the process, so there is no point. Any water spots will come off after you wipe up the QD.



Also, don't use Cleaner/Wax. As Larry from carcareonline.com says...a cleaner removes wax, so how can it simutaneously apply a new layer?



What I did:

1) Wash

2) Clay

3) Wipe

...(you're process here)
 
As Larry from carcareonline.com says...a cleaner removes wax, so how can it simutaneously apply a new layer?
Click to expand...



well, the cleaner wax is supposed to be used to remove the residue left over from the QD no? That gives you a clean canvas to start polishing/waxing.



Anyway, I think I'll be alright. I'll post a pic or two when its done. Thanks... look forward to talking with you all.
 
If you want to clean the surface, it's better to use a paint cleaner. Mother's makes one that's pretty good. But you can also use something like Meguiar's #9, or 3M Perfect-It Swirl Mark Remover, or something similar. Then do the stage 2 and then 3. When you're finished, you'll be quite amazed at the shine. Unfortuately, the carnauba won't last very long, so then you'll have to apply wax again in a month or so. But you can just wash with car soap and apply the wax (step 3) as long as the car doesn't get contaminated with tree sap, bird poop, etc.
 
Well, once I use the clay bar I think that should sufficiently clean the paint surface. The polish (hopefully) takes care of most of the swirl marks. My car is blue in color so the swirl marks don’t come through as much like on a black car.



I know the carnauba doesn’t last as long but I’m a freak anyway. I wax my car at least once a month. Plus, I like the shine better than the synthetic stuff. I’m really excited about giving my baby the full treatment. Like most of you, I have a shiny surface complex and this hobby feeds right in to that! Hehe… :D
 
Do not get the Mother's clay bar wet with water. Mother's clay works best with QD ( as stated in the instructions).



I used the Mother's clay to do my Lincoln. There was a spot of water on top of the bumper and I ignored the water and clayed over the area. The clay started to lose its smooth texture and became rougher. Its the feel of clay that tells you how the surface is responding to cleaning. Now that the bar was rougher it became harder to tell how well the clay was working. I finished the car with no particular problems other than the clay was a little harder to use.



I cut the Mother's clayed into 1/3. this makes the bar easier to kneel and use, also all is not lost if I drop the clay. Most will tell you to discard the clay if dropped because the clay becomes contaminated. BTW 1/3 of the clay bar is about all that is needed to do my car.



Good Luck
 
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