So I clay barred my car, and nothing came off......

[whiteout]

I'm selling my car, so to make it smooth and shiny, I clay barred it in the garage tuesday night. I started on the wing because I had never claybarred a car before, and the wing was the smallest part to get repainted if I F'ed up. I sprayed the solution, rubbed it with the clay, looked at the clay, and it was squished but perfectly clean. I thought I was doing it wrong. I re-read the directions and tried it again on the trunk. Still got nothing. So I did the whole car and it picked up a few specks, but wasn't to dirty at all. I guess all those years of constant washing and waxing and indoor storage paid off.
My question now is, can the clay be used again, or is it a one shot/throw it away type thing?

[Koots]

Use it until it gets dirty, by that i mean you can't knead the bar to get a perfectly clean surface.

[Stratosman]

by looking at it and hearing about it in the other thread, it may very well not have anything that needs to be cleaned out of the finish

[JoshTheCanadian]

did the car have rough paint in the first place? if you didnt drop the clay it is good to use again.

[94_c/1500]

It sounds like your paint was already in good shape.

[justcruisin]

Like Koots said ...keep using it till it gets dirty

[KodiakBlack]

a good way to check if your paint is clean is to take a plastic sandwich baggy, put it over your hand, and lightly move your hand across your paint. if you feel any grit what-so-ever, your car needs to be clayed.

[SilveradoSexy]

There might not have been very much to clay off. I only use my clay bars once but I use it over the entire truck then toss it. You should have seen very tiny black flecks or streaks, the wing might not have been bad but the lower part around the fenders and front end are usually the worst. The roof is usually pretty good too from fall out. You just have to knead the bar often to keep from scratching the paint and do small areas at a time.

[Z71Sierra]

Your rocker panels are gonna be the worst. Your gonna have to scrub on that beast. Get it wet, feel for grit, scrub, and do it again.

I detail for a living, and have never came across a car thats never needed a claybar. Even on customers who wash once a week and detailed 4x a year.

[KodiakBlack]

your rocker panels are gonna be the worst. Your gonna have to scrub on that beast. Get it wet, feel for grit, scrub, and do it again.

I detail for a living, and have never came across a car thats never needed a claybar. Even on customers who wash once a week and detailed 4x a year.

x2!!

[94_c/1500]

I used a claybar on my truck. The hood was the worst.

[brutal]

i just did mine agin, i did it last year and still the bar came out pretty dirty, nows shes silky smooth :D:D

[firestorm]

I've noticed the worst being behind the wheels and on the rockers, especially road tar. Behind any wheels that have disc brakes seems to get the most rail dust (i.e. iron oxide particles from iron particles that have spewed out of the wheels and become embedded in the paint.) But even panels that looked clean felt gritty before (using the finger/touch test) and feel like glass after claying.

FWIW, I can usually get about 2 "cars" and 1 "truck" out of my clay bars. Save the dirty clay for cleaning windows - great for getting tree sap, bug goo, etc... off glass.

[ntimidator_3]

I did mine when I was out in Washington out of boredom, nothing exciting showed up on the bar but the paint was as smooth as silk and really had a great shine after I waxed it.

[adamv7010]

before and after pics?