Clay Bar How To

[Xonair]

Well since I have seen a few threads started about claying and its effects I figure I would make a HOW TO for some ofthe people asking.

First let me start by saying I know my canvas isn't the best of canvas's not cause its a ford, but cause it is a work truck and it gets beat to death.



So the first thing you will need to do is have a dirty truck.







As you can see from the pictures above the truck is really dirty, I wished I would have gotten a good side shot to show how dirty.

The 2nd thing that you need to do is wash the vehicle



After drying the vehicle you will need some tools. I choose Meguirs Clay bar kit as you can see in the pick it comes with a Quick detailer, clay bar, and a Microfiber towel. The detailer acts as a lubercate for the clay bar to glide on the surfice. Other wise you won't be able to move the bar back and fourth.



So first you will need to spray an area to work with. Don't spray the entire vehicle but just an area.



Then you will need to move the Clay bar back and fourth on this area.



After the first pass you can see what has been picked up that the car wash left behind. This is the junk that you want out of your paint.



2nd pass


Then the 3rd pass, You can see it picks up more and more junk. This is what keeps your paint from shining like it should.



Oh I forgot to mention after you do a pass check the bar and if it is dirty like above you need to re-kneed the bar to keep from putting the contaminents back on the paint. Each pass above was after re-kneeding and not from just going on. You will also need to respray the Quick Detailer between needs since this stuff drys outr fairly quick.

tip- If a stubborn spot ont he paint is being well stubborn try to use a little less detailer an semi-dry rub the spot until it removes. Also you can feel the bad spots after doing an area as the bar will kinda feel like it snags on it, so work that area until the bar moves with ease.


Ok back on topic, After claying the area you will need to dry the area and thas where the micro-fiber towel comes in play. It will help you to see missed spots by removing the remains of the quick detailer.



This is what that area looks like after claying



I didnt get pictures of the cleaner wax step, as you will want to do this between the calying and final wax steps, but here is a picture of the final wax on. I opted for the LIQUID ICE wax as it is quick and simple.



After buffing this is what the truck looks like




Some random pics of the Gf's car done after the same process





Here is a bewfor and after of our del sol as well







Now I say it took me a total of 3-4 hours from start to finish with this truck which is an 01 f250 ext cab long bed. I hope you enjoyed this how to and I hope it was helpful

[firestorm]

Nice work. I was going to document the procedure, using the Mother's kit as well, but my specimen has been clayed regularly for several years. The before and after were hardly dramatic.

Just as a side note, I have found that it takes half as long to do a sedan. There's literally twice as much surface area on my extended cab pickup than on our sedan. And, one pass over the truck generally means the clay is "garbage" at the end (good for two passes on the sedan).

Before......................After

[Xonair]

yeah The truck seems to take forever, I wished I would've gotten some before pictures of the eclipse as it had some nice marks in the paint that the clay removed.

[05_gmc_slt]

great writeup!

[churd69]

I would think you would get a deeper longer lasting shine if you used something else at the end rather then the ice.

[Xonair]

I'm aware of that, I used what I had. And as quoted " quicker ans simple" This was a how to not a product test.

[Barcus]

go to a auto paint store and get a product call clay magic. its a bigger amount of clay than the kis you can buy at a auto store and that stuff works WAY better too. my white sierra looks a ton better after getting all the nasty over spray off. ill try to post pics soon of the product and before and after on the truck

[Xonair]

Originally Posted by Barcus

go to a auto paint store and get a product call clay magic. its a bigger amount of clay than the kis you can buy at a auto store and that stuff works WAY better too. my white sierra looks a ton better after getting all the nasty over spray off. ill try to post pics soon of the product and before and after on the truck

This kit comes with two bars.Its about 4x4, It looks smaller due to all the constant kneeding. That and I perfer to ball it up so I can grip it better and it keeps my hand from cramping up.