Mother's Clay Bar usage

[MrSo0h0o]

i just picked up a clay bar to use on my 05 Camry SE. so i washed it first, and began to use the claybar. i was expecting very good results but i really didnt see any difference. maybe its because i already keep her super clean?(ive waxed her 4 times in the past 4 months). the paint already felt super clean but i thought i would give the clay bar a whirl. i still have my gf's 06 rolla to do(u can def feel all the crap on her paint) so maybe i will have better results on her car. any inputs?

[MrSo0h0o]

i just used the clay bar on my windows and i definitely saw results! a lot of crap on my windows for sure!

[ToyotaJimD.]

It's entirely possible your paint is pretty free of contaminants already. Clay is also great for glass as you found out (it's also great for other things around the house like shower doors).

The standard test for contaminants is either visual or physical -- look closely and you'll probably see larger contaminants; or glide your fingers across the paint and you'll feel bumps.

An interesting test for smaller contaminants is to take a plastic shopping bag -- the type you get at the grocery or drug store, place your hand inside the bag and lay it gently on your paint. Then glide your hand across the paint (taking the bag along with your hand) and you'll likely feel some bumps you didn't feel before because the plastic seems to "amplify" the presence of even the littlest of bumps, if that makes sense. After claying, generally you'll feel a dramatic difference -- if you feel little or no bumps, your paint will thank you.

[MrSo0h0o]

yea i think my paint is already super clean. i did half of my car and i didnt feel any difference between the unclayed part and the clayed part

here is my car after the wash

[camrycoupe95]

The plastic bag is good trick.

Here's another tip, if you are clay barring after you have waxed 4 times chances are you getting the full effect. On an 05 from NY you should definately have some fallout on the paint. In a perfect world you should clay bar first then polish for a shine and finally wax to protect the finish. You can strip off the exsisting wax by washing the car with a dish soap a couple times.

[greylock]

Yeah, time to clay bar my '05 SE too. Had very warm day in San Diego and I was parked under some pine trees at work. Windshield looked like it had been through a gravel storm with all the little spots from the dripping sap looking like little chips.

I was wondering if it was safe to use clay bar on the windows. Should make removing the sap a snap.

[nuchieboy]

i got a 97 camry and the paints in great shape but im going to clay it in the spring...im going to use the mothers kit.....i wanted to ask u guys after i was it and then i clay it should i use the cleaner wax they give me and then apply my coat of nufinish or should i do the nufinish first then the cleaner wax? thanks!

[greylock]

Use the synthetiic wax (nufinish) first and the put a coat of carnauba (non-cleaner) wax on top. I use Meguiars all the way round (clay bar, crystal polish, synthetic, carnauba) but my car looked like I'd coated it with a sheet of glass after I was done last time I did this.

[camrycoupe95]

You can throw away that cleaner wax in the kit. Like graylock says it's best to use a 3 part polish/wax system.

[nuchieboy]

so after i clay it and then i apply nufinish whats a better wax to apply on top of that?

[greylock]

Mequiars Gold Class or Hi Tech Yellow or Mothers Carnauba wax in past form. Word of warning about the Hi Tech Yellow though, takes some serious buffing to get it to really shine, but worth it in my opinion. I use a random orbital buffer with a micro fiber cover for a final gloss buff after I hand buff off all the excess wax.

edit: There is also a thread about the Zaino's wax but I can't speak for it from personal experience.

[nuchieboy]

ok i was thinking about buying a 10 inch buffer from autozone...but im not sure....i have done everything up to this point by hand...so im debating...its like $40 for the buffer

[ToyotaJimD.]

Originally Posted by nuchieboy

so after i clay it and then i apply nufinish whats a better wax to apply on top of that?

The pure carnaubas are great, but be sure you polish after you clay -- whether it be in the form of a cleaner wax (which is included in some clay kits, including Mothers), or if you use a multi-step system, which specifies a pure wax for last.

[nuchieboy]

so nufinish is a polish so is that okay to use? and then just get a caranuba wax and im good right?

[greylock]

Originally Posted by nuchieboy

so nufinish is a polish so is that okay to use? and then just get a caranuba wax and im good right?

Don't know, it'll be trial and error if you mix manufacturers.

When I have the time I clay bar using Mothers clay bar kit (only kit available where I live), then go over the car with Mequiar's Cyrstal Polish, then with Mequiar's NXT synthetic wax and then final coat with Mequiar's #26 Hi Tech Yellow carnauba wax. I usually do a hand buff with a synthetic buffing cloth and then a light finish buff with a random orbital buffer with a micro fiber bonnet between applications to get a mirror finish. A final layer of cleaner wax would eat into the layer of synthetic wax under it as it contains very fine abrasives. Sorry if I seem to be repeating myself, but this is the process that I know will work.