Clay Bar question...

[legmaker72]

Any risks if you do not wax your car after clay barring it?
I clay barred tonight for the first time, but ran out of time..(and energy) to wax afterwards...the instructions say to wax after.
Thanks all!

[crhemi]

Sunday should be fine after a quick rinse.

[Paradog]

Sunday should be fine after a quick rinse.

Agreed...unless you went through a swarm of bugs between here and there!

[bipto]

You're gonna need to wash (or at least rinse) it before your first coat of wax to remove whatever you used for the claybar lube anyway - should be fine...

[Token]

If you're planning on doing the waxing tomorrow, then a quick wash & rinse will be fine. Don't leave it longer though, because after the clay bar you've got no protectant on the surface now. It's just your paint vs. the environment. The winner of that battle is clear.

[legmaker72]

I used the Mothers detail spray wax with the clay bar...And today (Sunday) the Mag will be at a show all day. I guess I will wax her when I get home after the show! Thanks guys.

[Zaino guy]

If you're planning on doing the waxing tomorrow, then a quick wash & rinse will be fine. Don't leave it longer though, because after the clay bar you've got no protectant on the surface now. It's just your paint vs. the environment. The winner of that battle is clear.

Clay doesn't remove everything off your surface, only contaminants that adhere to the clay. It might remove "some" wax or sealer but it doesn't strip the surface comepletely clean. If you had something on there before you probably have something on there now. Just wash it off and do your next step.

[Mungo]

I always wax after claying. depending on the grade of car you could marr the paint somewhat. I did mine over the weekend. I used poorboys spray and wipe as my clay lube and them just wipe off after I am done with each section. I took the easy way out and only with went Klasse AIO as the cleaner step (instead of Poorboys SSR2 .5 and 2.0) and then finished her off yesterday morning with Fourstar Ultimate Paint Protection. I'll put another coat on her next weekend and she'll be sealed up for the winter salt that is around the corner. I think UPP is by far the nicest sealant for silver finishes.

[legmaker72]

Clay doesn't remove everything off your surface, only contaminants that adhere to the clay. It might remove "some" wax or sealer but it doesn't strip the surface comepletely clean. If you had something on there before you probably have something on there now. Just wash it off and do your next step.


That's what I was thinking.
Is there anything special about the clay used in the clay bar? It looks just like regular molding clay.

[Flanman]

The clay in the clay bars is actually a mild abrasive. Some clay bars apparently can be too abrasive. I like the Mothers clay bar. I also use clay bars and other products from www.griotsgarage.com (http://www.griotsgarage.com). They sell a lot of good stuff and have a lot of good info also.

[xWCDx]

agreed. i like the zaino stuff. left my Magnum looking better than it did coming home for the first time. actually about 110% better. it was insane.

[Zaino guy]

The clay in the clay bars is actually a mild abrasive. Some clay bars apparently can be too abrasive. I like the Mothers clay bar. I also use clay bars and other products from www.griotsgarage.com (http://www.griotsgarage.com). They sell a lot of good stuff and have a lot of good info also.


There are different grades of clay if your buying commercial stuff from a detail supply outlet but only 2 manufacturers for most of it, just being packaged with the "name brand" Clay in itself is not abrasive and won't remove sealants,etc unless there is a huge amount on the surface to grab on to. Clay a car with nothing on it all day and you'll still have the same amount of paint when your done.