I'm thinking of going down to supercheap tomorrow and buying a clay bar detailing box.

My question is after i clay bar the car, should i still polish it? or Is it a waste of time and instead should i just wax the car after the clay bar?.
Also, can the clay bar be used more then once?

cheers guys.

It's pretty much personal preference. I always like to, but if your paint is in good condition you could get away without polishing, and put on one or two coats of wax.

Using a claybar can be tricky at first, and it takes some getting used to. You'll only need to use a smallish bit for each panel, and if you drop it, don't reuse it. Once you've finished a panel, have a look at the clay, and if it's full of crap, bin it and use a new piece; old stuff picks up enough dirt and rubbish to turn it into sandpaper.

Definately polish it, it's the perfect opportunity as the paint is bare and free of all contaminants. Then a coat or 2 of wax and if you keep up the waxing regularly you should be able to maintain the awesome finish.

So don't use the whole clay bar at a time?

absolutely polish after a clay bar, its the perfect opportunity to get the paint looking its best with a polish treatment and then a wax.

With the claybar, keep kneading it with your hands and keep it clean as possible. There shouldnt be any grains of dirt if you wash the car properly first, should be very little chance of scratching as long as you apply liberal detailing fluid/lube in front of the claybar. Use a decent microfibre cloth to get rid of the clay streaks

Cheers guys, going to auto store tomorrow to pick up a kit, will get mequires as you get 2 bars instead of the single bar in the mothers set. is also $5 cheaper

Expect to use the whole claybar, and the entire bottle of detailer.

There's a new armorall one which is cheaper by a fair bit than the others.

I used an armourall polish once and it polished my car like rubbing water into the surface.. not a fan.

Cheers guys, going to auto store tomorrow to pick up a kit, will get mequires as you get 2 bars instead of the single bar in the mothers set. is also $5 cheaper

Mothers california gold? I love the stuff, better than meguiars IMO. you get two claybars with mothers too, and an excellent detailing towel

Mothers california gold? I love the stuff, better than meguiars IMO. you get two claybars with mothers too, and an excellent detailing towel

Life gets up me for not using meguires, i used a 19 year old mothers 3 stage polish and wax and it was amazing. I'll see tomorrow.

I use mainly Auto Glym gear and a Meguiars clay.

After you clay.. Use a High Shine polish.. Something thats going to give you a heavy clear coat of wax - The paint is clean, so if you've done it right and polish it afterward. It'll save you claying the car again for 6 months.

SuFz

My question is after i clay bar the car, should i still polish it? or Is it a waste of time and instead should i just wax the car after the clay bar?.

I have always been under the impression that the clay bar will strip whatever polish or sealant that is already on the car. So yes, after clay barring, you should hit the paint with a coat of polish and then a sealant/wax.

Also, can the clay bar be used more then once?
Yes, definitely. If your car is incredibly dirty it may only be good for one use, but that's probably not the case. Don't forget to continually re-knead the bar.

If you drop it on the ground, don't use it, as you'll get dirt and grime stuck in it, which will definitely scratch the paint. For this reason, I would recommend splitting your clay bar into smaller pieces before use.

Ok i gave the car a go. After giving the car the be wash ever i used the entire clay bar and the detailing spray to wet the surface and it worked really well!
I dropped the clay once but luckily it just hit the ground and didn't bounce, so i just ripped off the bit that touched the ground and kept going.

Since i have done that i have done a coat of polish and am about to do a coat of wax... hoping this final coat wont take very long as it's already been an 8 hour detailing day. The car looks better then i could imagine any silver car looking. The gloss from it reminds me of my black vr-x it's that good!

I hope it looks better :P

http://i419.photobucket.com/albums/pp271/db_newman/b21fcbf8.jpg

Good job man! I also did a claybar/polish/wax today!!

I broke my clay I got my claybar kit (meguiars) up into 6 pieces when I got it, you really dont need to use the whole lot! Not even half way through the clay yet! As long as you wash your car before you do it, 1/6th is enough for the whole car!! Just keep folding it over when it gets dirty!! Of course if your willing to use the whole bar then go ahead!
Really does make the car feel glassy smooth!

I wasted the bar a bit but my car looks immaculate now in my opinion. With the new bits and pieces that have been sprayed it just gleams like new. Keep an eye on my ride thread if you guys want to see the results. As the sun comes up tomorrow morning i will be taking some photos :D.

In total i washed, used the clay bar, polished and waxed for near 8 hours today. Not looking forward to doing it again anytime soon.

Life gets up me for not using meguires, i used a 19 year old mothers 3 stage polish and wax and it was amazing. I'll see tomorrow.

Dean can suck a fat one, off the shelf products are practically the same these days mate. Poor boys and dodo juice FTW. Meguiars cali gold though has really good reviews and excellent properties for a budget-mid range product

I actually earnt some money last weekend detailing a 10 year old camry that was about to be sold. It had spent 5 years outdoors and was covered in bat shit. The final result was so amazing that the owner doesnt want to sell now

I actually earnt some money last weekend detailing a 10 year old camry that was about to be sold. It had spent 5 years outdoors and was covered in bat shit. The final result was so amazing that the owner doesnt want to sell now

Nice man, The pictures of your old car shining i remember were beautiful. Your Tj was like a mirror. Gotta love black cars.

i use to use the clay bar but i use to use the 3M version was awsome i did a black vy commo years ago washed it ,used the clay and 3 coats of this liquid polish and wax and the rag just flew accross like a air hockey table

Just for some info fellas.

I gave my car a the clay bar treatment and then went over to the local carwash to give it a good rinse.
Ended up taking off paint from the bonnet near the badge. It's never happened when the polish was still on.
I'm thinking bare paint is more susceptible to damage.

Moral of that story: Use a garden hose after a clay bar and polish soonest.

Sounds like the paint was quite thin where you've barred it.. Used a cutting compound on the area previously..?

If you constantly lube the clay bar and are even with it, there shouldnt be an issue.

SuFz

Just for some info fellas.

I gave my car a the clay bar treatment and then went over to the local carwash to give it a good rinse.
Ended up taking off paint from the bonnet near the badge. It's never happened when the polish was still on.
I'm thinking bare paint is more susceptible to damage.

Moral of that story: Use a garden hose after a clay bar and polish soonest.

That's pretty damn scary!

i have been using clay bar and presure washes for years and never had a problem

did you mistake the claybar for a sandpaper block?!?

did you mistake the claybar for a sandpaper block?!?

I was thinking a chisel.

Car is still immaculate IMO!!! Just washed it for the first time since my detailing sesh and it is amazing. So clean and smooth. Thinking of putting my splitter back on and taking some more photos.

So clean and smooth.

I agree with this - after using a claybar and then polishing just the front half of my wife's car, the difference between clean and polished versus claybar and polish is like a cotton singlet under your shirt versus satin sheets and naked bodies!

I gave my car a the clay bar treatment and then went over to the local carwash to give it a good rinse.
Ended up taking off paint from the bonnet near the badge. It's never happened when the polish was still on.
I'm thinking bare paint is more susceptible to damage.
It would be more of a coincidence than anything else.

Just for some info fellas.

I gave my car a the clay bar treatment and then went over to the local carwash to give it a good rinse.
Ended up taking off paint from the bonnet near the badge. It's never happened when the polish was still on.
I'm thinking bare paint is more susceptible to damage.

Moral of that story: Use a garden hose after a clay bar and polish soonest.

Claybar's only take off the gunk from the car, it doesnt affect the paint......

did you mistake the claybar for a sandpaper block?!?

If you saw my car, you'd thinks so.

I've used claybar a couple of times before and never had issues - but I rinsed off with a garden hose.

It's either a coincidence or the pressure washer may have been too strong. Problem is, it's not just one chip but like half a dozen - all around the badge - that's made it so damn obvious.
Alls I'm saying is just go easy on the rinse off after the claybar and all should go well...learn from my mistake.

Claybar's only take off the gunk from the car, it doesnt affect the paint......

This is true. The thing however is, the paintwork could already have been compromised under the polish.

Sounds like the paint was quite thin where you've barred it.. Used a cutting compound on the area previously..?

If you constantly lube the clay bar and are even with it, there shouldnt be an issue.

SuFz

Could be that too. Or it could have been resprayed previously. Only the primer remains in those little patches of paintlessness. :(

Yeah.. Just a crappy prime and spray job.. Just wore thin as time went on!

SuFz