Clay Bars?

[local hero]

Well I am off this week so went + got some car bits to-day, Thought I would treat it to a clay bar kit, Autoglym little tin with claybar in some lubricant polish + 2 cloths, between showers managed to do bonnet + frt wings very impressive, Did a demo for the Mrs.. told her to rub her hand over untreated part + feel + hear the grit, then clay barred all smooth + quiet asked her to have a go, when she got hold of clay bar she said its just like Blue Tack No says I its £16 a block.. when she had gone I got a bit of Blue tack + some lubricant + tried it on a door shut, same result as clay bar So came in Googled what is a clay bar + it turns out people are using modelling clay + car shampoo as a lubricant + getting similar results see LINK think i will continue with my clay bar just to be on the safeside However if i can repackage Blue tack 49p + sell it for £16 I might be moving to the Lexus forum Stew

[Davrav]

Well I am off this week so went + got some car bits to-day, Thought I would treat it to a clay bar kit, Autoglym little tin with claybar in some lubricant polish + 2 cloths, between showers managed to do bonnet + frt wings very impressive, Did a demo for the Mrs.. told her to rub her hand over untreated part + feel + hear the grit, then clay barred all smooth + quiet asked her to have a go, when she got hold of clay bar she said its just like Blue Tack No says I its £16 a block.. when she had gone I got a bit of Blue tack + some lubricant + tried it on a door shut, same result as clay bar So came in Googled what is a clay bar + it turns out people are using modelling clay + car shampoo as a lubricant + getting similar results see LINK think i will continue with my clay bar just to be on the safeside However if i can repackage Blue tack 49p + sell it for £16 I might be moving to the Lexus forum Stew

Don't think you'll be moving over there anytime soon Stew - the bu***rs have beaten you to it LINK

[Big Kev]

Stewpot,

Now get yursell some Collinite polish (or is it wax?) off The Splinternet and get stuck in, A WEE BIT AT A TIME, as it really is chewing gum for the brain. This was recommended to me by my now resident detailing gooroo, Bluevortex, who really knows his stuff re. cleaning moatirs !!!!

Perhaps bearing in mind your age, shape, general fitness, demeanor, patience, pie consumption, is akin to mine, Blue boy will come on and recommend something easier to polish that car with.....a wife, perhaps?

Big Kev.

[crofter]

Well I am off this week so went + got some car bits to-day, Thought I would treat it to a clay bar kit, Autoglym little tin with claybar in some lubricant polish + 2 cloths, between showers managed to do bonnet + frt wings very impressive, Did a demo for the Mrs.. told her to rub her hand over untreated part + feel + hear the grit, then clay barred all smooth + quiet asked her to have a go, when she got hold of clay bar she said its just like Blue Tack No says I its £16 a block.. when she had gone I got a bit of Blue tack + some lubricant + tried it on a door shut, same result as clay bar So came in Googled what is a clay bar + it turns out people are using modelling clay + car shampoo as a lubricant + getting similar results see LINK think i will continue with my clay bar just to be on the safeside However if i can repackage Blue tack 49p + sell it for £16 I might be moving to the Lexus forum Stew

Don't think you'll be moving over there anytime soon Stew - the bu***rs have beaten you to it LINK

Would that be model(ing) clay 4/1,4/2 or 4/3?

[local hero]

Well I am off this week so went + got some car bits to-day, Thought I would treat it to a clay bar kit, Autoglym little tin with claybar in some lubricant polish + 2 cloths, between showers managed to do bonnet + frt wings very impressive, Did a demo for the Mrs.. told her to rub her hand over untreated part + feel + hear the grit, then clay barred all smooth + quiet asked her to have a go, when she got hold of clay bar she said its just like Blue Tack No says I its £16 a block.. when she had gone I got a bit of Blue tack + some lubricant + tried it on a door shut, same result as clay bar So came in Googled what is a clay bar + it turns out people are using modelling clay + car shampoo as a lubricant + getting similar results see LINK think i will continue with my clay bar just to be on the safeside However if i can repackage Blue tack 49p + sell it for £16 I might be moving to the Lexus forum Stew

Don't think you'll be moving over there anytime soon Stew - the bu***rs have beaten you to it LINK

Cannot believe anyone else was daft enough to try it.. I was thinking of three grades, White tac..leave it as it is call it Fine claybar Blue tac add a bit of T CUT call it med clay bar Black tac add a bit of silica sand call it coarse claybar (use with care) Stew

[crofter]

Methinks my post might have made a bit more sense after LH's last reply, but then again may be not

[Big Kev]

Minor concern with Blue-Tac is we might all end up driving "Etch-a Sketch" Rav 4's ????? Onwardly think......

Big Scept

[bluevortex]

Blue tac, T-Cut....next you'll be telling me use a yellow sponge!!!

Blue

[local hero]

Blue tac, T-Cut....next you'll be telling me use a yellow sponge!!!

Blue

No Blue I dont use any of the above, However if i can re-package white blue + black tac + by adding various cutting compounds sell it at say £15 for fine £16 for med + £17 for coarse (I'll call that one professional clay bar,) as Del boy used to say "this time next year I'll be a millionaire" But seriously I clayed my bonnet,then used Maguiars gold polish, then autoglym super gold sealant polish, It looked brill in the sunshine to-day, but after a 60 mile run it looks good but feels just as gritty as it did before, what polish do you reccomend? where do i get it? + will i have to send the wife out on the game (again) to pay for it Stew PS I am a little teeny bit older than BK so that colonic stuff you reccomended him might not be for me..

[Big Kev]

Blue tac, T-Cut....next you'll be telling me use a yellow sponge!!!

Blue

No Blue I dont use any of the above, However if i can re-package white blue + black tac + by adding various cutting compounds sell it at say £15 for fine £16 for med + £17 for coubik (I'll call that one professional clay bar,) as Del boy used to say "this time next year I'll be a millionaire" But seriously I clayed my bonnet,then used Maguiars gold polish, then autoglym super gold sealant polish, It looked brill in the sunshine to-day, but after a 60 mile run it looks good but feels just as gritty as it did before, what polish do you reccomend? where do i get it? + will i have to send the wife out on the game (again) to pay for it Stew PS I am a little teeny bit older than BK so that colonic stuff you reccomended him might not be for me..

Stewpot,

To pre-empt some of Blue's reply, your 60 mile run has introduced some amount of grit....a car scudding through the air generates some amount of static, remember, which attracts dust better than my Showwaddywaddy LP'S !!!! Furramore, one must religiously remove said dust prior to washing with one's YELLOW SPONGE...not. Hence my reference earlier to the "Etch-a Sketch" car....the trapped dust might as well be the silica sand you refer to.

Here's one that even Blue hasn't discovered yet....some pressure washers can do as much damage to paint as they do good (and have been known to penetrate headlight seals, take note.)

You know these circular patio cleaner things for Karcher pressure washers? Absolutely brill from about 12" on bodywork, and totally clean alloys when held against the wheels flush.

Over to you, Blue.....find some polish/wax for old people.....

Yeez heard it here furst !!!!

Big Kev, Inventory Dept.

[Hou]

Hey all,

Just to give my 2p worth. I did a lot of research into the bluetack method, as I thought when stocking our shop that if blue tack was just as good I would not bother selling clay. Seems the glay bars have other stuff in them to make them last longer, pick up more grit and give you a far better finish.

Personally I use Bilt-Hamber clay, which we will be stocking, as for the price (£9.95 for the regular) you get 200g of the stuff and it works with water rather than a lube.

Also Local Hero, you are mentioning polishes but no mention of a wax? I would always finish with a good quality wax. I would always:

Wash - with decent washmitt

clay - Bilt Hamber

Polish - Autobrite Cherry Glaze

Wax - Harly Wax

Gives an amazing long lasting finish!

[local hero]

Hey all,

Just to give my 2p worth. I did a lot of research into the bluetack method, as I thought when stocking our shop that if blue tack was just as good I would not bother selling clay. Seems the glay bars have other stuff in them to make them last longer, pick up more grit and give you a far better finish.

Personally I use Bilt-Hamber clay, which we will be stocking, as for the price (£9.95 for the regular) you get 200g of the stuff and it works with water rather than a lube.

Also Local Hero, you are mentioning polishes but no mention of a wax? I would always finish with a good quality wax. I would always:

Wash - with decent washmitt

Clay - Bilt Hamber

Polish - Autobrite Cherry Glaze

Wax - Harly Wax

Gives an amazing long lasting finish!

Well what do you think of this PTFE stuff that turns your car into a non stick frying pan + lasts 3 to 10yrs advertised on eBay.. It reads well Stew... PS I do have a large tub of Autosmart pure canuaba wax which i use now + then TBH its lovely to have a nice shiny car + I agree with protecting the surfaces but you can spend hours doing it, then it rains next day and your cars covered in Sahara sand, nuclear fallout from Chernobyl, + Icelandic ash..

[Hou]

Hey all,

Just to give my 2p worth. I did a lot of research into the bluetack method, as I thought when stocking our shop that if blue tack was just as good I would not bother selling clay. Seems the glay bars have other stuff in them to make them last longer, pick up more grit and give you a far better finish.

Personally I use Bilt-Hamber clay, which we will be stocking, as for the price (£9.95 for the regular) you get 200g of the stuff and it works with water rather than a lube.

Also Local Hero, you are mentioning polishes but no mention of a wax? I would always finish with a good quality wax. I would always:

Wash - with decent washmitt

Clay - Bilt Hamber

Polish - Autobrite Cherry Glaze

Wax - Harly Wax

Gives an amazing long lasting finish!

Well what do you think of this PTFE stuff that turns your car into a non stick frying pan + lasts 3 to 10yrs advertised on eBay.. It reads well Stew... PS I do have a large tub of Autosmart pure canuaba wax which i use now + then TBH its lovely to have a nice shiny car + I agree with protecting the surfaces but you can spend hours doing it, then it rains next day and your cars covered in Sahara sand, nuclear fallout from Chernobyl, + Icelandic ash..

The autosmart stuff is very good! I like the ptfe stuff but never lasts years, that is all bull!

If you polish you should always wax I feel. Most polishes contain abrasive compounds to remove impurities etc so you should wax to protect your paint from the rain.

Plus a decent wax should bead the water off so you dont get any water spots and it leaves your car looking cleaner for longer

[local hero]

Hey all,

Just to give my 2p worth. I did a lot of research into the bluetack method, as I thought when stocking our shop that if blue tack was just as good I would not bother selling clay. Seems the glay bars have other stuff in them to make them last longer, pick up more grit and give you a far better finish.

Personally I use Bilt-Hamber clay, which we will be stocking, as for the price (£9.95 for the regular) you get 200g of the stuff and it works with water rather than a lube.

Also Local Hero, you are mentioning polishes but no mention of a wax? I would always finish with a good quality wax. I would always:

Wash - with decent washmitt

Clay - Bilt Hamber

Polish - Autobrite Cherry Glaze

Wax - Harly Wax

Gives an amazing long lasting finish!

Well what do you think of this PTFE stuff that turns your car into a non stick frying pan + lasts 3 to 10yrs advertised on eBay.. It reads well Stew... PS I do have a large tub of Autosmart pure canuaba wax which i use now + then TBH its lovely to have a nice shiny car + I agree with protecting the surfaces but you can spend hours doing it, then it rains next day and your cars covered in Sahara sand, nuclear fallout from Chernobyl, + Icelandic ash..

The autosmart stuff is very good! I like the ptfe stuff but never lasts years, that is all bull!

If you polish you should always wax I feel. Most polishes contain abrasive compounds to remove impurities etc so you should wax to protect your paint from the rain.

Plus a decent wax should bead the water off so you dont get any water spots and it leaves your car looking cleaner for longer

Well a couple of piccies of my newly shiney rav (not perfect but i tried)

And lastly for the Big Scott who is challenged in the exhaust pipe region to the number of one, My mono piped rav..

[Big Kev]

Hey all,

Just to give my 2p worth. I did a lot of research into the bluetack method, as I thought when stocking our shop that if blue tack was just as good I would not bother selling clay. Seems the glay bars have other stuff in them to make them last longer, pick up more grit and give you a far better finish.

Personally I use Bilt-Hamber clay, which we will be stocking, as for the price (£9.95 for the regular) you get 200g of the stuff and it works with water rather than a lube.

Also Local Hero, you are mentioning polishes but no mention of a wax? I would always finish with a good quality wax. I would always:

Wash - with decent washmitt

Clay - Bilt Hamber

Polish - Autobrite Cherry Glaze

Wax - Harly Wax

Gives an amazing long lasting finish!

Well what do you think of this PTFE stuff that turns your car into a non stick frying pan + lasts 3 to 10yrs advertised on eBay.. It reads well Stew... PS I do have a large tub of Autosmart pure canuaba wax which i use now + then TBH its lovely to have a nice shiny car + I agree with protecting the surfaces but you can spend hours doing it, then it rains next day and your cars covered in Sahara sand, nuclear fallout from Chernobyl, + Icelandic ash..

The autosmart stuff is very good! I like the ptfe stuff but never lasts years, that is all bull!

If you polish you should always wax I feel. Most polishes contain abrasive compounds to remove impurities etc so you should wax to protect your paint from the rain.

Plus a decent wax should bead the water off so you dont get any water spots and it leaves your car looking cleaner for longer

Well a couple of piccies of my newly shiney rav (not perfect but i tried)

And lastly for the Big Scott who is challenged in the exhaust pipe region to the number of one, My mono piped rav..

My God, Stewpot....ah thought you had run over a marra baby there...

What's a marra babby?.......Nothin' darlin'.......you may have to read more than once....old ones are the best ones.

Off early am tomorrow for a few days golluf in The Algrave...not a spelling error....you should see ma golf.

In all seriousity, cracking shine on the Rav, but with a well practised wrist action like yours, I would expect no less.

Big Kev.

[bluevortex]

Right fellow Rav'rs - polishing by hand is hard work and you are very limited to what results you can achieve. You would have to be going some to get any sort of correction of swirls or more serious defects, scratches, etchings etc. If I had to recommend a polish by hand it would be Autoglym SRP as this contains filling properties that might not correct paint work but will certainly help mask them and improve the over all look. I have also tried the Meguiars 1,2 & 3 system and friends have also used this to good effect.

For those who want a perfect, flawless finish then you need to invest a little bit of money into a machine polisher. If you have no experience of machine polishing and it scares the hell out of you - burning through paint etc, then fear not. A dual action polisher is for you. This is fundamnetally different to a rotary polisher which you should give a wide berth at this stage. A dual action oscillates on an on rotational orbit which means you eliminate putting too much pressure on one paticular part of the panel and avoid swirls and holograms and strike through of the top coat. DA polisher are considered safe for the average joe to use. They can be bought from about £80-120 for the polisher alone and often bought as part of a polishing package incl pads and polish. See here Linky Recently a range of DA polisher are available in the UK which is great because they are UK plugs etc. When I first started I bought a UDM and imported from the states so obviously needed 110v transformer and modified extensions and stuff.If you decide to go down this route then a whole world of polish is available to you and you will not believe what a difference a machine polish make compared to by hand - it's like night and day. These DA polishers are just as good as a rotary polisher, the downside being it will take slightly longer to work the polish and break it down due less heat being produced. However, this is a good thing because it eliminates the risks associated with rotary polishing.

So once you have bought your DA then you can select a polish system. My favourite is Menzerna IP and FF. This is a two stage polish, the IP is for the major correction aspect of the paint and this is then finished off with a FF which also has cutting properties but less than the IP. It serves to condition the paint after correction and add oils and gloss back into the paint. If this two stage polish is done correctly the theory is you then add LSP to your paint work to optimum effect. This could a be a glaze/sealent such a Meguiars#7 followed by wax of choice (Colly 915, Victoria Concours, DODO, Swisswax, Zymol new products emerge weekly) perhaps even several applications. If you keep a good car cleaning regime (i.e ditch the yellow sponge and replace with a suitable alternative whilst following the two bucket method) you will never have to polish your car to that extent again. All that is required at most is replace/top up you LSP wax or remove and replace with an alternative perhaps an occasional clay bar. A properly detailed car can be washed with ease and kept in good condition year round with no more than 30-40 mins per week with a wax top-up every 6 weeks there after. A Glaze/Selalent/Wax combination will protect your Rav for sure but if the paint work is not in good condition it will not bring out the best. If you are serious and you want a 'better than showroom finish' then I highly recommend getting a DA polisher. There are loads of other machine grade polishes out there - but another I like and use regulalrly is Meguiars #80 & 83, very easy to use highly respected pro grade polish (not available in places like Halfords), Poor boys, 3M the list goes on. It can be hard work using a DA at times but this dependent on how bad the car finish is, how big the car is, paint type and how perfect a finish you are after.

Polishing by hand is just not enough reward for me for effort it takes. . . especially for you old timers Alternatively, give me a shout...I charge £350 and will do it for you in a day

Blue

[local hero]

Right fellow Rav'rs - polishing by hand is hard work and you are very limited to what results you can achieve. You would have to be going some to get any sort of correction of swirls or more serious defects, scratches, etchings etc. If I had to recommend a polish by hand it would be Autoglym SRP as this contains filling properties that might not correct paint work but will certainly help mask them and improve the over all look. I have also tried the Meguiars 1,2 & 3 system and friends have also used this to good effect.

For those who want a perfect, flawless finish then you need to invest a little bit of money into a machine polisher. If you have no experience of machine polishing and it scares the hell out of you - burning through paint etc, then fear not. A dual action polisher is for you. This is fundamnetally different to a rotary polisher which you should give a wide berth at this stage. A dual action oscillates on an on rotational orbit which means you eliminate putting too much pressure on one paticular part of the panel and avoid swirls and holograms and strike through of the top coat. DA polisher are considered safe for the average joe to use. They can be bought from about £80-120 for the polisher alone and often bought as part of a polishing package incl pads and polish. See here Linky Recently a range of DA polisher are available in the UK which is great because they are UK plugs etc. When I first started I bought a UDM and imported from the states so obviously needed 110v transformer and modified extensions and stuff.If you decide to go down this route then a whole world of polish is available to you and you will not believe what a difference a machine polish make compared to by hand - it's like night and day. These DA polishers are just as good as a rotary polisher, the downside being it will take slightly longer to work the polish and break it down due less heat being produced. However, this is a good thing because it eliminates the risks associated with rotary polishing.

So once you have bought your DA then you can select a polish system. My favourite is Menzerna IP and FF. This is a two stage polish, the IP is for the major correction aspect of the paint and this is then finished off with a FF which also has cutting properties but less than the IP. It serves to condition the paint after correction and add oils and gloss back into the paint. If this two stage polish is done correctly the theory is you then add LSP to your paint work to optimum effect. This could a be a glaze/sealent such a Meguiars#7 followed by wax of choice (Colly 915, Victoria Concours, DODO, Swisswax, Zymol new products emerge weekly) perhaps even several applications. If you keep a good car cleaning regime (i.e ditch the yellow sponge and replace with a suitable alternative whilst following the two bucket method) you will never have to polish your car to that extent again. All that is required at most is replace/top up you LSP wax or remove and replace with an alternative perhaps an occasional clay bar. A properly detailed car can be washed with ease and kept in good condition year round with no more than 30-40 mins per week with a wax top-up every 6 weeks there after. A Glaze/Selalent/Wax combination will protect your Rav for sure but if the paint work is not in good condition it will not bring out the best. If you are serious and you want a 'better than showroom finish' then I highly recommend getting a DA polisher. There are loads of other machine grade polishes out there - but another I like and use regulalrly is Meguiars #80 & 83, very easy to use highly respected pro grade polish (not available in places like Halfords), Poor boys, 3M the list goes on. It can be hard work using a DA at times but this dependent on how bad the car finish is, how big the car is, paint type and how perfect a finish you are after.

Polishing by hand is just not enough reward for me for effort it takes. . . especially for you old timers Alternatively, give me a shout...I charge £350 and will do it for you in a day

Blue

Three hunred + fifftee FFFFFFlippin pounds a day I'd be happy to get that a fortnight at the moment got any vacancies I'm a quick learner :o But thanks for advice + taking time to write reply, Cheers Stew PS what do you think of this PTFE stuff

[bluevortex]

Ha ha i'm not toutin for work just an illustrative figure. I know it sounds alot but the Rav4 is a large car and I have been known to spend 20 hours from start to finish, facor in the cost of polish, waxes and materials required you wouldn't sell your services for less than £250. When you consider people will pay £200+ for superguard or AG dealer application and that includes no paint correction at all just a quick wash and sealant I think pro detailing services seem very reasonable. Take a look at this company polished Bliss near Aberdeen who are leading the way in detailing services, the level of detail they deliver is simply mind blowing linky A major paint correction detail would cost you £1195+VAT and these guys are very very busy booked up many months in adavance. You can see videos of them at work here linky

Blue

[local hero]

Ha ha i'm not toutin for work just an illustrative figure. I know it sounds alot but the Rav4 is a large car and I have been known to spend 20 hours from start to finish, facor in the cost of polish, waxes and materials required you wouldn't sell your services for less than £250. When you consider people will pay £200+ for superguard or AG dealer application and that includes no paint correction at all just a quick wash and sealant I think pro detailing services seem very reasonable. Take a look at this company polished Bliss near Aberdeen who are leading the way in detailing services, the level of detail they deliver is simply mind blowing linky A major paint correction detail would cost you £1195+VAT and these guys are very very busy booked up many months in adavance. You can see videos of them at work here linky

Blue

I was of course joking, however we could join forces, It is my mis fortune :shutit: to have ferried most of the manchester footballers around, now a certain Mr Rooney has about six cars on his drive that could do with your services, If he is happy to spend £1200 on an Escort, think what he would spend on his Lambo ,Bentley, etc Stew

[whipitonce]

Ok I've not got a clue???

What is a clay Bar?????

Sorry guys but I've never heard of it or what ever it is????

[rangermastiffs]

Ok I've not got a clue???

What is a Clay Bar?????

Sorry guys but I've never heard of it or what ever it is????

http://tinyurl.com/264nrxx

[local hero]

Ok I've not got a clue???

What is a Clay Bar?????

Sorry guys but I've never heard of it or what ever it is????

Take a look at this youtube

should explain what they do.. Stew

[Hou]

http://www.ninjashine.co.uk/presta/product.php?id_product=15

Have a look there, bit of info and a link to the Autoexpress test they did

[bluevortex]

Ok I've not got a clue???

What is a Clay Bar?????

Sorry guys but I've never heard of it or what ever it is????

It's a bit of clay, putty like that you use to remove contaminants e.g. Tar spots from the surface of the paint work, that normal washing process won't budge. If the paint surface feels rough to the touch or textured after washing then you should clay the car. It's a very simple technique and makes a big difference to the finish. An alternative to clay bars is to buy a tar remover e.g. Autosmart Tardis and spritz panels then pressure wash off. I have found this very useful for cars with heavy contamination particulalry on the lower panels. Clay bars can be bought in a variety of grades from fine to aggressive again dependent on the car condition. It make a huge difference to both the finish and durability of the LSP, so well worth investing ;)

Blue