OK, for the new-found bufty in me, I feel that I need to treat the R26 to a little spruce-up with a Clay Bar. The paintwork, whilst in good condition, looks like it has tar-spots and all kinds of crud on it.

I really wanted to get one today, but Halfords just seem to do kits for around £15, that appear to have a Clay Bar and some other bits/pieces in there. Is this what I want? Or do you just use the Clay bar with soapy water?

Help me here!!

 

I would like a begginers guide to pottery aswell please as looking to polish up the mondeo

 

A clay bar is for people with no life that spend far to much time cleaning cars rather than driving them

 

my partner has a megs one and just uses the hose to keep it wet. as if you use it dry it will stick! does a good job. but if you ever drop it he said you must throw it away!! as you will have grit on it and will scratch!

hope i can help someone for once

 

Should use soapy water really, the spray that the kit comes with is pish, not enough to go far! I normally use the hosepipe on a slow trickle, but warm soapy water would be your best bet!

 

Meguiers quick clay detailing kit is what you want

Cut the claybar into 3/4 pieces incase you drop a piece on the ground as you must bin it


Some people say you must use the spray, some just use water from the tap, some use soapy water.........As long as the panel is wet for the clay its fine imo

As mentioned the quick detailing spray doesnt last long, i let it get half way then fill it back up with water lol

 

i tried it once. i saw no difference after an hour and a half. i wont waste my time doing that again.

 

Seriously now, is the Meguiars one worth the extra tenner that Halfords want for it?

 

Heres my old passat when i got it



Few days later after mods and its first claying and polishing....

 

seriously stop being a cunt and just give a old fashion wash and polish then drive the twat

 

Works a treat and you will be supprised how much contamination its brings off that you wouldnt normaly see
They are differant grades of clay bar some are mild some are aggresive,just use the megs one if theres not a lot of contamination,you could you glue and tar remover for tar spots awell
Theres a guide on youtube about claying also check my site www.definedreflections.co.uk there is a link in there

 

Very recently done my rst for the first time with the megs kit, gotta say it really did get some crap off and the paint was like glass afterwards! Bit of a mission to do as you'll want to polish/wax it afterwards so it's not a 5 minute job but worth doing every so often i would say! I did the whole car and didn't use much of the detailing spray you get with....i can only think that the people saying it doesn't last long must be out there every week doin it lol, far too much time on their hands!

 

Autosmart Tardis is really good stuff. It completly dissolves tar spots without even touching them, well you sont have to scrub at them put it that way.

i'd use that first if there are noticeable tar spots. the clay bar shold remove them, but its a shit load more effort.
Then use a claybar and a polish and wax. The idea behind a claybar is to get the paint as clean as possible in order to give a better overall finish. same as bodywork, its all in the prep.


its a slippery slope. you'll be looking at rotarys and G3 next

 

Be careful on those megans, some of them have SUPER soft paint.

JAmes.

 

You either had no tar, or you didn't know how to use it

Claying is cool. You feel the panel before, it's all rough. You clay it then feel it, it's like glass. It's quite impressive!

I've got the megs one and I quite like it. You can get it cheaper online.

I usually use the clay, then for the bits that are left I use autoglym intensive tar remover. It is awesome!!

 

my car was really dull etc as im not one for cleaning the car then my mate asked if he can clay bar mine came up like a different car :O

 

Danneth the civic looks mint

 

Mr C, Benn goes thru clay bars like pairs of socks! Not known him to do a valet without using a clay bar...

The results are unreal, paintwork feels sooooo smooth!

 

a guide I found

http://www.detailedimage.com/Auto-De...uide/Clay-Bar/

I used the meguires claybar kit, we only did a bonnet and wings as it was a first go, but you could feel and see the difference, also polishing after brought better results will less effort. There wasn't an instant JESUS it gleaming straight after the baring, but there was noticably less swirl marks and you fingers slid across the paintwork, with more work it could have been got even better and it was after polishing that you could appreciate how much better the finish was.

Was easy to use and after a few seconds you get to know how much prressure to use, and can feel the resistance lessen as the surface becomes smoother and less full of shite. Plus you will be amazed at what you would think would be a clean car how much shit is on the claybar afterwards.

One thing worth noting was to soften the bar up in warm water as in cold weather it will be firmer and could cause damage if hard. Also, get the car as clean as possible first so that there is less unnesasery crap being collected by the bar.

Would think to do it properly and polish it up after you looking at a good days work.

 

this bloke does some top work, interesting seeing some of the before and afters and how much can be sorted.

http://www.seriesoneturbo.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=72

 

My missus uses it on her RS1800 and it lifts off all the shit on the paint that polishing just covers.

You can tell its working because when you rub your hand over the paintwork when its just been washed and leathered off it has a rough feel, a quick rub with the Meguires clay bar and its as smooth as you like.

Well worth doing, especially as its not something you have to do every time you was the car.

Stop being a tight wad, get it bought !

 

great for getting over spray off as well

 

being a right thicko here but, how exactly do you use it, just wipe it across the car or really scrub the car with it ?

 

heres my old saff after a polish with NO clay bar

That'll do,

and my wifes mini


you dont need a clay bar, just wash and wax it !!!

 

Auto glym do a clay bar too.Im getting one cheap off my mate so im gonna try it.I normaly get bored of washing and polishing cars.

 

I did and its half done! LOL.

The Meguiars kit thats £25 in Halfords was £15 in a local car accessory shop. We split it into 4 bits and both had a go. Beccy managed to drop hers, I wonder if she did it on purpose so she could get in and look at shoes on the internet.

I soon told her with the back of my hand, she is now cooking dinner, but with a fat lip.

 

tough love but you wont need to tell her twice.

 

J1MBO, you just rub it back and forth - well I did anyhoo, suppose a bit like if you were sanding a panel, start of soft and increase pressure until it feels right.

You will start to feel less and less resistance unrtil the bar just glides.

I can appreciate those that say polish will do, and that true, but the results of your polishing WILL be better after you have clayed it.

 

Dont forget you will need a least coat of wax after claying,as this will strip any wax or sealant that was already on

 

spent £700+ in the past two month on all my new cleaning gear.from polishing machine.pressure washer etc etc.takes me a day and a half to clean the car properlyi will recommend a clay product from chemical guys.it lasts way longer than your usual clay kit.its like £20 including free bottle of clay lube..i have included a link mate.seriously if you are gona clay then this is the best value as itl do up to 15 cars
http://www.chemicalguysuk.com/SURFAC...E_p/clyblk.htm
oh and as said this will set you up for a wax of your choice.could go really in to depth with it but you prob wont be that in to it yet

 

Claying the paintwork on your car has fantastic results

Mine was clayed a while back, and the feel of the paintwork was excellent! Literally as said above was like running your fingers over glass!!

Definately give it a good wash first off, then either with water, or using the spray you can get in the "MEGS quick clay kit", make sure that whereever you go on the car, that the surface is well lubed up, run the clay bar over the area, doing a panel at a time, you will notice the difference as you do it, when you first start you will notice the friction but as the clay bar removes the crap on your paint, it will start to just glide really easily!!
Make sure afterwards that you definately wax it to protect the paint afterwards, as your removing all this with the clay bar!!

You will love the way the paint looks and feels and it is well worth it!!

x

 

Try a clay bar kit. ebay do a £13 one, with the spray and clay.

You knock it but not try it. Really you only need to do it 2 times a year on good paint work. Also if a bird poo's on your car (not the dirty birds boothby gets but flying types) then it gets rid of the marks, a car can be quick clayed in about an hour and half. Wax is needed after.

 

Get that saph clay'd you will notice the difference, shine will be loads deeper than it is and change the shade of the paint a tad for the better

 

Mop and polish has allways worked well for me and doesnt take a weekend to do a car

 

What a stupid statement.....

 

As long as the paintwork is correctly lubed, it should glide back and forth over the paintwork easy enough and do the job.

You can buy special lubes or just use a suitable shampoo mixed with 0PPM water.

 

I reckon its hard work when the weather is this cold. There was some grot in the paintwork on the tailgate of the car that I wasn't at peace with, so wanted to sort. I actually did the back half of the car, up to the doors and then the front bumper and bonnet. I'll finish it Wednesday.

I did notice that the clay-bar has left little scuffs in places, I guess its down to me not using enough 'lube'. LOL. I then used the Meguiars Step 2 polish and FUCK ME. The results so far are stunning and I can now really see how its done and am looking forward to getting on with it again.

Under fluorescent light, the imperfections are really obvious and I could address them one-by-one.

 

Sorry mate but unless they are seriously crap photos/paintjob those look as dull as hell

A clay and a good polish would make them look like different cars!