Hi, I have a few questions about claying a car.

-How many bars should I pick up to do a 2g TL?
-Approx. how long will it take to complete?
-Do you wipe the excess lubricant and clay off the paint surface when you are done, or do you let it dry on there?
-Is there different types of clay bars for different finishes?

 

-How many bars should I pick up to do a 2g TL?
1 should be ample, even an 80 gm bar is enough for one car. The one I sell is a 180 gm bar.
-Approx. how long will it take to complete?
Depends on how bad it is. I can usually do an entire sedan in about 20 minutes or so.....
-Do you wipe the excess lubricant and clay off the paint surface when you are done, or do you let it dry on there?
Hopefully there's no clay remnants remaining. If there is, something is wrong....Only spray and clay enough area that you can wipe dry when completed.
-Is there different types of clay bars for different finishes?
Different finishes, no. Different conditions, yes. Most surfaces, unless exposed to lots of rail dust, factory fallout or coastal exposure are fine with a light grade bar.

 

Thanks!
I live a few miles from the beach in S. Florida. Which grade would you recommend?

 

I know nothing of your current care regimen, or the cars history. I wouldnt hesitate to go with the fine grade though. That will normally get you to a satisfactory level, and establish a base of comparison.

 

One should do the job. 1 Claybar can do more then one would think.

 

If I didn't use an entire clay bar...Is there a good way to seal my excess clay bar...?

Curious because I put it in a Ziploc bag before and it still dried out.

 

Ziplocks are the norm, maybe a little water or QD can help keep it from drying out.....

 

Thanks for the tip Patrick.

I'll try that next time.

 

As far a lubicant for the claying process, should I mix up ONR in a spray bottle or can I just use a Meguiars quick detailer (http://www.autogeek.net/meguiars-ult...-detailer.html)

 

Myself I havent had good luck at the recommended ratio for ONR. I just use a QD. Some soaps will degrade the clay.

 

I'm not an expert with detailing but I had a good experience using ONR as a clay lubricant.

Also, it was more economical.

 

Im not a huge fan of ONR as a clay lube. Matter of fact theres a member here who called me yesterday who was having issues with the clay, while using NRWS. The edges were falling apart on him. Im not certain if it was the clay, or the fact he was using NRWS as a lube.I really prefer something a little less "chemically". I always use a quick detailer.......

 

Patrick I'm with you on this one .. what I find is that even with lots of ONR on the surface the clay will stick at the end of a stroke increasing the chances of pulling it out of your hand and I also feel that it doesn't pull off the contaminats as well..

I just buy the Megs QD direct from them by the gallon.

 

Thanks again for all the help.
One last questions though...How often are you supposed to clay?

 

Twice annually is about the average I would say. Kind of depends, again, on where you live and your exposure levels......

 

Okay, thanks again.
You have been a HUGE help.
You may also have an order coming your way.

 

FK425 is a great clay lube!

 

Glad I could have helped!
Who knows, maybe you will win a PC 7424XP if you order?!

 

That's why I like the Griot's clay. It comes in a plastic jar with a lid; a quick spritz of Speed Shine right before you seal the jar back up and it's still moist next time I need it.

 

^ Thanks for the tip. I'll look into that brand.

 

I used mother clay bar. 1 bar did 5 cars. I heard they come in 2 bar pack now. So 10 cars? I did my accord, friend accord, mom mdx, dad es350, and friend civic si.

 

That sounds like too many cars with 1 clay bar...

I easily used one clay bar on my CL alone.

Granted that was the first time I clayed the car myself...I have no knowledge of it's history before me.

 

I use the bars from Meguiars, they come two bars in a pack, half bar does a car.

 

I throw mine in a ziplock, I haven't had any issues drying out. I did my TL and a Durango with the Mother's CG kit with one bar, I think I'll retire that one after two cars.

I tried ONR as a lube today and felt like I was using a ton. Perhaps I'll try a different ratio than they suggest next time.

 

My car was pretty bad...It was completely black by the time I felt satisfied.

And I wish that would have been only half a bar...but that was the whole thing.

I broke it up in half but the first bar was too filthy so I had to go to the 2nd half.

The 2nd time claying (I think it was Ricardo Clay...?) was much better and I didn't have to use as much.

 

The 2nd time claying (I think it was Ricardo Clay...?) was much better and I didn't have to use as much.[/quote]

That could be because your car was clean after the first go round.

 

^ Yeah I think it was much cleaner since not as much time had elapsed as before.

 

The guy from the detailing supply shop told me that for my TL, 1/3 of the bar is usually enough to do the entire vehicle. I got the 200g meguiars mild clay, so about 70g is enough to do the car.

Anyone wanna confirm this or will I use too much? I doubt that the car has been clayed ever, so this would be the first time. The paint itself doesn't feel like it's in bad shape but I can feel the roughness in the paint after a wash.

 

If its REAL bad, you may go through 1/2 of it. But its gotta REAL bad for that.....You should get 4 good size pieces out of that.