How often are you supposed to clay bar your car? Does it hurt to clay bar too often?
All I've been doing to my car is wash, clay bar, wax. I only clay bar my car once every few months.

 

There's no set rule as to how often it's needed. It varies. If you park outside, for example, you'll be exposed to more crap and thus you'll find yourself reaching for it more often.

I clay my car once every couple of months or so.... and I spot clay if after a wash it feels like it needs it. Using a sealant or good quality wax should reduce the need for claying as it will give your paint a protective shield from contaminants.

 

I'm sure others will also chime in, but adding to what AZuser mentioned...

I don't think you can do it too often as long as you follow up with a good sealant / wax. To get a more definite answer; what type of products are you using? Do you use a synthetic sealant (which would give you more long lasting, durable protection)? Are you polishing / cleaning after you clay or just going straight for the wax?

 

I clay probably twice a year. Once during spring and once at the end of summer/fall.

 

I clay bar only during my spring polish out .. I wash enough during the seasons that no more than the odd spot claying is needed.

 

It all depends . . . exposure to the elements and environment will usually dictate how often. As previously mentioned, the type of protection and how often used also plays a factor. As Jess mentioned, if you perform a regular routine of maintenance, spot claying will suffice. Twice a year with a fine grade clay is fine for most everyone.

 

I clay at the end of winter, and the end of summer. I have a lot of sealant on my car and clean it often where that is all it needs.

 

So after I clay and waxed my car I did my dad's Camry. The paint is sorta oxidized, but I didn't think clay and waxing would hurt. The paint still looks bad and there's no shine at all. How could I get rid of this? The paint is oxidized on the hood, roof and trunk but oddly enough not the top of the spoiler.

 

I would suggest trying a chemical cleaner (PB Pro Polish, Iz Extra Paint Cleaner, FS Ultimate Pre-Wax Cleaner) or a polish (Optimum Polish, PB SSR1, 1Z Paint Polish FS Body Shop LCC). Polishing will clean and remove the dullness while adding gloss and reflectivity. Abrasive polishes will also remove swirls and light scratches.

 

 

I'll see if I can get my friend to do this for me then, I don't know how to use a buffer or pc. Thanks for the advice.

 

so what brand of clay should i get...i saw a kit by meguires at target that looked good, any other brands i should look at other than giriots, because i am not in to mail order products....

 

Mothers / Meguires are both just fine.

I'd say the Mothers kit has a fine to very fine clay.

 

Bummer...........Theres a whole other world out there.....

 

There's also Clay Magic and some of the local auto parts stores do carry them. As far as ordering online, a lot more to choose from and IMO superior to most of the OTC products. Most of the online sites I've dealt with have excellent customer support offering advice if needed and all ya gotta do is ask. Exceldetail, one of the vendors here has received many compliments and kudos from the members here regarding shipping and customer support. Give it a chance . . .

 

i will check out the exceldetail site, but i am telling you, i am not going to pay more and order online when meguires makes a really nice product that i can get from the store to my garage in 5 minutes....besides, i am not taking my car to the show...i just want it to look better than most cars on the road, which it already does...

 

Bringing attitude to the table isn't going to get you a lot of help.... people are just trying to give you options .... sometimes ordering on line can give you bigger quantities and better products without the frills for less money.

 

That's cool! If you're satisfied with what you're using, press on. BTW, the brick and mortar stores do not carry the entire line of a single manufacturer. And like Jess said, just offering options and possibly better products. FYI, most of the regulars who frequent this forum use a product purchased online than one purchased OTC.