Good question,

Assuming the clay bar is relative clean after each claying, you should be able to get at least 4-6 uses from each piece. Remember to keep kneading the clay constantly, and expose a clean area.

DANGER - If clay is dropped, dispose of it immediately, if you hear raspy sounds while claying, check the surface for marring.......

I recommend you work a 2ft square area at a time so that you may visually see how the panels looks once you wipe it off.

 

Thanks David.

Looks like mine is ready for the bin then....

Any makes recommended I need to do the 420G when we get a nice saturday here

 

As you know there are many types of clay on the market, my choice is always "Clay Magic" I choose the "FINE" blue clay since it is very user friendly and induces minimal scratching.........I also carry the "Aggressive" red clay just in case!

 

HI DAvid, I did a quick search on Clay bar and this thread popped up. Great stuff on about clay bars. Today I just used the Meguiars Clay bar kit. I used the blue clay bar that it came with to use on my trunk. I followed the directions throughly and my trunk now is soft like a baby's ****! Before it was very rough and dull looking. But I still see small little rust spot specks. How do I get rid of them? Do I have to use the more aggressive Red Bar to remove it? Lastly whats your take on using the Meguiars clay kit as compared to the Clay Magic you rave about?

Ohh one more thing, Is the Clay Magic bar the same as the Meguiars clay bar in its aggressiveness or the same? I have been reading about "Pinnacle Ultra Poly Detailing Clay" also being a very good contender with the Clay Magic.

Thank you for your help.

 

You are very welcome Jag79.....I am not too familiar with the current clay that Meguiar's is offering. I have only worked with previous versions of their clay. I do know that Auto Magic has the patent for the clay product in general. Meguiar's does not make their own clay, they, like everyone else, have their clay supplied to them to their specs by the only clay supplier in the United States who through a patent has a monopoly on the U.S. clay market. Everyone that tries to obtain their clay from somewhere else and sell it here in the U.S. ends up in court with a lawsuit.....

From what I understand the Meguiar's clay is a lighter color, and probably a bit less aggressive then the Clay Magic just to keep people from getting into trouble. In my opinion the Clay Magic is a bit more aggressive, so I would get some to try and knock down those stubborn fallout specks out that remain. Paitence is your best friend for this task.....

What type of clay lube are you using If I may ask?

 

Thanks David for replying back, I definitely need something more aggressive and I'll try out Clay Magic to get those rust spots out.

I used the Quick Detailer spray from Meguiars for the lube, it worked flawlessly while applying the clay bar. After claying I used the Cleaner Wax that was supplied with the kit to finish it off. This is the kit I used http://www.handsontools.com/Meguiars...t_p_13463.html

 

Ok, sorry I didnt realize that you used the kit, its more of a consumer friendly clay kit, nothing overkill. At this point it would truly be up to you whether you use the Megs Clay or the Clay Magic. Either one of the two will give you far superior results vs the white clay that came in the kit.

By stepping up your game on the clay, you will definitely get the results that you are looking for. Do you plan on waxing by hand or machine and what results are you looking for? To get the best results since its a Platinum Metallic, the paint will 'POP" with a good 2-step detail..... polish, then wax or seal. If I may recommend M205 and M21, simple to use with a D/A and awesome results!!

 

Wowww.....thanks for all the excellent information, Clay Magic it is I was going to do it by hand the waxing and polishing. Looking more or less for a nice clean shine. I was looking into the PC 7424X,. but for now I'll follow your recommendations you suggested OOhh before I forget, I use to use the Turtle wax rubbing compound the less aggressive one, then follow up using Meguiars Gold Class. I got great results by this.

David could you recommend me plz which pads I should use while applying and removing it if I went with a an orbital machine. I know there is different colors to differentiate them by, like the White, yellow, orange etc.....

 

Auto Wax owns six patents relating to clay products and provides private label clay too many of the detail industry’s leading companies. Under the previous owner, David Miller, Auto Wax aggressively enforced the patent. They initiated and won a major lawsuit against a detail chemical manufacturer in California and won a several million dollar judgement. After this they contacted the seller's of clay bars, strongly advising them to "cease and desist" or you will be sued.
As a result, all of the Polybutene (Polyisobutylene) or plastic clay being manufactured now comes from the same factory in Japan, which as the original patent holder and has a monopoly on the market. Meguiar's, Mother's, Sonus, Zaino, et al get their clay either from Japan (Source Chem. Inc. one of Japan's biggest clay manufacturers) or from the US licensed manufacturer, Clay Magic, a brand name used by Auto Magic, Auto Wax Co (the U.S. patent holder)
(See also article Professional Car washing & Detailing - http://www.carwash.com/article.asp?IndexID=6632422

Abrasive Ratings (on a scale of 1 to6)
1. Hi-Tech Body Sponge™ - most surface marring 6/6
2. Clay Magic® - Red- very aggressive; a lot of surface marring - 5/5
3. Sonus Grey Block Detailing Clay- very aggressive; a lot of surface marring - 5/5
4. Top of the line purple - slightly less aggressive - 4/5
5. Clay Magic® Blue less aggressive; less marring - 3/5
6. Mother's - Yellow- 2/5
7. Sonus Ultra Fine (Green) 1/5 (will not remove wax / sealant)
8. Bilt-Hamber. (1/5) it uses water as a lubrication

Application – hydroplaning, also known as aquaplaning, is the condition where a layer of water builds up between the surface and the clay, this thin film of lubrication provides a safety barrier that enables the clay to hydroplane across the surface. In other words, by applying enough pressure to ensure contact with the surface the clay will aquaplaning on a micro-thin film of lubrication between it and the paint surface removing the (protruding) surface contaminants by abrasion and encapsulation by the malleable clay.

Without lubrication the clay will abrade the paint surface much like a dry-sanding block and will produce significant fine surface marring. When you start the clay process you’ll feel resistance as you glide the clay with its lubricant, this is normal, the resistance will lessen as the contaminants are removed, once there is no more resistance you can move to the next 2 x 2-foot section. A medium sized vehicle should take approximately 30-45 minutes

 

Thank you for the info, it was really helpful. I have a question; what would you rate this clay bar "Pinnacle Ultra Poly Detailing Clay" if you were to compare it with the blue Clay Magic? or are both the same? I read great reviews online for the Pinnacle clay bar thats why I was asking

Thanks again,

 

Clay Magic® Blue less aggressive; less marring - 3/5
Pinnacle PolyClay (1/5) very mild abrasives (will not remove most wax / sealant)

 

Your very welcome Jag79.......

My suggestions

Rubbing Compounds =

Invest in some Meguiar's M205 Ultra finishing Polish and apply it with a Meguiar's W8006 polishing pad, set D/A @ 5.5 speed

Remove with a clean soft MF towel

Apply your Gold Class with a Meguiar's W9006 Finishing Pad, set D/A @ 4-4.5 speed

Remove with a clean MF towel

In regards to the different clays, many reviews can be very subjective. Use what has been proven by the pros..If you read every detail review out there and bought in to every new product and hype out there......you would have a cabinet full off stuff and and empty pockets!.......just my 2 cents

Have a great day!

 

I ordered the blue Clay Magic and the two Meguiars you suggested hopefully this weekend I will get a chance to apply it on. I'm going to take some before and after pics and I'll have them posted on here. Only thing I dont have is a porter cable, I have a generic advance Autoparts VApor 6" orbital which is hard set at only 3500rpm. Would that suffice to get more or less the results as you suggested?

 

Car-Nut,

This goes two ways..

If your car is covered in dust or contaminants, I'd recommend tossing the clay bar immediately after. Chances are you have already folded the clay multiple times to do the whole car, so in such a case I'd recommend disposing of it immediately to prevent any risk.

Alternatively, if your car is fairly light in the contaminants category, and doesn't seem to have a significant amount of debris, you can probably get a few uses out of the same clay bar by folding it or cutting it in half.

All in all, I would not take the risk in using the same clay bar multiple times. I'd say stick with a 100g bar as here you'll either use it all up (on a highly contaminated paint surface) or have half to use next time.

 

I am sure the clay bar and polish I gave my car back last August using Autoglym is why it still looks newly polished now after a very harsh winter.

I used half a bar and tossed it as it looked a dirty a cloth I would never dream of using on the car to clean it.

 

Ok finally used the clay bar today with Clay Magic the blue type on my STR! I used Turtle Wax "ICE" for my lube, it made it soooooooooo much easier on the clay, no marring no nothing, the whole body feels smooth as a baby's **** & shinny! TOok me almost 1hr an half with wash and dry done prior to claying. Tomorrow I'm going to apply Meguiars M205 and finish off with M21, then its finally ready for Spring & Summer phewwwwwwwww.......

 

Jag,

Glad it worked for you, looking forward to seeing the end results once you have polished and sealed the beauty....

Be sure to take some nice photos and post them for all of us to see. If you thought she was smooth after claying wait till your done polishing and waxing