Clay Bar!

I decided to try a clay bar to get fall out off. It is amazing. I have to rub the paint quit a bit but it eventually comes off. I was wondering if the clay can remove paint if you do not use lubricant.

I decided to try a clay bar to get fall out off. It is amazing. I have to rub the paint quit a bit but it eventually comes off. I was wondering if the clay can remove paint if you do not use lubricant.
i doubt it, but it could sctatch the paint if no lube is used. anyway, it's so much easier to use the lube with the clay....

no lube the clay will kindda smear and stick to the car.....the bar does remove overspray

Yes it does remove light overspray, tar, light traffic line paint.

I suggest breaking new clay bars into 3 section & work with section at a time. Keep 2 for clean work & 1 for dirty work(overspary, tar, etc.) If the bar does fall on the ground THROW IT AWAY. It will pick up every little pebble/debris on the ground - not so good to rub paint with that.

Using a clay bar dry can scratch paint. Always use it wet with lube or plain water.

Ive been looking to buy one of these.How much do they cost.Sadly,they dont sell them at my local auto zone.

Depends how good of a quality in clay you want. Our shop sells a $20 and $40. I honestly think they work about the same, so I just use the $20. You might be able to find cheaper. Someone even mentioned they found clay really cheap in the automotive section in walmart. Again, I don't know that quality of that. If you can't find them at your local car parts store, 2 suggestions. 1) try ordering them online, you'll probably be able to find a good deal. 2) go to a local dealership, and find out where their detailing shop is, and if they have a seperate accessories store. We have one above our detailing bays which sells rims, lights, and other accessories and it sells all you need to keep your car looking good too; clay, wax and buffing pads, etc.

I decided to try a clay bar to get fall out off. It is amazing. I have to rub the paint quit a bit but it eventually comes off. I was wondering if the clay can remove paint if you do not use lubricant.
Youd never remove paint with a clay bar unless the paint is chipping or bubbling, it just wont move if not lubricated and will just come off on the finish in streaks. Best thing to remove fallout is a product called FUTURE WASH , you apply it the same way you apply car soap only you let it dry then nutralize it with line soap and rinse.I used at least 20 different products and I find future wash is a reveloutionary product. I never NEVER!!!! do a power polish without using a clay bar first. Removing fallout this way is unconventional cus clay bars wear down the paint surface like super fine sandpaper (leaves dull spottys on the paint revealing high spots) and it needs alot of work after. PH balanced car soap is the best clay lube.

is it possible to use playdough? it is clay too. or is the automotive clay designed to be very pure (abrasive free) or something to that nature?

no sorry thats not clay thats dough

:rofl: .... playdough! Omg that stuff is all artificial no clay in it! I believe that the clay would be screened somehow to get out any of the larger clay particles.

The auto clay is available in different gritt I guess you could call it. The softer the clay the less agressive it is. Cleaning the paint really well is necessary before rubing on it with clay to remove harsh tree sap or swapped paint. I use real hard clay on any type of paint instead of having different kinds all over I just apply different amounts of pressure on different types of paint.

i just used a claybar on my car this weekend for the first time. it is awesome! i never seen anything like it! my whole car is as smooth as glass, & the amazing thing is that the clay still looks like brand new! it's so wierd how it works. claybars will be new tools in my car care aresonal for now on!

Its an awesome product for removing hard core contaminents like cement and baked on treesaps. If you rub agressively it slightly fades the paint and creates a leopard spot kinda looking finish. If I were to use the light soft clay it wouldnt do that , softer the less likely it will wear down the clear but the less likely it will remove the rough stuff , I use the hardest clay I can get it removes everything but always dulls the finish (I want it too) it just depends on how you get comfortable doing it.

Its an awesome product for removing hard core contaminents like cement and baked on treesaps. If you rub agressively it slightly fades the paint and creates a leopard spot kinda looking finish. If I were to use the light soft clay it wouldnt do that , softer the less likely it will wear down the clear but the less likely it will remove the rough stuff , I use the hardest clay I can get it removes everything but always dulls the finish (I want it too) it just depends on how you get comfortable doing it. for the majority of the car, it took just light pressure to clean the surface & make it satin smooth. the areas where there was a lot of fallout, & contamination, it took moderate pressure to remove it. if use a lot of lube, there is no problem & it works good. i looked over the car very carefully afterwards, & there is no sign of scratching/paint removal, spots. you can do damage to the surface with ordinary wax/sealants if done without care. i'm happy with the results. i previously used tar & bug remover & scrubbed the hell out of the car to remove what the clay did with no effort required. i think the clay is 100% safe on the paint especially with the detailing lube. i used the mother's yellow clay bar/lube package & it works like a charm a excellent product & i would recommend it to anyone....

no its not 100% safe sorry to argue , it grabs solid particles and drags them across the paint particles that you can or cant see. I used it almost every day for 5 years. Sounds like you do a good gentle job tho thats cool.

no its not 100% safe sorry to argue , it grabs solid particles and drags them across the paint particles that you can or cant see. I used it almost every day for 5 years. Sounds like you do a good gentle job tho thats cool.
did it do any damage to your car? why would you use it so frequently? i did'nt get those fallout spots for years. i won't use it that much--just when that crap builds up on the paint.....

Ic sorry , I am a professional detailer , I use it during every power polish aplication thats why its used every day. 40 bucks a bar = lots of money a month removing harsh contaminents.

Ic sorry , I am a professional detailer , I use it during every power polish aplication thats why its used every day. 40 bucks a bar = lots of money a month removing harsh contaminents.
oh no wonder why you use it so much! have you ever seen clay bars remove good paint or do any damage to customer's cars? for a long time i did'nt want to buy one on these clay bars beause i was afraid it might scratch the paint. after i read many posts about people raving about them, i decided to buy one & try it & i'm delighted with the results. i did the whole car & then followed up with a coat of liquid glass. it looks awesome! also, the fine scratches from the car wash at the asshole dealer seemed to of vanished. how wierd. usually when the sun shines from a certain angle, sometimes you can see slight haze from the car wash brushes. does the clay bar fill in the scratches or maybe the lube? it looks much better.....

The lube is a liquid wax (cheaters wax), it will temporarily keep it waxed and hide those scratches.
The clay only touches the clear coat so the scratches can be removed or hidden much easier than deep level 2-4 scratches. That clay bar if kept clean will last you for years. Wear rubber gloves when handling it for more than 5 minutes or it will make yer skin rough and peel.

yeah, the scratches our only on the clear coat surface. their very slight & only can be noticed from certain angles under very bright sunlight. funny thing you mentioned the skin. my hands are still dry & cracked from using it & i used it on sunday. maybe i'll get some very thin gloves the next time i use one. it's amazing how clean the bar is after doing a entire car. i keep folding it over after each body panel. i guess the contaminants are held in suspension in the clay or something.....

Ic sorry , I am a professional detailer , I use it during every power polish aplication thats why its used every day. 40 bucks a bar = lots of money a month removing harsh contaminents.
:iagree: 5 out of 10 times I use pure water with the clay, right after wash. As long as you keep folding the clay there will be no scratching.

ok ill take your word for it

Can we get some brands discussed along with the opinions? Anyone use autosols? Thanks

Z-Bar , and Clay Magic here