not impressed with clay bar
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Super Member
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 533
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From: prattville alabama
C63
not impressed with clay bar
used mothers clay bar on my car today and looked just like a wax job to me, i was expecting more. granted we have terrible pollen but I expected more shine.
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Joined: Dec 2009
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From: USA
2011 GLK 350, 2013 GT-R, & 2013 RAM 1500
What Boost said. A clay bar doesn't offer any protection, in fact it removes all traces of protection from the car along with contaminants so you have a clean foundation.
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From: San Diego
G63 AMG, SL65 AMG, CLS550, S550, Tesla Model S Performance, Challenger SRT8
Like others have said, clay barring your car is only to remove imperfections in the paint and only needs to be done once every 6-12 months. I highly suggest watching the videos on paint care from Junkman2000 on Youtube.
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Joined: Oct 2007
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From: Ottawa
2010 C63, 2003 C230 coupe
Not sure if you are referring to this. But I waxed my car outside once and it was a little windy so all the dust and pollen set in the wax. My straight black car looked obsidian lol. To get rid of the pollen/dust look I clayed and then used a dual action buffer and some oxidation/swirl remover. Then polish & wax.
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From: Sydney & the NSW Central Coast, Australia
C63 AMG, BMW 135i
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From: Maryland
2011 GLK350, 2010 ML350, 2008 C63 AMG
do you have to do everything all at once or can you clay bar and then polish and then drive the car if you needed too and then wash the car to get the surface clean and then seal and wax?
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 499
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From: Sydney & the NSW Central Coast, Australia
C63 AMG, BMW 135i
If you clay bar the car and drive it before the next step, you’ll have to clay bar again.
The clay is only for removing particles and blemishes adhered to the paint, driving it will most likely attract some more.
If you clay bar and polish and then drive the car you may get away with it but you must remember, polish is not a paint protector. A painter sealer like Optimum Opti-Seal is very quick to use. It's just a wipe on, no buffing application and would take about 10 to 15 minutes to do. You can then drive the car and wash and wax it on another day.
It is also ideal to apply a couple of layers of paint sealant for best protection, you need to wait about 25 minutes between applications. I also use this sealer on the rims of all my cars, it makes them easy to clean for months after and the brake dust if you don't allow to much of a build-up will usually just rinse off.
Also, a good paint sealant doesn't necessarily need a wax but it does increase the protection. Go for a good quality wax (high Carnauba content) if you want a lasting result and use microfibre clothes and waffle weave drying towels, throw your chamios away.
A link to Opti-Seal:
http://www.carcareproducts.com.au/pr...imum/opti_seal
.
Last edited by sjhugh; Apr 3, 2010 at 12:00 AM.
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Joined: Jan 2005
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From: Orange County
2005 C Wagon (No snickering please!)
The highest gloss is obtained with the smoothest surface. The clay bar when used with a proper lubricant will remove most contamination from the surface of the clear coat and leave a smooth substrate to start the final protection step and improve the gloss for a deep swirl free shine. You can use wax or polish to get to the final finish. It is a matter of preference and work habits. Polishes have the advantage that they can be applied and removed at once. Every wax emulsion requires the carrier solvent to dry and the surface haze over prior to removal and buffing.
A word about "coats." You cannot apply a coat of this and a coat of that and have it "stack" up on your paint. The solvent that makes it possible to apply the product to the paint will remove any previous "coat" you have applied. People swear that a "second or third coat" makes the shine deeper. It does not. The extra polish or wax simply fills in the places you missed on the previous application.
A machine finish is better than a hand finish, but there is a greater satisfaction in a hand rubbed finish. I prefer products in a maroon container from an Irvine outfit, but there is nothing wrong with the other products out there, except use caution when selecting products that are uber expensive or are not sold by retailers, or any the do not publish a MSDS.
Junior Member
Joined: Mar 2010
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2005 350z Roadster
http://www.griotsgarage.com
These guys have a lot of good products and I really like their orbital buffer. No chance for burning the paint. Easy to use. They have a bunch of other interesting car guy stuff.
Super Member
Joined: Dec 2009
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From: Dallas, TX
13 Lamborghini SL, 20 Porsche 911 (sold), 09 C63(sold), Vipers (sold)
Spent 5 hours washing/claying/polishing/waxing the C63 a couple of weeks ago and the paint is as smooth as a baby's behind 
Lots of work, but the results speak for themself!
Lots of work, but the results speak for themself!
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Joined: Aug 2005
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From: Maryland
2011 GLK350, 2010 ML350, 2008 C63 AMG
5 hours... that is quick. it usually takes me much longer than that because i put 2 coats of sealant and 2 coats of wax. i also wait 12 hours between sealants so that adds to the time.
