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is this clay good?

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Old 06-21-2003, 04:06 PM
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09' 335i coupe
is this clay good?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2419684140

or could i go to a store and buy it?

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Old 06-21-2003, 04:34 PM
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2003 CL55 AMG
Clay Magic is good. Honestly, there is very little difference in the clay you buy. I like Zainos clay, but the mothers clay you can buy at most auto stores works just as good.
Old 06-21-2003, 10:50 PM
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Thumbs up Zaino Clay Bar

Zaino stuff is good!
Old 06-23-2003, 02:12 PM
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i use clay magic with zaino, it works really well, plus clay magic is only 10 bucks, zaino stuff is 20
Old 06-25-2003, 12:48 AM
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You can buy polymer clay in bulk at craft stores and online (see e.g. here. Is this the same composition of clay that the detailers use? I mean, clay is clay, right? The key to clay would appear to be its the ability to softly absorb and remove impurities from the paint, which seems like it is a question of texture. Is the zaino clay soft or firm?
Old 06-25-2003, 01:12 AM
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Clay Magic is highly regarded by the guys at Autopia.org.

And no not all clay bars are equal. Some have complained that certain brands scratch the paint.
Old 06-25-2003, 01:31 PM
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I did a little research and discovered that Clay Magic has patents on their clay bar system which explain the theory behind the clay bar. Apparently, the clay is impregnated with abrasives (see Fig. 2 below).


When the clay is rubbed against the flat surface of the car, the fine abrasives remain fully embedded in the clay and do not abrade the paint (zero abrasive force applied to surface) However, if there is a protrusion on the paint (dirt, metal particle, brake dust), the protrusion bores a small hole in the clay and the abrasives surrounding the hole are uncovered. As the clay slides across the protrusion, the embedded abrasives polish (i.e., abrade) the protrusion and either smooth it or abrade it away entirely.

One thing this tells me is that prior to using, the clay bar should be pressed firmly against the flat surface to cause the embedded abrasives not to extrude from the clay surface. Otherwise, the initial use of the clay bar would cause some abrasion of the paint before the abrasives are completely pushed into the clay.

To achieve the same result as Clay Magic or any other clay bar, one would have to mix a fine abrasive, such as a little Zaino Show Car Polish, into the clay. Because this might result in an infringement of the Clay Magic patents, I would caution against doing so.

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Old 06-25-2003, 07:49 PM
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Originally posted by Jaeger
I did a little research and discovered that Clay Magic has patents on their clay bar system which explain the theory behind the clay bar. Apparently, the clay is impregnated with abrasives (see Fig. 2 below).


When the clay is rubbed against the flat surface of the car, the fine abrasives remain fully embedded in the clay and do not abrade the paint (zero abrasive force applied to surface) However, if there is a protrusion on the paint (dirt, metal particle, brake dust), the protrusion bores a small hole in the clay and the abrasives surrounding the hole are uncovered. As the clay slides across the protrusion, the embedded abrasives polish (i.e., abrade) the protrusion and either smooth it or abrade it away entirely.

One thing this tells me is that prior to using, the clay bar should be pressed firmly against the flat surface to cause the embedded abrasives not to extrude from the clay surface. Otherwise, the initial use of the clay bar would cause some abrasion of the paint before the abrasives are completely pushed into the clay.

To achieve the same result as Clay Magic or any other clay bar, one would have to mix a fine abrasive, such as a little Zaino Show Car Polish, into the clay. Because this might result in an infringement of the Clay Magic patents, I would caution against doing so.
Zaino show car polish does not contain any abrasives. Therefore it will not yield the results you want for this purpose; however, I would not mix clay off the street with any type of polish. Yes clay is abrasive, buy either pinnacle poly clay, zaino Z18 or clay magic. I have tried almost all clay bars and i like those the best. Meguiars clay bar is pretty crummy, but if thats all you can get, buy it.

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