misterp Posted October 2, 2007 Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 I have used both the Maguier's and Zaino claybar products in the past and observed that the Maguires leaves very noticeable micro scratches, the Zaino isn't so bad but after a few uses it does dull the paint and either way I have to grab the Porter Cable and buff down the whole truck to get it glass smooth again. I mentioned this to Sprayed99, that I don't clay bar any more than once a year and instead use the buffer and he advised that I was damaging my paint more this way, that before you buff you should always clay bar or else you are just driving the contaminants deeper into the paint So what is the gentlest claybar you've used? Any other thoughts? Mr. P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbaker Posted October 2, 2007 Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 I have used both the Maguier's and Zaino claybar products in the past and observed that the Maguires leaves very noticeable micro scratches, the Zaino isn't so bad but after a few uses it does dull the paint and either way I have to grab the Porter Cable and buff down the whole truck to get it glass smooth again. I mentioned this to Sprayed99, that I don't clay bar any more than once a year and instead use the buffer and he advised that I was damaging my paint more this way, that before you buff you should always clay bar or else you are just driving the contaminants deeper into the paint So what is the gentlest claybar you've used? Any other thoughts? Mr. P. Mr. P: I'm almost hesitant to reply as I know that there are far more qualified detailers here, but I have experienced similar results and chalked it up to being caused by the contaminants being held in the clay. It seemed that the cleaner I could get the paint using good wash techniques, the more mileage I could get out of a claybar. So my goal has been to make the claybar do as little as possible and to replace them the first sign that its at the end of its useful life. Does this fit what you are seeing? Or are you coming to the conclusion that if you used a zaino cb and a meguire's cb equally that you would see micro scratches with the meguires before the zaino? JB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misterp Posted October 2, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 Thanks for joining in - No I make sure to use fresh claybar; and the Maguires is far more aggressive abrasive, in fact I use it for cleaning the bottom of the doors & fenders where road crap accumulates, it leaves a finish like you just rubbed a tshirt on fresh paint... Mr. P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big O Posted October 2, 2007 Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 I'm sure you know this but, they make several grades of clay, much like pads. Maybe you need to lay off the steriods a little Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JF-03-SS Posted October 2, 2007 Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 I have used Zaino and Adamspolish clay bar. I thought that the Zaino was softer and less abrasive then the Adamspolish clay bar. Adamspolish def. left more swirls/scratches but I am also doing everything by hand. I do need to buy a P.C. buffer and swirls will be gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fireman31 Posted October 2, 2007 Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 I don't have much experience with clay, but I have found that applying a good coat of 3M Imperial Hand Glaze had a similar effect as clay....always leaves my finish nice and smooth for a good coat of 3M Perfect It Show Car wax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylan06SS Posted October 2, 2007 Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 (edited) There are grades of clay... and while the color coding isn't constant, its pretty close. Most medium grade clays are purple or blue in color... these are intended for removal of HEAVY contaminants (rail dust & paint over spray) and oxidation... I only recommend the use of this type if you intend to buff out your paint afterwards or if it is your first time claying. Fine clays are usually a white color and while they won't do as much surface cleaning as the purple bars they are good for your average contamination. Use a white bar on paint that is properly maintained and you won't see micro scratches like you would with a purple bar. In between the two are the yellows (mothers ca gold, DER, meguiars, etc.) these are a balance of the 2 others. Mr. P... an alternative to claying is using a cleaner wax, like DER Tuff Stuff, or Adams Revive polish. These are non abbrasive and will take down minor surface contaminations. I use these in 2 scenarios: 1) after a purple clay bar on badly contaminated paint to ensure its all completely clean 2) if paint is not in need of clay, but I'll be applying a fresh coat of protection. As for "driving contaminants deeper into the paint" I don't believe thats likely.... especially with GM paint. The paint on GM rides tends to be pretty hard in comparison to say Porsche or newer BMW's, if you were to use a mild (white) pad on the PC with a cleaner wax, or mild polish, you'd be much more likely to cut down the contaminants than "drive them in" My suggestion is to either get a good cleaner wax into your regiment between clay sessions or invest in some fine grade clay. Also make sure you're not using your clay too much... the bars are only good for so many uses, once they've picked up enough stuff they might as well be a sanding block. Edited October 2, 2007 by Dylan06SS (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detjoe Posted October 4, 2007 Report Share Posted October 4, 2007 about how many washes will a clay bar last? The zanio one is so soft, it is almost hard to use if it is too hot. What about polishing thru the clear...is that possible, well I know you can, but if you use a pc polisher is it safer?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylan06SS Posted October 6, 2007 Report Share Posted October 6, 2007 about how many washes will a clay bar last?The zanio one is so soft, it is almost hard to use if it is too hot. What about polishing thru the clear...is that possible, well I know you can, but if you use a pc polisher is it safer?? A large claybar will treat an average vehicle 6-8 times in my experience w/ moderate contamination... less if the vehicle gets nasty between uses. Thats actually alot when you consider that you probably don't need to clay anymore than every 4 months. The Zaino bar is soft, but all claybars are not good to use on a HOT surface... the bar should be maleable, but not too soft... if it streaks heavily while using its too hot and you should either wait for the vehicle to cool down or wait until you have shade to work in. Yes, you can polish thru clear. With a PC you can polish thru a clearcoat, it would take a lot of time, but you could. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misterp Posted October 6, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2007 ...Yes, you can polish thru clear. With a PC you can polish thru a clearcoat, it would take a lot of time, but you could. I had a dealer scuff the paint off a piece of cladding last year bad enough it needed repainting; as an experiment I used my PC and 3M Perfect-It for over 1/2-hour straight and only then started to see an appreciable difference in the clear coat. The PC is very forgiving; a rotary buffer would take off clear coat in a heartbeat if it is turning too fast or you linger too long. Mr. P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylan06SS Posted October 7, 2007 Report Share Posted October 7, 2007 Yeah... I should clarify... a PC takes down your clear each time you use it by a very very very very small margin... we're talking infinitesimally thin layers of clear. The more aggressive the pad and polish obviously the more clear you take down. That being said if you PC your paint every time you wash over time you can start to get thru the clear... this tends to be an issue more if you have a poor paint job to start with. I've seen factory ford paint so thin that under the 500w hallogens I could actually see thru the pigment to the primer. Should the average person using a PC be concerned? No. Can it happen? Yes, but only in very rare cases or unless you actually TRY to burn thru. The oscilating movement keeps it from building heat, heat and friction are what will remove clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.