Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General General clay barred the se today

sorta anyway....i bought a mothers cali gold (?) claybar kit which includes showtime detailer a claybar and a small bottle of wax for 16 bucks....bought it a couple weeks ago and lost the directions so i had to do it by memory (first time ever trying)

a month ago someone decided to give my hood a cool wrigleys mod....well i finally got it all removed weds after a good soapy wash with some dish soap and a fingernail (got great suggestion on how to remove but its so hot here now that the sun just baked the **** outta the gum and i rubbed a little more of it off everyday with my finger)

sprayed on some showtime and got to work....the dirt this thing pulled up was unbelievable ...had no idea a car could still be so dirty after a good washing and the difference in the sound and feel of the claybarred hood and the fender i didn't touch was like nite and day...fender felt and sounded rough hood smooth as glass...u can actually feel the finish smooth out as u run the clay back and forth

i didnt' wax as it was getting dark so thurs i rinsed the car off again and redid the hood and waxed it....looks pretty good if i do say so myself...then i did the roof and trunk and waxed them both but the sides will have to wait til another day

there is not a trace of the gum now thankfully and my car looks much better than it did although i didnt do a perfect job of it....i ran outta rags to finish the job and someone was threatening to eat my share of the bbq....some things are more important than the tour if thats possible

overall very happy with the product and had to answer a ton of questions while i was working in front in the driveway for folks asking what the heck i was doing

no zaino wars please

Uh, if you claybarred your car, you might want to wax it really soon as the clay removes the old wax also which opens your paint to the harmful rays of the sun. You might want to check on this. You do not want your paint exposed like this for too long, if at all...

Clay bar question: will that stuff remove the "spider-web" swirl marks that seem to come to every car over time? My Mystique's paint is really bad for that right now and buffing means the clearcoat gets a little thinner and I want to avoid that if at all possible...
Thanks for your opinions!

Actually, Dawn removed the old wax, but gdub, you need to get some wax on there.

LBuzzer, Clay bar removes contaminants in in the paint. It doesn't nothing fo swirl marks. You can try a high quality wax to cover it up, but a rubbing compund is the ony way to remove them and a buffer makes it quicker. I have tried a buffer once, butam not very good. So, I use rubbing compound by hand which takes longer. I recommend 3M Perfect It II #39005.

I barred my SVT, SE, SE and Grand Am. That $#)t really works! I do agree about waxing. It rained shortly after I did my car and it didn't seem to bead very well.
As far as the swirl marks, it won't work too good. I bought the Meguirs step 1 paint cleaner. (I couldn't find the Mother's equivalent). It is a very mild compound cleaner and it did take the fingernail marks under the door handles. That made a big difference.
I received a free bottle of Meguirs spray carnauba wax the other day and I tried it last night. It is a much thicker spray than some spray waxes I've used. I am VERY impressed with it. The finish is very smooth.
Get to waxing gdub

Oh btw, I don't recommend using the same bar for too many uses. I t does wear out. I almost didn't work anymore by the time I got to the Grand Am.
I wanted to buy another bar by itslef but it isn't sold alone. I could buy a bar that is twice the size for 4 bucks more at my parts store. It is the type that bodyshops and detailers use. It uses water as the lubricant instead of the showtime stuff. I really haven't decided if I'll buy that or another Mother's kit.
Any suggestions?

Go with the bar alone. It will probably last longer and you won't be stuck with two Mother's products you won't use.

sorry i guess i didn't type some things so clearly....i started on the car on wed with the wash and claybarring the hood...then darkness fell upon the land

so thurs i rinsed the car and dried it off and did the hood just a little more on the drivers side where it was still a little rough followed by a wax...then i barred the roof and waxed and then the trunk plus wax

overall i like the product and i think the showtime spray gives the bar a smooth surface to glide which i guess is to help minimize damage to the paint and maybe to keep the bar from sticking...without the spray u're gonna create friction that will melt the claybar i would think

and i definitely will not be using this car again after i do the sides

the wax im not so crazy about though...very very thin and at one point when i wasn't paying attention i bent over slightly and spilled a ****load on my fender and the ground

i'll find another wax to use next time use a claybar

does anyone know if theres' a recommendation on how often your finish would need something like this???

Anything I can do to cover chips on my front bumper other than repainting it...you know since we're on the subject.

www.paintscratch.com Order some touchup paint and follow the directions. It took me nearly 6 hours to touchup my hood alone, looks much better though.