# Mother's Clay Bar



## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

Hate to start a thread like this with no pictures, but my cameras busted right now(I'll try to fix) and this info is just too good to not report on! 
I just picked up the Mother's clay bar system and used it twice on the GTO. Works wonders!! Makes the paint so smooth it feels like silk sheets. It transformed the paint into near show car quality. I also used the clay bar on the glass and OMG it's never been better. I had a few wiper marks on the windshield and it got rid of all but one line. Did the inside and outside of the glass, did the bumpers, trim and wheels. The car has never looked so good. Looking forward to a few shows this summer!

I also used the clay bar on the Harley, which looks awesome now! I used it on the paint, the chrome, the windshield, the rims, and the bike looks brand new. Now if I could just find something to clean the spindles and spokes with and I'd be happy! 


Mother's Clay Bar System highly recommended!! Verry labor intensive, but well worth the effort for the results!!!


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## BWinc (Sep 21, 2005)

Look forward to the pics. Can't wait to be able to do my first clay/wash/polish on my GTO.

Is there a significant difference using Mother's clay bar to another brand (Maguires, etc.)?


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## 66tempestGT (Nov 28, 2009)

ive seen it used at work for years with very good results. now that i work from home i bought some for myself about a month ago.


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## BobS (Jul 28, 2005)

Wow. Never thought of using it on the glass.
But yes, that clay bar's a miracle worker.


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## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

I had polished it with a product called Race glaze. That helped alot. I used about 6 bottles and made about 20 laps around the car. Yes, it was orange pealed bad. I should have wet sanded and buffed, but I know it's really easy to screw that up so I figured hand polishing would be safer. It looked really good after the Race Glaze, but now looks even better. I haven't seen a clay bar system from any other company, but seriously, it's just a chunk of clay.


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## 68greengoat (Sep 15, 2005)

I use Race Glaze, excellent product........


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## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

68greengoat said:


> I use Race Glaze, excellent product........


I'd say as much of a difference the race glaze made, this makes at least twice the difference. If you were happy with the race glaze, you'll be floored by the clay bar. Pick up a couple extra bottles of the detail spray as I used alot of it. Trying to upload a video now, but it's slow going. My luck it'll error out just before completion.


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

I clay-bared the '70 last summer with Maguires. WOW. I then did all my vehicles WOWOWOWOWOWOW.
The stuff is amazing. I followed up with Carnuba wax. I redid the '70 a few weeks ago since I worked on it over the winter. Smooth as glass.

My wife's 04' GA/SCT the paint/clear-coat is so deep it looks wet... the car looks as good as it did in the showroom when I bought it for her.


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## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

Short video showing the results.


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## jetstang (Nov 5, 2008)

Man, you gotta lot of tire up under that car. What size are they and did you minitub it? Look like 295s, I like it...
Oh, the detailing looks nice also.


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## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

jetstang said:


> Man, you gotta lot of tire up under that car. What size are they and did you minitub it? Look like 295s, I like it...
> Oh, the detailing looks nice also.


They are 295/50/15s and no tub, but I did have to trim the inside fender well to get them to fit. Drag bags help keep the rear from squatting under acceleration. Love the look of the fat tire in back!! :cool


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## GroundHog (Oct 16, 2009)

Did you polish/wax after claybarring? If you think the clay bar alone worked wonders, adding a coat of polish followed by wax will really bring out a mirror finish. 

At least use a good sealant/wax after claybarring. Chances are if you picked that many contaminants there was either no wax to begin with (allowing particles and impurities to adhere to the paint easier) or the previous wax sealed the contaminants in. After removing those nasty particles, don't let your paint stay exposed!


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## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

Like GTO JUDGE, I followed up with the Mother's Carnauba wax.


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## GroundHog (Oct 16, 2009)

Cool. I recently did a 5-6 hour detail on each of my other cars that are black. I'm always amazed at the before/after of a nice detail.


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## 66tempestGT (Nov 28, 2009)

really nice looking paint job. i had no idea its not sanded and buffed. :cheers


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## 68greengoat (Sep 15, 2005)

Rukee said:


> Short video showing the results.
> YouTube - 1965 GTO & 1998 Harley Dyna Glide Convertable after the clay bar.


Looks good Ruk! The birds were a nice touch too. Way to incorporate them in your vid!:lol:

I've heard of clay barring for years, what exactly does it do? Remove impurities in the paint? Might have to give it a try once I get the mechanical gremlins worked out.....:shutme


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## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

68greengoat said:


> Looks good Ruk! The birds were a nice touch too. Way to incorporate them in your vid!:lol:
> 
> I've heard of clay barring for years, what exactly does it do? Remove impurities in the paint? Might have to give it a try once I get the mechanical gremlins worked out.....:shutme


Thanks.
It's more of like a micro cleaner/polisher. It cleans the paint/chrome/glass and then is like the finest sandpaper wet sanding. It's so fine that you don't even see any haze or scratches like you do with wet sanding, but you get near the same results. And the carnauba wax just sets it off. :cheers


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## GroundHog (Oct 16, 2009)

68greengoat said:


> I've heard of clay barring for years, what exactly does it do? Remove impurities in the paint?


Over time, contaminants build up on top of the paint. If you run the back of your hand over your paint, you can often feel small bumps and rough surfaces. 

The clay slides over the top of the paint using the detailing solution/quick polish as a lubricant. Applying a slight pressure to the clay bar and working in small sections, as it passes over the paint these contaminants are basically scraped off the paint and get trapped in the claybar, safely and cleanly removing them from the surface. Be sure to fold and knead the clay in between every few passes to get a fresh clay surface.

You can actually feel the friction of the clay bar removing the grit and contaminants as you pass over them. You really won't believe how much it actually picks up. Once you can't feel the friction of the clay over particles and it just smoothly glides over the paint, you're done with that section. You can wipe off the remaining detailing solution with a microfiber cloth and voila....smooth as silk. 

Remember, your paint is exposed to the world now. A coat of polish with an orbital buffer will turn the paint finish into a bright, gleaming, mirror-like finish. A coat of wax it will seal this finish in and protect it from future contaminants bonding with the paint and causing nasty marks and waterspots and whatnot. Many people assume the wax brings out the shine, but it's really the polishing step that does that. The wax usually acts like more of a sealant. 

Now go back and run the back of your hand over the paint and enjoy the difference. 

*Scratch Warning* Because of the ability of the clay to grab any tiny paticles, if you ever drop it on the ground throw it away and buy a new one. It will pick up rocks and dirt and can wind up etching scrathes in your paint if you reuse it.


My Cliff's Notes on a detail.


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## 68greengoat (Sep 15, 2005)

Should a person wash the car with detergent first to help remove some of the wax, or, can you just use regular car wash and the clay will do the rest? Maybe it doesn't really matter which option.......


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

68greengoat said:


> Should a person wash the car with detergent first to help remove some of the wax, or, can you just use regular car wash and the clay will do the rest? Maybe it doesn't really matter which option.......


Just finished clay-barring the wife's GA-GT... Showroom!

Wash the car first then chamois dry.
Apply detailer of liberal amounts on the car and clay it.
Wipe off as you go with a mico-fiber cloth, (Maguiers supplies one in the kit)
When finished with the car apply the wax let haze, wipe off. 
Simple steps just takes a while.


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## GroundHog (Oct 16, 2009)

68greengoat said:


> Should a person wash the car with detergent first to help remove some of the wax, or, can you just use regular car wash and the clay will do the rest? Maybe it doesn't really matter which option.......


NEVER....I repeat....NEVER wash your car with dishwasher detergent. Even though it will strip wax off, it will also strip more than that. The harsh degreasers in dish detergent will eat away at your clear coat and eventually cause paint damage. I have seen proof of this and had this verified by many professional and reputable detailers. 

There are other clearcoat-safe citrus based washes out there that will safely remove wax. 

If you wash the car and you see the water bead up in nice, round, droplets then there is a decent layer of wax left and you should use the citrus based wash or something similar prior to claybarring for good measure (if you plan on detailing). If you see the water disperse over the entire body panels in a uniform fashion, then there is little to no wax layer and you can go right to claybarring.


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

Just to give you an idea how good the clay bar works.... Although I keep after her car it really pops after its clayed. NO it's not wet not bad for over 6 years..


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## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

^That looks awesome!! :cheers


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## 68greengoat (Sep 15, 2005)

Well, I went to walmart to pick up some oil and a filter for my truck(castrol). Saw they had a clay bar kit by Meguiars. Didn't have one by Mothers. So I bought it and will give it a try once I get my car back.

BTW,. they're looking good Judge..... Might have to do the wifes Charger "after" the Goat is done...


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