Advice re Clay

[ajc347]

I'm in need of some advice please guys.

I've used Sonus Green clay on both my old car (18 months old) prior to selling it and my new car (less than two months old) and have noticed that the clay has not seemed to be doing anything.

I've ensured that the car is fully lubed when using the clay and have changed QD's to see if this made a difference.

There does not seem to be any contamination coming from the car onto the clay. The bar appears to be clean and dried on bugs etc have remained on the car itself.

Do I need a more aggressive clay?

If so, what would you recommend.

Any advice wuld be gratefully recieved.

[builthatch]

Originally Posted by ajc347

I'm in need of some advice please guys.

I've used Sonus Green clay on both my old car (18 months old) prior to selling it and my new car (less than two months old) and have noticed that the clay has not seemed to be doing anything.

I've ensured that the car is fully lubed when using the clay and have changed QD's to see if this made a difference.

There does not seem to be any contamination coming from the car onto the clay. The bar appears to be clean and dried on bugs etc have remained on the car itself.

Do I need a more aggressive clay?

If so, what would you recommend.

Any advice wuld be gratefully recieved.

hmm; for what it's worth, i personally don't use clay for that. i either pre-soak with 10:1 optimum powerclean then wash...or, if it's something natural that is really stubborn, something natural, i'll use this Pinnacle Safe Scrub Bug & Tar Pad can be used on glass, chrome, vinyl, fiberglass, paint and clearcoats—100% safe when used with soapy water.

if it's tar, sap or something petroleum, i'll use Prep-All from Walmart. It's a generic prep solvent/ adhesive remover.

i use clay for overspray, general fallout, pre-polish prep, etc.

my two cents.

[TheDodgeGuy]

I use WG clay, it takes off everything but the paint and clear coat.

[ryandamartini]

i dont think clay is the best choice to get bugs. it is more of wax / polish prep. the pinnacle scrubber hatch linked is what you should look at.

[Blackthornone]

Clay isn't for bug removal. That is what car wash soap is for. Clay is for removing embedded pieces of grit within the paint. Does the paint feel smooth or rough? Put you hand in a plastic sandwich bag. Rub it across the surface of the paint. Clay only if it feels rough. If it feels smooth, there is no need to clay. There are people who don't wash their cars thoroughly, and then clay and then show pictures of how filthy the clay looks after going over just one panel. That is just wasting clay. Better to wash the car a second time and rub harder now that the really harsh grime is off the car.

[Z06-Goose]

Claybar does remove bugs. Sure, there are other ways to remove bugs, and soap and water will help remove most of them, but the claybar will remove them without having to scrub hard over and over across the surface. I prefer this method, but it's up to the user whatever works best for them...

I do have a dedicated claybar to remove bugs. Use a lot of lube, the bugs should come out, but will not get imbedded into the claybar
I use Blue Magic Claybar. That's one of the best I've used, and it's always gotten the job done for me...

[killrwheels@autogeek]

There are indeed different abrasiveness of clays and green bars (like Pinnacle) are often the lightest and Megs even makes a burgundy super aggressive bar.

[Emile]

I have several bars of Sonus Green Clay. That clay is very soft and is geared towards clay-nuts who like to clay once a month...it doesn't even strip off wax or sealant.

A harder clay is needed in your case....perhaps some Meguiar's Detailing Clay Mild. It could also be that your 2 month old car just doesn't have much (if any) embedded contamination.

[Dwayne]

I also found that XMT 360 is great product to use with a microfiber applicator to remove the stubborn bugs that don't come off during washing and claying. The thing I like about it is that it leaves behind protection too.