Clay Bar Breaking down

[JC260]

Not sure if I'm posting in the right area, but I'll try here anyway!

During a full detail on one of my cars recently, the clay bar I was using began to break down and stick to both my hand and the car.

I tried another piece of clay and the same happened again. I also tried watering down the lube more than the recommended mix to see if it made any difference but still had the same issue.
I'm using a (brand new) Pinnacle XMT Speed Clay bar and Dodo Juice Born Slippy concentrate.

Am I doing something wrong or is this a product compatability issue? I have heard stories of clay/lube compatability problems before, but not with two better quality brands.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[TopThatDetail]

Are you doing it in direct sunlight?

[JC260]

I carried out the whole detail in my garage on cool-to-touch paintwork and the weather was mild so I don't believe any environmental factors are to blame.

I've clayed many cars before and this is the first time I've experienced this sort of deterioration! :dunno:

[Flash Gordon]

Get a fresh piece and use water instead of lube

[wdmaccord]

Is this the first time using the XMT clay? I just ordered some so I hope there isn't an issue with it. I have used Pinnacle Ultra Poly clay with BF WDRW diluted to clay lube specs. Never had any issues with those 2.

What I did have issues with was I was using BF Clay Cleaner/Extender and one time I didn't rinse the clay well enough before I stored it and BF CCE basically disintegrated it between uses. It was like chewed bubble gum. So if you use BFCCE, make sure and rinse the clay really well before storing.

[ScottB]

I had a couple clay bars that prematurely bit the dust and attributed most of it to compatibility between other soaps or lubes. I now use ONR almost exclusively with clay bars and had no real issues. Remember to store the claybar in a case as possible and outside of big temp changes.

[inDetail]

All clay bars are made by the same company in the US because of patent laws. It does not matter who or what brand you buy it's the same stuff. The only difference is color and how aggresive it is. The only other option is clay that is made in Japan that cannot be legally sold within the US. Example Riccardo would be made by the Japanese company that holds the european patent. If you buy a brand name clay you are getting the same thing that every other brand sells. (I would suggest staying away from the ebay no name clay.) You may just have caught a bum bar that the mix was not correct in the manufacturing process. With that said it's not a issue of your lube working with a different brand of clay.
I have clayed out doors without issues. I don't know if it was a new bar or older one. I would not recommend watering down your lube. BF makes a clay extender spray. I never used it before maybe someone else has and they can give you a review.
I would look at all these possibilities:
Is it spent
How do you store it.
Are you using plenty of lube and not letting it hit dry paint by accident. You should be going through a bunch of lube claying a car.
Are you wiping each panel down after the clay removing any left residue before you go back and clay the same spots again.
Just some thoughts.
If you continue to use clay buy the biggest cheapest brand name bars you can find. It's all the same stuff. I just pick them up via bogo and compare size of the bars. In my search I have found that CG usually has the biggest bars at the best prices unless you get a bogo, close out, or a special promotion discount.

[wdmaccord]

The BF Clay Cleaner & Extender works great during the process. Just make sure you thoroughly rinse the clay when you are finished (if you are going to store and re-use it), otherwise the CCE will disintegrate the clay. I know this first hand!

If you want to try out CCE, you can get it on the free sample page at autogeek when you place an order. You will get 4 oz. which is plenty for testing it out on a couple cars. I seem to use about 2 oz. per car depending on how dirty the paint is.

[JC260]

Is this the first time using the XMT clay?
Yes. It was on special on autogeek, so I thought I'd give it a go.


I don't know if it was a new bar or older one. I would not recommend watering down your lube.
I would look at all these possibilities:
Is it spent

It was brand new - I opened it just before I started!

How do you store it.
In the plastic storage container it came in, but like I said, it was brand new.


Are you using plenty of lube and not letting it hit dry paint by accident. You should be going through a bunch of lube claying a car.

I'm using Dodo Juice Born Slippy Lube Concentrate, diluted using recommended ratio on the bottle and I'm not shy with how much I'm using! :)

Are you wiping each panel down after the clay removing any left residue before you go back and clay the same spots again.
Yep, each section gets wiped down with microfiber after it's been clayed.

A dodgy batch of clay sounds like it could be the cause, otherwise I have no idea.
It's just a little frustrating as I have two new clay bars and a full bottle of lube that aren't compatible!