Clay bar for new car

[lee250]

I bought a new car in December and have washed it weekly since then and applied some Nufinish for some protection, this was before i got into detailing. I bought a PC buffer and all the waxes and sealants I should hopefully need to give it a good detail when I get a few days off work to do so. I bought a Mothers clay bar kit to use on it. Will the Mothers work for this? I didn't know at the time of purchasing it that there is different grades of clay bars. The paint doesn't feel real smooth after washing so I'm guessing that it needs clayed. Also I've read of people saying that claying caused scratching. Is that a possibility? Currently I don't have any swirls or anything that would call for polishing.

[jamesboyy]

Yes Mother's clay bar kit will work in your situation, just remember to use lots of lubrication/knead the clay often and work one panel at a time, also try feeling the paint with a bag on your hand, the baggie test will enhance your snice of feel....happy detailing

[lee250]

OK thanks. I don't plan on buying another car so I need to make this one last. I got menzerna power lock sealant and menzerna color lock wax to top it. I'm hoping to keep.it looking nice.

[Eldorado2k]

As jamesboyy mentioned, put your hand inside a thin cellophane plastic bag and slowly feel the paint to check if it's truly rough or smooth to the touch. Do it immediately after having washed it.

[2011 Kona Blue]

Get a clay mitt. Forget working with traditional clay bars.

[Eldorado2k]

+1 Mothers Claybar on a brand new car.

[Desertnate]

Agree on the Mother's kit working well. The Meguiars clay found here and in stores works well too.

I've not been won over by clay-replacement products. I tried for a while but could never get the same level of decontamination nor could I ever dial in the right amount of lube to prevent horrible marring. In the end, the Nanoskin pad was binned and I went back to my trusty clay.

[TTQ B4U]

Mothers OTC is my go to for clay and works very well. Pick up some CarPro Iron X too.

I know you said you have no swirls, etc. but using a good DA and some polish will reveal a lot and really go far to enhancing the paint. You'd be surprised. Also, after clay bar use you will have some marring that needs removed.

[lee250]

I have Iron-x and some poor boys black hole glaze. I also have the pinnacle xmt polishes in all 4 grades. So I guess I should do a wash then Iron-x then clay then light polish then glaze then sealant then wax. Does that sound correct?

[Zubair]

Clay mitts, prep sponges-meh... Nothing works as good as clay.

[The Guz]

I've not been won over by clay-replacement products. I tried for a while but could never get the same level of decontamination nor could I ever dial in the right amount of lube to prevent horrible marring. In the end, the Nanoskin pad was binned and I went back to my trusty clay.


Clay mitts, prep sponges-meh... Nothing works as good as clay.

Good to see I am not the only one that thinks this.

[2011 Kona Blue]

Mothers OTC is my go to for clay and works very well. Pick up some CarPro Iron X too.

I know you said you have no swirls, etc. but using a good DA and some polish will reveal a lot and really go far to enhancing the paint. You'd be surprised. Also, after clay bar use you will have some marring that needs removed.

Never had any issues with marring using my clay mitt. With that said I use a foam gun to cover the car first with my Mr. Pink. Then the clay mitt with my bucket of water and more Mr. Pink. Plenty of lubrication and never any issues. Leaves the paint smooth as glass. I've used a clay mitt on 5 plus year old cars that have never been clayed and removes the contaminants perfectly. I've tested to see how well the clay mitt does by using a traditional clay bar on sections after I used the clay mitt and nothing extra has been picked up.

Love my clay mitt and never going back to the old way of claying.

[Eldorado2k]

Never had any issues with marring using my clay mitt. With that said I use a foam gun to cover the car first with my Mr. Pink. Then the clay mitt with my bucket of water and more Mr. Pink. Plenty of lubrication and never any issues. Leaves the paint smooth as glass. I've used a clay mitt on 5 plus year old cars that have never been clayed and removes the contaminants perfectly. I've tested to see how well the clay mitt does by using a traditional clay bar on sections after I used the clay mitt and nothing extra has been picked up.

Love my clay mitt and never going back to the old way of claying.


I've never had the clay towel marr paint either, and I've never even bothered to try the fine grade [I only use the med. grade]
The towel gets paint smooth quik, but having tested it on white colored vehicles reveals the differences between clay and towel.
Even after the towel has gotten the white paint smooth, there are tiny specs [usually black or yellow] that remain visable on white colored cars. And my gripe with the towel is that in order to fully remove those last bits I have to go much harder to finally remove them completely.. Whereas with clay, it's a much less aggressive process, and alot better user experience to achieve that level of perfection on a vehicle when it really matters.

I love the towel for other peoples cars and it saves alot of time, but on the new white Kia that's parked out front, I reach for the claybar everytime. I don't mind the extra few minutes it takes if it comes out perfect.

[Eldorado2k]

.... But hey, maybe the DUB Wheel Cleaner or Iron X can help with that. I would think that's exactly what it's supposed to remove.

[2011 Kona Blue]

I've never had the clay towel marr paint either, and I've never even bothered to try the fine grade [I only use the med. grade]
The towel gets paint smooth quik, but having tested it on white colored vehicles reveals the differences between clay and towel.
Even after the towel has gotten the white paint smooth, there are tiny specs [usually black or yellow] that remain visable on white colored cars. And my gripe with the towel is that in order to fully remove those last bits I have to go much harder to finally remove them completely.. Whereas with clay, it's a much less aggressive process, and alot better user experience to achieve that level of perfection on a vehicle when it really matters.

I love the towel for other peoples cars and it saves alot of time, but on the new white Kia that's parked out front, I reach for the claybar everytime. I don't mind the extra few minutes it takes if it comes out perfect.

Very interesting about the white paint. I have the medium and fine grade clay mitt. I can clay a customers vehicle in the time it takes me to wash it. Around 15 plus minutes depending on size of vehicle. I always do the baggie test after each clay mitt usuage and the paint has been smooth as glass.

Im getting $30 dollars a pop to clay a small to medium vehicle. I'm getting $40 for larger vehicles. The clay mitt cost me $50 and I can get 70 plus uses out of it. It's a money maker and your giving the customer a good legite service. Its not like the clay mitt doesn't work and a fake. Thumbs up. Lol