Clay bar longevity?

rotzilla

rotzilla

New member
Joined
Sep 28, 2011
Messages
79
Reaction score
0
First I would like to say thanks to this web page's members. I would never have clayed a car had it not been for the instructions and video's found on this site.

My wife's car is a 09 sonata with 75k highway miles, she commutes daily and always has a dirty car, unless I confiscate it.

The plastic bag test revealed how poor the paint really was. After the proceedure she thinks I should clay weekly... OMG

How do you tell when a clay bar is junk?

It was a meguires kit.
 
Whoa! No need to clay weekly, that's for sure. MAYBE once or twice a year. You can tell by doing the same baggy trick.
As for the clay, if it's still pliable, soft and moist, you're good to go.
 
Run the clay under hot water for 10 seconds or so. I mean HOT. Then kneed it and it should be good to go
 
When the clay gets all nasty dirty it's time for a new piece. As it's used it picks up more and more crud within itself and can become abrasive and do more harm than good. If it's still relatively white and hasn't been dropped on the ground it should be fine.
 
Longevity is going to depend on the amount of contaminants on the paint.

Our clay bar is gold in color. As it loads up with contaminants it changes to a tan shade instead. Also, it loses its stickiness and won't stick to your hand.

Those 2 indicators are what work for me.

Usually, though, it gets dropped before it's no longer useable.
 
I really don't think there's a particular number of vehicles, or jobs a clay bar can do. It really depends on what the jobs are. I've tossed some clay bars after one use. Just didn't like what I was picking up, and felt it better to toss it and be better safe than sorry.

Just gotta use your best judgment. If it physically looks dirty, and a much darker shade than when you started...probably time to toss it.
 
Kristopher1129 said:
I really don't think there's a particular number of vehicles, or jobs a clay bar can do. It really depends on what the jobs are. I've tossed some clay bars after one use. Just didn't like what I was picking up, and felt it better to toss it and be better safe than sorry.

Just gotta use your best judgment. If it physically looks dirty, and a much darker shade than when you started...probably time to toss it.
Click to expand...

^ agreed!

Also for myself, I break a small piece off a clay bar and use that rather than the whole thing, it means if I do drop a piece I can toss it without wasting too much clay.
 
Thanks gonna toss it.

The other car I am going to do had some body work done approx. 4 months ago, partial repaint, the entire car was buffed by the shop.

Is it safe to clay, or do I need to avoid the newer paint?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top