Just bought Mothers California Gold Clay Bar Kit

timaishu said:
I like the kits towel especially. Quality towel. Now the one that came with the meguiars kit, not so much.
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+1. I love the towel that came with the Mother's kit. It is FANTASTIC at removing polish. I also really like the clay bar. I keep buying the kit because I like the clay and love the towel.
 
KillaCam said:
It's a good kit. The clay works well and it comes with a nice towel. Quick detailer smells great. I just wish they included a little box to keep the clay in after you use it, but that might be asking for too much lol
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The Meguiar's OTC kit contains one.

Last weekend I tried two clays by chance. When I went to clay a car, all I could find was leftover (but clean) yellow clay from the Mother's kit. A little later while looking for something, I found the blue Meguiar's professional clay (in the short round plastic jar...I use 'mild'). I went back over the areas I clayed with Mother's and was blown away at how much the yellow clay left behind. It looked like I never did it to begin with. I can find these at Pep Boys in the bodywork section--not the car wash section--along with 105, 205, a couple of other Meg's Pro products AND low-tack green tape.

Seems like this section gets the least amount of traffic too (a quick check of the parking lot confirms this).

Texarkana said:
Well I just used it, worked quite well. After rinsing the car down I flattened the clay bar, using one hand to find gunk on the clear coat, the other to apply pressure to the clay bar as I dragged it up and down across the surface. Got most of it off but I need to wait for the temps to drop into the low 70s to successfully get the rest
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Check out the "baggy test" if you haven't already. A sandwich bag over your hand like a glove increases the tactile feedback you'll get from the paint. In other words, dirt is much more pronounced through a plastic sandwich bag than it is through your naked palm, making it easier to find.
 
JBL said:
The Meguiar's OTC kit contains one.

Last weekend I tried two clays by chance. When I went to clay a car, all I could find was leftover (but clean) yellow clay from the Mother's kit. A little later while looking for something, I found the blue Meguiar's professional clay (in the short round plastic jar...I use 'mild'). I went back over the areas I clayed with Mother's and was blown away at how much the yellow clay left behind. It looked like I never did it to begin with. I can find these at Pep Boys in the bodywork section--not the car wash section--along with 105, 205, a couple of other Meg's Pro products AND low-tack green tape.

Seems like this section gets the least amount of traffic too (a quick check of the parking lot confirms this).



Of course the mild clay is going to remove more contaminants, it's also going to mar the finish. For a car that isn't heavily soiled with surface contaminants the otc kit is good enough, especially for those who don't have experience removing swirls and marred paint.
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wgilles said:
+1. I love the towel that came with the Mother's kit. It is FANTASTIC at removing polish. I also really like the clay bar. I keep buying the kit because I like the clay and love the towel.
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:iagree:
 
Ok, It looks like the clay bar didn't do what I thought it did. It took the some things off, but the tree sap and bug residue is still there. I tried Meguiars Ultimate Rubbing Compound & Turtle Wax Bug & Tar remover.

The main question is can I wash my car more than once a week without dulling or damaging paint? I was going to use some diluted rubbing alcohol, wash the car again and wax it for good measure tomorrow.
 
KillaCam said:
It's a good kit. The clay works well and it comes with a nice towel. Quick detailer smells great. I just wish they included a little box to keep the clay in after you use it, but that might be asking for too much lol
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I was thinking (and we all know how dangerous that is) that spritzing it with QD and then storing it in freezer ziploc would be great for storage. Thoughts?
 
Texarkana said:
The main question is can I wash my car more than once a week without dulling or damaging paint? I was going to use some diluted rubbing alcohol, wash the car again and wax it for good measure tomorrow.
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You can wash as often as you like without worry of dulling the paint - assuming you're using a proper car wash and good technique. Make sure you use a quality mitt and the proper towels for drying. BTW, i see no reason to use diluted alcohol as part of your washing process.

As for the clay leaving tree sap and bugs on the paint - how long did you use the clay in those areas? Unless the sap has been baked on for years, clay should remove it.
 
The crud has been baked on for the past few weeks, but temps here are averaging 90-110 every week. I called a local detailer and he told me that regardless of what I use I have to wait for the temps to drop so the sap will soften up. I tried a 50-50 mix of water to rubbing alcohol to no avail, so I just washed the car with a quarter sized dot of dish soap w/ degreaser mixed with my usual amount of turtle wax ice, then I waxed with the synthetic wax. The next time I wash I'm going to dry it off, go to my grandfathers house and use his garage to use the clay bar out of the sun. If that doesn't work I'll have to take it to a detail shop when the temps drop for an emergency wash, clay bar & wax along with paint restoration.

The thing thats really pissing me off is the temps are so hot here no matter where I park my vehicle to wash it I end up with water spots.

P.S. I wash with a microfiber cloth, two buckets and I dry with the cobra guzzler waffle weave towels.
 
try some odourless mineral spirits on the tree sap. Should soften it up and make removal much easier.

Wash the area afterwards and slap some wax on and you're done.
 
I'll just take it to the local detail shop. I found out today I wasn't drying properly, I left swirl marks on the vehicle by folding the waffle weave towel and applying pressure while wiping off water. For $100 they will remove surface impuraties and residue and use an orbital buffer to apply the polish. I'll make sure to dab the surface or place the towel on the surface and gently drag it across to dry from now on.
 
On a lighter note, just got back from the movies, the new Batman was EPIC!!!!
 
Texarkana said:
I'll just take it to the local detail shop. I found out today I wasn't drying properly, I left swirl marks on the vehicle by folding the waffle weave towel and applying pressure while wiping off water. For $100 they will remove surface impuraties and residue and use an orbital buffer to apply the polish. I'll make sure to dab the surface or place the towel on the surface and gently drag it across to dry from now on.
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for a little more than that you can get a DA and be able to do it yourself. Don't want to generalize too much but places that charge $100 for what you are describing won't polish out anything, just use a product with heavy fillers which will be gone in a few washes...

something that you might want to consider is to add a drying aid to your process. Something like duragloss aquawax will add lubrication while you dry and leave some protection behind as well.
 
embolism said:
for a little more than that you can get a DA and be able to do it yourself. Don't want to generalize too much but places that charge $100 for what you are describing won't polish out anything, just use a product with heavy fillers which will be gone in a few washes...

something that you might want to consider is to add a drying aid to your process. Something like duragloss aquawax will add lubrication while you dry and leave some protection behind as well.
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Never used a orbital buffer, I'll leave it to the pros - Don't want to burn through the clear coat.

The reviews of this place are pretty good.

Before and After Photos | The Gift Auto Detailing Center

Reviews | The Gift Auto Detailing Center
 
Got an estimate this morning, For $150 they'll:

Wash & Dry
Clay Bar
Use a machine to buff out swirls and scratches
Polish & Wax
Clean and wax the rims

I'll take it in on August 9th, they said it'll take 3-4 hours. The guy who owns the place commended me on taking such good care of the paint, said most cars that come in are in horrible shape and neglected. ;D
 
Texarkana said:
Got an estimate this morning, For $150 they'll:

Wash & Dry
Clay Bar
Use a machine to buff out swirls and scratches
Polish & Wax
Clean and wax the rims

I'll take it in on August 9th, they said it'll take 3-4 hours. The guy who owns the place commended me on taking such good care of the paint, said most cars that come in are in horrible shape and neglected. ;D
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Hmmm, three to four hours seems a bit... quick for all that.
 
umi000 said:
Hmmm, three to four hours seems a bit... quick for all that.
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Tell ya what, start your own detailing shop, stay in business for 25 years with enough profit to open up another location and a mobile detatailing van, then you can come tell how long it takes to detail a vehicle, sound like a deal?
 
Texarkana said:
Tell ya what, start your own detailing shop, stay in business for 25 years with enough profit to open up another location and a mobile detatailing van, then you can come tell how long it takes to detail a vehicle, sound like a deal?
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What's with the smart-ass reply? You joined a detailing forum on the internet, where people are free to share their opinion. But hey, you go ahead and do what you want - not like it'll be my problem if the shop you chose does a poor job on your car. I'm out of this discussion.

Francis
 
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