is there such a product that replaces clay barring

[ricadodetail]

I want to know if there is such a chemical to use that does what the clay bar does but in chemical form. I want to know maybe it will last longer if such a product exists. Clay bar is simple enough but maybe there is a more economical way instead of buying so many bars to do clients cars save them a couple of bucks here and there.

[greg0303]

Re: is there such a product that replaces clay barring

Magna Hi Tech Sponge:
http://www.autodetailingsolutions.net/bhs-212.html

[Murr1525]

Re: is there such a product that replaces clay barring

Yeah, thats about it. Gets different reviews, but should be ok for general detailing.

There are chemicals for tar, or iron fallout, but they arent any cheaper.

[JoshM813]

Re: is there such a product that replaces clay barring

IronX I've heard is pretty effective but its $$$

[ricadodetail]

Thank you for the feed back. Has enyobe heard of nanoskin was trying to get more info on it.

[Shawn Devlin]

Re: is there such a product that replaces clay barring

I heard some buzz about the Autoscrub product a few months back, one member on another forum tried it and mentioned he liked it so much swore off clay. I have no experience with it personally but looks interesting.

IronX and IronCut are decent, but as mentioned very expensive and also does nothing to remove non-ferrous contaminants commonly found on paint such as tar and tree sap. After my supply of IronCut is depleted I doubt I will restock.

Surf City Garage has a 'Beyond Clay' polish that incorporates a polish into the mix while removing contaminants. I played with it a little and it did indeed leave a smooth surface but I was underwhelmed by the correcting ability of the polish, Meguiar's polishes certainly have me spoiled in that regard. If you would like a sample I'd be happy to send you some, but be warned that it turns your pads purple.

Hoping the Auto Wax (aka Clay Magic) patent is finished once and for all in 2013, the monopoly they have on manufacturing clay certainly doesn't help the consumer with only one source for clay. Competition should hopefully reduce the price of clay if so.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: is there such a product that replaces clay barring

Watch out with some of these clay substitutes as we've seen varying levels of paint marring with them, and in some cases it's been pretty severe marring. That's not to say they're all bad, far from it - heck, we've seen traditional clay cause some marring in some cases - just that you need to make sure you're using it properly and not being overly aggressive with these alternative products. As with anything, no one product is going to be perfect for all situations.

The product Shawn mentioned is interesting because they show it be used with a rotary buffer in their video. Stop and think about that for a second: if you've got a finish with light bonded contaminants and you spin almost any decent paint cleaner on a rotary with a wool pad (as shown in their video) you'll pull off the bonded contaminants, too. Is that the most effective or safest way to do it? And is busting out the rotary an easy thing for most enthusiasts to do? OK, they do say it can be done with an orbital buffer, too, but it just seems that pulling out the buffer for some light claying is a lot more work than you should have to do. Now, this machine "buffing" for removal of very light contaminants might not make much of a difference, but with heavier contaminants you'll be picking all the junk up and holding it in the pad - the same pad that is spinning against the paint. Before the introduction of clay it was pretty common for guys to remove bonded contaminants by aggressively compounding the surface, so this concept is nothing new. It just may not be the best way to go in many cases.

[Bjkearns]

Re: is there such a product that replaces clay barring

clay is a product that is here to stay

[FRS]

Re: is there such a product that replaces clay barring

Nothing wrong with clay, indeed.

[STRIFE]

Re: is there such a product that replaces clay barring

I've been looking at this speedy prep towel (fine grade) with great interest....very pricey tho...$55

http://www.autogeek.net/speedy-surface-prep-towel.html

Anyone try this "fine" grade towel?

I still have like 4-5 large bars of Mother's yellow clay....so i'm not in a rush to try anything new...

[ca2kjet]

Re: is there such a product that replaces clay barring

My order which included a Speedy Prep Towel (Fine Grade) just arrived today. I'm looking forward to trying it out on a full size work van (hopefully tomorrow or this weekend). I cringe thinking about trying to use clay on that huge surface again and since the paint is rock hard and it's white, I'm not too worried about minor marring. I've read that the fine grade is many times better at preventing marring than the original. Do I expect this to completely replace clay? No, at least, not for me. I'm sure I'll still use clay dependent on project. Who knows, maybe after trying it out my opinion will change on that...

[Meticulous-Detail]

Re: is there such a product that replaces clay barring

Autoscrub Pad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3kF9hT69_Y

[RaskyR1]

Re: is there such a product that replaces clay barring

I have the speedy prep towel and the pad. So far they have worked great, no more fingers cramping, but as Mike pointed out, they can induce some significant marring on certain paints. If you are working on a new car and don't intend to do any paint polishing I would stick with the OTC Megs clay.