[07lilredwagon]

A Meguier's clay bar and cleaner kit was on sale at the local parts store the other day, so I thought, what the heck....

wow!...what a difference! It took off so much contamination, found especially on the top surfaces of the car, and gave it a silky smooth finish again.

The wax went on beautifully and now it has a really deep shine....

I did get a power buffer to try out but was too chicken to try it on the wagon (E91) until I get some experience under my belt.

if you have not tried this yet...it really works great.

JP

[KOWTOWN]

A nice round of clay bar/polish/wax can get your paint feeling and looking like new. It can do wonders

[320IN54]

Claybars are a must have for anybody who washes their own car. It cleans so much more than just scrubbing your car its actually crazy how dirty a car can be despite washing it if you dont claybar.

[ctuna]

clay bar followed by klasse and then klasse high gloss so shiny.
I use the buffer on the large flat surfaces
hand buff on complex spots.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=16

https://www.e90post.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=13

[rasa bmw]

clay bars are good,,but use them sparingly,,also do a proper cleanxe before hand..like de-tar and iron x or similar,,then a clay bar

[Volasko]

I found the pads just as effective as the clay bars and way easier to use.

https://www.amazon.com/Nanoskin-AS-0...64X0TZ2JC40H6Q

[DS3IAM]

If you haven't used Iron removal type of products .. it's a must. It will make your clay bar job a lot easier. This product price is reasonable and works great! You will immediately feel the difference using the iron removal!


https://www.griotsgarage.com/product...saAiYKEALw_wcB

[ckanderson]

Clay towels are the new hotness. You can use them while washing your car.

[MTK24]

If your car is waxed and maintained properly to begin with, there should be no need to use a clay bar....

[dcorn]

Originally Posted by Vampire335i

If your car is waxed and maintained properly to begin with, there should be no need to use a clay bar....

Here's "that guy"...

[Barrique91]

Iron remover/clay bar/paint correction/sealant. Made my Barrique wagon look brand new.

[mecheng77]

Originally Posted by Volasko

I found the pads just as effective as the clay bars and way easier to use.

https://www.amazon.com/Nanoskin-AS-0...64X0TZ2JC40H6Q

Pretty cool, never seen that before. I will try this, never
Clayed before but I did the bag test and I could feel the
Contaminates.

What is the purpose of the medium grade (red) version?

[biz77]

Do yourself a favor and skip the clay bars and even the nanoskin sponge. If you want to make it a quick job, buy a bottle of Car Pro Iron X soap https://www.amazon.com/CarPro-CP-173...70_&dpSrc=srch


and a Nanoskin wash mitt https://www.amazon.com/Nanoskin-AS-0.../dp/B00DOS0LH2

Wash your car as you normally would and don't dry it. Now 2-3 panels at a time, pour the Iron X soap onto the sponge side of the Nanoskin mit and work the soap to a lather on the panels. Come back with the mit on the rubberized side and work the panels just like you would if you were claying and then rinse and move onto the next set of panels. I can do a whole car this way in the time it used to take me to do 2 panels with clay and detailing spray. It comes out just as slick and containment free and introduces zero marring.

[S65Hunter]

Has anyone ever said clay bars are a gimmick?

[ckanderson]

Originally Posted by biz77

Do yourself a favor and skip the clay bars and even the nanoskin sponge. If you want to make it a quick job, buy a bottle of Car Pro Iron X soap https://www.amazon.com/CarPro-CP-173...70_&dpSrc=srch


and a Nanoskin wash mitt https://www.amazon.com/Nanoskin-AS-0.../dp/B00DOS0LH2

Wash your car as you normally would and don't dry it. Now 2-3 panels at a time, pour the Iron X soap onto the sponge side of the Nanoskin mit and work the soap to a lather on the panels. Come back with the mit on the rubberized side and work the panels just like you would if you were claying and then rinse and move onto the next set of panels. I can do a whole car this way in the time it used to take me to do 2 panels with clay and detailing spray. It comes out just as slick and containment free and introduces zero marring.

This is what I was referencing with the clay towel. Makes claying your car so much easier.

I've never used Iron-X but I have used Ferrex which i believe is the same, works AMAZING for cleaning brake dust off wheels. Smells terrible though

[rasa bmw]

in my post i mentioned iron-x etc,,but for my wheels,and this can be used on paintwork,,i use stonewhite,,it is very cheap and does the job,,5l for £10 delivered,can dilute or use neat if wheel are bad,i use a 50/50 mix as i clean my car regularly,,but you can go 30%/70% water,,e bay i got it from,,i also have there leather cleaner 5l

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by ckanderson

This is what I was referencing with the clay towel. Makes claying your car so much easier.

I've never used Iron-X but I have used Ferrex which i believe is the same, works AMAZING for cleaning brake dust off wheels. Smells terrible though

I’ve used those mitts. They don’t seem to do a great job compared with a bar and just lubricant. Maybe combined with iron-x, but of course iron-x is doing the bulk of the heavy lifting there.

Anyway good advice ITT

[DS3IAM]

Originally Posted by Vampire335i

If your car is waxed and maintained properly to begin with, there should be no need to use a clay bar....

Unless you drive your car in a bubble. Over time and the environment will require some maintenance on the paint including clay.

[MTK24]

Originally Posted by DS3IAM

Unless you drive your car in a bubble. Over time and the environment will require some maintenance on the paint including clay.

I drive 16k miles a year in terrible rain and debris and have not used a clay bar in years.

Just wash every 4-6 weeks and wax every three months.

[bluewater328]

Originally Posted by Vampire335i

I drive 16k miles a year in terrible rain and debris and have not used a clay bar in years.

Just wash every 4-6 weeks and wax every three months.

And I bet if I took a clay bar to your car that it would be coated.

Not saying your car probably doesn't look nice. Just saying for you its about individual acceptable conditions. I can make my car nice and slick on the surface, but below I know it's only a temporary solution since the water marks, fallout, contaminants ultimately get to the clearcoat level. If you felt my car you'd think it's fine, but if you looked closely, you could see water marks, slight marring. I can tell you that I am planning a full detail of strip, decontaminate, clay, wash, polish, prep, sealant x2 coats, sacrificial layer.

Which might seem ridiculous to some, but again, it's about the individual amount of acceptable conditions. After years with a car, there are many people who are astonished to what their car can look like after a good detail. My father's car looked a completely different shade (read: the original color) of charcoal grey and shimmered and beaded like nobody's business once I got done with it. It took a whole friggin day, but the results blew him away. Just perspective.

[MTK24]

Originally Posted by bluewater328

And I bet if I took a clay bar to your car that it would be coated.

Not saying your car probably doesn't look nice. Just saying for you its about individual acceptable conditions. I can make my car nice and slick on the surface, but below I know it's only a temporary solution since the water marks, fallout, contaminants ultimately get to the clearcoat level. If you felt my car you'd think it's fine, but if you looked closely, you could see water marks, slight marring. I can tell you that I am planning a full detail of strip, decontaminate, clay, wash, polish, prep, sealant x2 coats, sacrificial layer.

Which might seem ridiculous to some, but again, it's about the individual amount of acceptable conditions. After years with a car, there are many people who are astonished to what their car can look like after a good detail. My father's car looked a completely different shade (read: the original color) of charcoal grey and shimmered and beaded like nobody's business once I got done with it. It took a whole friggin day, but the results blew him away. Just perspective.

Looks pretty good to me. I added ceramic coating a year ago and have not touched a clay bar in years

[bluewater328]

Originally Posted by Vampire335i

Looks pretty good to me

Touche, but I bet there's still contaminants on your clear-coat. Whether they will do anything to your paint or inhibit how good the car looks will be determined by your area of travel.

My case, I work near the airport, I live near the ocean and well...that's pretty much enough on its own.

My car looks pretty clean from those angles too, but its in need of a detail, I guarantee that.