My complicated relationship with the clay bar

[cerbomark]

kerosene on a soft cloth if it s tar.
clay is good but can cause some micro marring.

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[jcttraveler]

For tar, I've had good luck with lemon oil (the "food grade" kind at grocery and beauty supply stores) and a cloth rag.

 

[MAGS1]

There are dedicated bug and tar removers out there that work well but sometimes using a clay bar is inevitable. Once you get your car coated, you’ll notice that stuff comes off a lot easier.

 

[DemonGT]

I thought clay was a one and done type thing? The mitts can be reused over and over? I thought the contaminants the clay picks up is suppose to get trapped in the clay which is what makes it not reusable?

 

[22MAVXLT]

No, you can kneed the clay multiple times to get a clean area for reuse. I have the synthetic clay from Meguiars, the clay mitt from Griots and actual clay from Griots. All work very well for their respective purpose and are reusable for many times. For the synthetic ones such as the mitts I simply wash them out like I would my normal wash mitt with warm water.

All that said, but if you were to drop actual clay on the ground or something you would want to throw it away and get another one.

 

[Mikepol2]

There are dedicated bug and tar removers out there that work well but sometimes using a clay bar is inevitable. Once you get your car coated, you’ll notice that stuff comes off a lot easier.

I drove the Mach straight home from the dealer into my garage and ceramic coated it with 5 miles on it, no issues there. But I bought the truck with 25K miles on it so it definitely needed the work.

I tried goo-gone and tar remover but neither one worked. Clay was the only answer.

 

[MAGS1]

I drove the Mach straight home from the dealer into my garage and ceramic coated it with 5 miles on it, no issues there. But I bought the truck with 25K miles on it so it definitely needed the work.

I tried goo-gone and tar remover but neither one worked. Clay was the only answer.

I’ve never had good luck with goo-gone on anything. I finally just tossed it. I have an automotive adhesive remover that worked really well in getting some tar out of my wife’s SUV wheel wells. But yeah, sometimes you just need to go the good old fashioned clay bar route.

 

[Mikepol2]

Done. A little upset because I ran out of CQuartz without doing the roof or passenger side doors and had to use some leftover Adams spray ceramic on them, this thing has a lot of real estate to cover and would take pretty much a full 30 ml bottle of CQ. Didn’t time it exactly but it was about 10 hours for wash, clay, wash, iron-X, wash, Eraser, ceramic. White is definitely not as rewarding as other colors, but still looks OK when it’s done.

 

[wmoore26]

Anyone try gasoline, or WD40? They both work very well with petroleum substances.

 

[DFB5.0]

I thought clay was a one and done type thing? The mitts can be reused over and over? I thought the contaminants the clay picks up is suppose to get trapped in the clay which is what makes it not reusable?

Traditional clay bars have a limited lifespan and should be replaced when too visibly contaminated to use safely. If you drop a clay bar, its straight into the bin. These products are more effective, but more likely to introduce marring or micro scratches.

The more modern synthetic clay towels, blocks or mitts can be washed and reused until a drop off in performance is observed. If you drop one of these products, rinse them off and continue. While they are not quite as effective as a traditional bar, they offer improved usability and are more ergonomic. I feel they are safer on the paint too. Combined with an iron remover, I don't think you will be at a disadvantage skipping the more aggressive clay bar.

More information in post #172 here -
What's In DFB's Cabinet? | Page 12 | 2015+ S550 Mustang Forum (GT, EcoBoost, GT350, GT500, Bullitt, Mach 1) - Mustang6G.com

 

[kilobravo]

Here's a question for you, D...

I coated the car with CQuartz in March of '21, how do you tell when it's time to polish and recoat?

I'm thinking a good IronX and Eraser bath and then check for beading, what do you say?

 

[Mikepol2]

Anyone try gasoline, or WD40? They both work very well with petroleum substances.

I tried WD40 once on my wife's car. Took off the tar fine but it did something to the clear coat too so I never did that again.

 

[DFB5.0]

Here's a question for you, D...

I coated the car with CQuartz in March of '21, how do you tell when it's time to polish and recoat?

I'm thinking a good IronX and Eraser bath and then check for beading, what do you say?

Carpro suggest Cquartz UK 3.0 has a 2+ year longevity, so I guess you are on the cusp. For a garage queen, you can expect beyond those numbers.

When you decide to polish and re-coat will come down to how the coating is performing, as in water behavior. Not to mention the visual tactile condition of the paint. If you have some accumulated marring or its feeling "crunchy" to touch, then that may be your trigger point.

I would be doing a decontamination wash and see what you get. Not sure if you have misquoted Eraser, which is their IPA wipe down, but I would be ordering some Descale and Lift, teamed with a IronX. Sometimes you rejuvenate the coating with this process, and if the appearance is still up to spec, this will give you another 6 to 12 months out of the coating.

I would do the following -

1/ Apply IronX to the paint from dry. This allows maximum reaction strength compared to applying to already wet paint. Allow to soak for as long as possible without it drying on the paint.

2/ Foam over the top of the iron remover with Carpro Lift. This allows the IronX to continue to work, while attacking oilier contaminants. Allow to soak for 5 minutes or more.

3/ Thoroughly rinse the whole car.

4/ Now wash the car as normal, this time using Descale. This addresses any mineral deposits, visable or otherwise. I foam the car with Descale, then do my wash process.

5/ Rinse and inspect.

I don't clay a car unless needed, why introduce unnecessary abrasion to the paint if its otherwise smooth.

The overall concept of the above is that you are approaching the decontamination from several different angles. The iron remover is pH neutral and removes iron deposits, the alkaline soap takes care of greasy contamination and the acidic descale then removes bonded mineral deposits. All three products are designed within the pH tolerances of the coating, so are safe to use.

You would then apply a coating of Reload to top things off.

 

[kilobravo]

Why did I know at this time of day that you would be on the case. :-)

So, I thought Eraser was designed to remove old spray wax, etc. Checked the CP site and this is their description:

"CARPRO Eraser was specifically designed for the complete removal of polishing oils for inspection and prior to the application of CQUARTZ or any other coating, wax, or sealant."

But, I didn't think of Lift which sounds even better.

"CARPRO Lift is a highly concentrated pre-wash foam agent that dissolves and softens dirt and grime so it can be easily removed."

Think I should use both?

 

[DFB5.0]

Why did I know at this time of day that you would be on the case. :-)

So, I thought Eraser was designed to remove old spray wax, etc. Checked the CP site and this is their description:

"CARPRO Eraser was specifically designed for the complete removal of polishing oils for inspection and prior to the application of CQUARTZ or any other coating, wax, or sealant."

But, I didn't think of Lift which sounds even better.

"CARPRO Lift is a highly concentrated pre-wash foam agent that dissolves and softens dirt and grime so it can be easily removed."

Think I should use both?

Eraser on its own won't remove a ceramic coating or be very useful for the job we are talking about. It's more of a preparation product, removing oily residues that will compromise the bond of your chosen LSP. It can certainly put a dent into a spray wax or Si02 spray sealant.

As mentioned, I would be adding both Decale and Lift into the mix. You probably won't even need Eraser when applying another coat of Reload.

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