Did you apply a clear coat?
 

On your car?

This post is about clay bars. Ads show the "benefits" of using clay bars to clean paint on your car before waxing. I know nothing about using clay bars. I have some questions.

Do they work as advertised?
Is the "extra step" worth it?
How do you use them? Details, please..
What brand and type do you recommend?

Thanks, Gang!

Re: Did you apply a clear coat?
 

I have used them they really do a good job, follow the instructions and you will be well satisfied with the out come.

Re: Did you apply a clear coat?
 

It depends on what you are trying to correct, when I got my car from my father-in-law the paint was not good, it had been painted 40 years earlier and had a ton of water spots and orange peel...I clayed the entire car which got rid of 60% of the water spots, no orange peel....ended up wet sanding the entire car, the 40 year old paint job looks new today.

If you have a lot of micro scratches and swirls using clay will get that out and remove any of the old waxes on the finish....the proper steps after clay are glaze, polish and then wax on top of the polish....I used these steps after the wet sand on my car.

Re: Did you apply a clear coat?
 

The clay bar is effective if used properly. To remove the wax and dirt before using the bar, I use Dawn dish washing liquid. This will give you a dirt free surface to start, the clay bar will remove that layer of oxidation and crud that has built up from only washing and waxing. If you can, I would first take the car to a professional detailer and pay them to clay bar the car so you can see how it is done. It is a bit like wet sanding without the harshness of the sand paper.

Re: Did you apply a clear coat?
 

Fine particles in the air get embedded in the surface of the paint. Wash your car and your hands, run your hand over your clean car and it will feel like fine sandpaper.It is tantamount to removing the sand from sandpaper.

Claybar will cut off those particles without altering the paint and make it feel like a baby's butt. Never cover paint with any kind of wax without using claybar first. FYI, I use Zaino for wax, while more expansive than wax, the final finish is well worth it.

It takes hardly any time to claybar a section of the car before applying your 'wax' and no professional detailer would ever skip that step. It puts pride into the results. Without looking, I'm certain there are uTube videos. One thing they will emphasize, it you drop a piece of clay, throw it away.