What is the best clay bar for black

[Shuga]

Looking for clay bars wanted to see what people use on here. Black B8.5, I’ve been reading that some mars the paint, I’m trying to avoid that.


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[rcprato]

I picked up a Navarro Blue SQ5 last Friday and used my clay cloth on it Saturday with great results.
My method is to wash the vehicle and rinse thoroughly and then get a new bucket of fresh water and extra car wash soap to rewash the panel and use the soap as the clay cloth lubricant
Secret is not to put to much effort on the cloth, 2/3 passes and you will feel paint smooth out and then I do about a dozen more, this is not going to do a paint correction beyond very light scratches.
I finished with Meguairs Hybrid Ceramic and ended up with a great deep shine, first coat goes onto a dry panel


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[Peter.dupuis]

I used chemical guys clay with their spray lube on my black a4 followed with polish and sealant. Came out perfect.

Just ordered Adams clay for my allroad, going to try there’s out with the same process, although the allroad is glacier white metallic and the a4 was brilliant black.


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[B6_Dolphin]

What I use on my Brilliant Black '15 Allroad:

https://www.zainostore.com/product/Z-18.html

[rcprato]

R.I.P. Clay Bars https://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-...i-p-clay-bars/

The contamination you are removing from the paint stays in the clay bar, do some research and I think you will see the clay cloth is better https://www.detailedimage.com/NanoSk...ash-Mitt-P701/

This is the lowest level of paint correction you can do but IMO you can't ruin the paint either like wet sanding or high speed polishing.

The secret to having your sealant last a long time is the paint prep, cleaner the paint to better the adhesion !

I started detailing cars with my buddy at 16, he went on to have his own shop and gets $1K for a 3 step paint correction, I'm 60 now and have to tell you getting a professional looking deep shine on your car is way easier now then it was in 1976.....

If you do this I think you will like the results:
Wash the car and dry
Use a product like CarPro IronX to get the ferrous metal out of the paint
Clay Cloth the entire car with a fresh bucket of car wash soap and keep the panel soapy, rinse panel and move on to another section.
Dry car completely
Wipe entire paint surface down with a wax/grease remover with a soft cloth or the blue paper towel you can buy at Harbor Freight https://www.amazon.com/Custom-Shop-K...NsaWNrPXRydWU=
Apply a high quality sealant, the Meguairs Hybrid Ceramic is what I am using now and can be reapplied to a wet car to easily renew the finish https://www.meguiars.com/automotive/...-g190526-26-oz

I'm old school but the new products make getting a great looking finish so much easier and I have totally embraced because it makes a whole weekend of detailing possible in 6 hours on a Saturday

PSA, do this all in the shade !

[COar]

Pretty sure clay bars are color agnostic...anyways this was this was the chemical guys medium bar. wasn't real impressed with it. I posted about it in the avants section and also got a rec for a clay cloth/sponge. planning to go that route next time.

[rcprato]

I bought the Sonax clay disc but have not tried on my orbital polisher
https://www.sonaxusa.com/sonax-clay-disc.html

Might get a few more light scratches off the paint

[Shuga]

Oh boy this thread has scared me lol. So many options. My biggest fear is creating scratches when clay baring. I don’t plan to buff it after (I know not the best )


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[rcprato]

I told you what I did and showed you the results, why would you still be considering using a clay bar ?


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[Novarider]

I use plain regular clay, mothers makes a good bar. I don't trust fake clay, way to many reports of them leaving marks on the paint.

[2slow2race]

I've used the $20 kits from Meguiars and Mothers for a few years now - not a bad starting point with everything you need in one kit. Just make sure you use lots of detailer for lube and NEVER DROP it. I also cut it in 3 smaller pieces to make it easier to deal with. Here's another option - use the synthetic clay (sponge back) from Griots. https://www.griotsgarage.com/product...ortby=ourPicks I've used it for the past 2 years with car wash (and detailer) and so far haven't had any issues with marring/scratching as long as there are LOTS of suds. If you drop it accidentally, just rinse it off. It's my go to "clay" for cleaning windshields. Also there are slightly more aggressive claybars out there. Meguiars/Mothers are the mildest, Griots is next. Haven't gone beyond those (no need so far)

[Audi 4 Life]

clay bars are not color specific but there are different grades of clay bars starting with fine, medium to heavy.

But like RCPRO said and only decent advice in this thread, bars are dated use the mitt they are much easier.

You get what you pay for. Adams and chemical guys are good I think chemical guys had better compounds and polishes. I would try to catch either of them with their sales they have them all the time.

But specifically for black check out nlack light from chemical guys its amazing stuff. Its made for black cars.

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[Bee8point5]

Yeah I'd be careful with clay bars. I find that if you get a good quality polish and an orbital polisher you get a way better, way more even finish. But that's just me.

[MattyMarkey]

Quality clay, keep the surface wet and continually fold the clay numerous times throughout. Still not cool-proof.

As a professional detailer once told me - you want to touch the paint on your car as little as possible. Even washing properly (two bucket method) has the chance to put superficial scratches in the paint.


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[rcprato]

Quality clay, keep the surface wet and continually fold the clay numerous times throughout. Still not cool-proof.

As a professional detailer once told me - you want to touch the paint on your car as little as possible. Even washing properly (two bucket method) has the chance to put superficial scratches in the paint.


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No touch is good advice if paint is in good condition, OP never said why he wanted to clay his car ?
If your paint is not in good condition then you decide what level of paint correction you are comfortable doing yourself or pay a professional


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[MattyMarkey]

No touch is good advice if paint is in good condition, OP never said why he wanted to clay his car ?
If your paint is not in good condition then you decide what level of paint correction you are comfortable doing yourself or pay a professional


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Exactly. That’s the point of the advice - think about why you want to do it in the first place. No touch is good advice no matter what your paint is like - shitty paint, just going to continue to make it worse; great/good paint, you’ll definitely make it worse.

Clay bar is certainly not a paint correction - just removes debris


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[chavez885]

Oh boy this thread has scared me lol. So many options. My biggest fear is creating scratches when clay baring. I don’t plan to buff it after (I know not the best )


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Any clay product is going to create some scratching, even the nano mitt's. I personally don't like the mitts but I've used claybar's a long time.

Don't touch your car with any clay/mitts if you aren't going to correct the blemishes it creates unless you don't care about that? I imagine you do.

Use a high quality claybar, meguirs are good and you can get them locally, I really like blackfire's claybars I used it recently. Plenty of great clay products that aren't "dated"

The question is, why are you trying to clay the car? Do you have something specific you can't remove from the paint with a wash? I am betting your B8 could use a good clay AND polish, show us some pictures!! lol...

[rcprato]

Clay bar is certainly not a paint correction - just removes debris


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Exactly, this is what a detailer does to get debris off the paint before they begin any paint correction process

If you do like I mentioned above you will remove debris and smooth the finish and with the Meguairs you’ll add gloss and hide the micro scratches which will greatly improve the depth of your paint finish.

If you have ever watched Bitchin Rides on MT TV when they paint a car they sand the primer then 2/3 coats of color and up to 5 coats of clear then they dry sand, wet sand, high speed cutting compound and then polish with finer and finer polish until it is like a mirror. That is a lot of “touching” but they know what they are doing


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[MattyMarkey]

Exactly, this is what a detailer does to get debris off the paint before they begin any paint correction process

If you do like I mentioned above you will remove debris and smooth the finish and with the Meguairs you’ll add gloss and hide the micro scratches which will greatly improve the depth of your paint finish.

If you have ever watched Bitchin Rides on MT TV when they paint a car they sand the primer then 2/3 coats of color and up to 5 coats of clear then they dry sand, wet sand, high speed cutting compound and then polish with finer and finer polish until it is like a mirror. That is a lot of “touching” but they know what they are doing


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Really not sure what you are arguing/defending here... any $10k+ paint job is done the way you describe.

Sounds like we need to better understand where Shuga’s paint is at to give him sound advice. To answer his original question - choose a high-quality clay bar (not color specific), keep it wet, continually fold the clay.


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[Shuga]

Maybe I should have given you guys some background info on my paints condition. I bought my A4 brand new, never seen a car wash, always power washed and dried with Microfiber/ leaf blower. Unfortunately the paint has always struggled with leaf marks. Recently I do have some slight over spray on my car as well from a neighbor who has a fetish for spray painting every possible thing teal blue in their front yard . I’m trying to remove the fine spray paint. I thought about iron X to loosen the over spray. I used Iron X on daily driven truck that I neglected and hadn’t washed in over a year and it came out amazing. I took my car to a professional Detailer last year to get an estimate (before over spray) and he said my paint really wasn’t all that bad. Which I then went home added some spray wax and never went back lol

I’m trying o resolve this issue at home due to covid. I am very afraid of people being in my car Etc otherwise I would just take it to get paint correction and call it a day

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[Audi 4 Life]

For the overspray, Diluted ISO, 50/50 applied with a microfiber followed by a soap wash and polish over area make sure to clay area before buffing.

Sorry forgot to mention since you used a wax I suggest using a strip wash shampoo to remove it to base before applying 50/50 iso

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[rcprato]

MartyMarkey I apologize, wasn't trying to be argumentative.

When it comes to detailing everyone has their preferred method, I guess I was defending mine and saying that knowing what you are capable of and your limits you shouldn't produce more scratches than you started with and I am not a fan of using clay bars but embrace the process using the clay cloth/pad products. Just my preference.

[Shuga]

For the overspray, Diluted ISO, 50/50 applied with a microfiber followed by a soap wash and polish over area make sure to clay area before buffing.

Sorry forgot to mention since you used a wax I suggest using a strip wash shampoo to remove it to base before applying 50/50 iso

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I haven’t waxed the car since the over spray, I didn’t want to imbed into the paint even more


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[chavez885]

I haven’t waxed the car since the over spray, I didn’t want to imbed into the paint even more


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Claybar will remove any wax anyway, I would try just claybar in a good test spot and see if it gets rid of the teal paint, that's annoying as hell! Or just wait it out and have a professional claybar/polish her if you don't want to try it yourself!

There are a lot of tutorials on autogeek dot com, that's how I learned initially, but you'll need to spend some $ on parts. Really depends if you want to do it yourself regularly or not. If you were local I'd help you out!

[Theiceman]

Firstly remember treatment has nothing to do with paint colour. You are treating the clear on top..

I agree with above.. claybar to remove overspray. Polish then ceramic coat..

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[audi-art]

here you can watch how to detail a black car:

[Audi 4 Life]

Firstly remember treatment has mothing to do.with paint volour. You are treating the clear on top..

I agreexwith above.. claybar to remove overspray. Polish then.ceramic coat..

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polish after clay? without correction?????

I agree with the above statement regarding everyone having their own way and knowing limitations is crucial especially if you plan on using a orbital.

IMHO a iso/water mix is safer for overspay than trying to use a heavy clay to remove overspray, paint transfer, or anything of that nature.
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[Theiceman]

polish after clay? without correction?????

I agree with the above statement regarding everyone having their own way and knowing limitations is crucial especially if you plan on using a orbital.

IMHO a iso/water mix is safer for overspay than trying to use a heavy clay to remove overspray, paint transfer, or anything of that nature.
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i was assuming it was just removing over spray and polish would take care of clay marring, but like anything depends on initial condition.

[Shuga]

Little update. Used Chemical Guys Clay Bar medium grade. Have only done the front end so far, also polished the front end by hand. The Clay bar left little to no mar.. it looks fantastic, feels super smooth. And all the over spray is gone. (Front was the primary point of the over spray) I’m probably gonna hit it with a DA polisher soon.

I do have a fear of Polishers, as once I took my S class to get a detail and it came out a whole Hologram. It’s left a bad taste in my
Mouth. I have a fear that I could cause Holograms anyone have any tips to avoid Holograms?


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[bb-tt]

sorry couldn't resist the best solution is a silver metallic paint job so you don't see every freaking microscopic spec of dust on your car. even a dirty white car looks cleaner than a just waxed black car, it just shows every imperfection no matter how many times you wax/clean it.

[rcprato]

I’ve owned a few dark color cars and have learned you can drive yourself crazy trying to make them perfect everyday, it’s your choice but if you have a dark color car you need to learn to be tolerant that it is going to “show” the dirt more than a light color car so I have adapted the 10’ rule.... don’t judge the cleanliness of your dark color car from closer than 10’ and realize it’s not going to be perfect everyday.
I wash my cars weekly, usually Saturday morning cause I have a M-F job and enjoy them when I have time to be driving in them. I will wash sooner if for some reason it is dirtier than my tolerance can accept.
Not too many people are looking at your car from closer that 10’


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[Shuga]

sorry couldn't resist the best solution is a silver metallic paint job so you don't see every freaking microscopic spec of dust on your car. even a dirty white car looks cleaner than a just waxed black car, it just shows every imperfection no matter how many times you wax/clean it.

Funny you say that. I bought a new Ram in a Gray metallic last week.


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[Shuga]

I’ve owned a few dark color cars and have learned you can drive yourself crazy trying to make them perfect everyday, it’s your choice but if you have a dark color car you need to learn to be tolerant that it is going to “show” the dirt more than a light color car so I have adapted the 10’ rule.... don’t judge the cleanliness of your dark color car from closer than 10’ and realize it’s not going to be perfect everyday.
I wash my cars weekly, usually Saturday morning cause I have a M-F job and enjoy them when I have time to be driving in them. I will wash sooner if for some reason it is dirtier than my tolerance can accept.
Not too many people are looking at your car from closer that 10’


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It’s the worst trying to make it perfect. But I won’t accept anything less. I only have one other car that’s black and it’s Matte Black. Doesn’t show much. My others are white or gray.

I think I said it before, just like you my car has gotten weekly washes since day 1 back in 2014 when it was new. I always found the paint super super thin.


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[bb-tt]

It’s the worst trying to make it perfect. But I won’t accept anything less. I only have one other car that’s black and it’s Matte Black. Doesn’t show much. My others are white or gray.

I think I said it before, just like you my car has gotten weekly washes since day 1 back in 2014 when it was new. I always found the paint super super thin.


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Only black car i would ever own again is 84 gti rabbit.

[Shuga]

Only black car i would ever own again is 84 gti rabbit.

I don’t plan on owning another black car. If I do it’ll be PPF the first day


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