Looking for advice on clay bar cleaning

[2ndAmend]

And why I only use water from my DI system for washing !

I have it in my Amzn "Saved for Later", $460.. Hard decision for someone cheap like me! Won't the ceramic stop the water spots?

 

[Speedy!]

Ceramic coating helps but does not eliminate hard water spots. I use my CR Spotless every time I wash our cars. Resin lasts about 4 years so well worth the investment.

 

[2ndAmend]

Is this the right one? Spotless DIW-20?

https://www.walmart.com/ip/CR-Spotl...jgf_3&athancid=51822878&athposb=0&athena=true

 

[MikeD1]

Is this the right one? Spotless DIW-20?

https://www.walmart.com/ip/CR-Spotl...jgf_3&athancid=51822878&athposb=0&athena=true

That's the one ! I have seen it for a bit less at Costco from time to time.

How long the resin lasts depends on how hard your water is & how you use it.
DO NOT just use a hose & regular nozzle - uses gobs of water (and thus resin). Get one of those cheap electric pressure washers (with low pressure), use the widest spray nozzle and 'sweep' the car from a distance. Be especially careful around stripes, seams, door edges etc. the idea is to wet the car, wash, then gently rinse it away. You can hit the wheels a bit harder than the body, but not too hard.

Supposedly you can just walk away, but my OCD prohibits that & I use a leaf blower to blow most of the water beads (and all the cracks & crevices) off followed by a large MF towel to get every last drop + another 'old' MF towel for the door jambs, underhood etc.

Lastly, you can buy replacement cartridges & bulk resin from them, but since like me you are a tightwad, you can replace it yourself & reuse the cartridges indefinitely. Just unscrew them from the unit & let them drain for a while, then unscrew & dump the resin in a HD large trash bag. It is wet & heavy + the beads are VERY slippery so be careful not to spill. Then wash & rinse the cartridges, carefully fill with the bulk resin, put a dab of lithium grease on each of the big O rings & screw it all together.

Bulk resin is available from most commercial window washers stores/websites. BTW you can use this set-up with a bucket of soapy water (I actually use my car soap) & a soft brush on an extension pole to wash you outside house windows !! Those I let air dry & they turn out good with little hassle.

Example of bulk resin:

https://jracenstein.com/resin-di-cubic-foot-new-virgin-resin/

 

[B5Cat16]

1). Do NOT hire a pro. You can do this. 2). The best part about clay bar is, ya can't hurt anything. It's clay. It won't do damage. 3) Do just one panel at a time. When it's smooth, you're done. Move to the next panel. 4) When you're finished, you'll wonder why you never used clay bar before.

 

[mantisSRT]

Using a clay bar for the first time.
Well that's fine but I suggest you watch a bunch of YouTube videos on this subject before you tackle this job. I don't recall what color paint you have but clay bars can mar the paint especially if you don't lubicrate properly. Most will suggest a clay lube spray, I don't support that move. The best thing to use is a strip wash soap like Hyperclean Cleanse, Adam's Polishes Strip wash etc. They recommend 2 to 4 ounces of soap in a bucket, I'd go at least 4 ounces or even 6 to give you max lube when claying. Wash the entire vehicle , rinse off then heavy soap each panel and clay away. Even light pressure is all you need. Don't over due it and feel with your fingers each panel before and after clay. Rinse each panel as you go around and do it in the shade, do not do this in direct sunlight or you will have issues.

 

[MikeD1]

1). Do NOT hire a pro. You can do this. 2). The best part about clay bar is, ya can't hurt anything. It's clay. It won't do damage. 3) Do just one panel at a time. When it's smooth, you're done. Move to the next panel. 4) When you're finished, you'll wonder why you never used clay bar before.

That's not entirely true, you can mar the finish if you let the clay get too dirty, press too hard or don't use enough lube (you can never have too much lube ). Also, if you drop the bar - it's trash DO NOT try to clean it off & reuse !!!!

 

[DGatzby]

I have clayed dozens of times, I have never considered it so complicated and difficult as per some of the above apparent instructions. As long as it is swirling around on liquid and you maintain a soft touch and never drag debris, correcting polish is the next step. Life is good, have fun with it!!

 

[MikeD1]

It's like everything else, once you've done it a few times & you have a 'feel' for it, it's simple & you can do it without really thinking about each step