clay bar vs. polishing

**smokestack** · 06-24-2011, 05:36 PM

Thats really cool man. Hope the best for ya. But dont fret on the car. Think about shade.. Drinks...snacks. Maybe a laptop for movies

Make it comfortable for her and she will be hooked.

**damianj03** · 06-24-2011, 05:39 PM

def need shade its gonna be in the middle of a parade field. i can handle the planning of the food and stuff just the car is what im fretting over. Thanks for the help everyone!

**smokestack** · 06-24-2011, 05:43 PM

Let us know how it goes man. Hope you win. And more importantly have a great time with your family.

**JayTA98** · 06-24-2011, 06:00 PM

Good luck!

**GoFast908Z** · 06-29-2011, 08:19 PM

LOL! You're coworker doesn't know WHAT he's talking about. Oh I'd love to get a close look at his car!

**ldurham** · 03-06-2012, 08:42 PM

Man posts like this is what makes me love ls1.com

**FishinCricket** · 01-31-2013, 06:36 PM

Wonder what happened with the car show?

Damian, If your still in Saint Robert (stationed at the fort?) I'd be happy to show you how to clay, polish and protect your car, if you like....

**Dream Street** · 12-30-2013, 08:26 PM

Sorry to revive a older thread but was going to leave a post to those in the Fox cities area of Wisconsin unless I'm South between fox cities and Chicago. I would be happy to help someone with this as well along with showing them how to use a random orbit or a rotary.

**2002ssslp** · 12-31-2013, 06:28 AM

I'm a clay bar and buff polish kinda guy myself.

**Dream Street** · 12-31-2013, 10:17 PM

Agreed, The clay bar is the beginning to the end process, even for those that are not to concerned with paint correction and just want a slick surface a claybar and a great Aio (all in one cleaner wax) like Zaino, 3m, Pinnacle (just for example). will make the car feel like new and still provide a glossier shine than previously. Then add a top coat if you want to go a bit further like collinite 845, Zaino Z-cs. Most people will be in heaven and you can even apply those by hand if you really want.

**79Firebird_99TA** · 02-15-2014, 04:30 PM

I do a 5 step process. Wash, clay, swirl removal, glaze/polish, then carnauba wax.

After washing the car, put a plastic bag (increases sensitivity) over your hand and lightly feel the surface of the paint. If it doesn't feel smooth, clay it.

**TransAmTerry** · 08-12-2014, 08:45 AM

I used a clay bar on my black 02 Ram Air. It felt super smooth but it seems like it brought out the orange peal in some areas. Wonder what I did wrong. Now I can't get that to go away. I tried a polish but still there. Any suggestions?

**Firebirdjones** · 08-12-2014, 02:26 PM

Originally Posted by TransAmTerry

I used a clay bar on my black 02 Ram Air. It felt super smooth but it seems like it brought out the orange peal in some areas. Wonder what I did wrong. Now I can't get that to go away. I tried a polish but still there. Any suggestions?

The clay bar won't remove any orange peel or other types of imperfections. It simply cleans the paint of any dirt and debri that washing the car doesn't get, and gets it ready for a good waxing.

If you have orange peel you can't live with, depending on where it is and the severety of it, could require wet sanding (usually in stages), then buffing with rubbing compound and high speed buffer, finishing with a swirl remover and/or polish.

Very fine orange peel can sometimes be removed with just a mild rubbing compound.

**Z06-Goose** · 09-10-2014, 06:04 PM

Originally Posted by damianj03

was told by a coworker that polishing and using a clay bar are the same thing.
Please enliten me. Because i was going to do both to get ready for a car show. And told him what steps i was going to take like bar, polish, wax. And he replied why are you going to bar and polish its the same thing.

Yeah, they're two different things.
Most likely what your co-worker meant was polishing as in cleaning the paint, just like a clay bar would do, but at the end of the day, they're two different processes
If you don't own any power tools and want to get some good results on your own, then clay bar your car and use some cleaner wax like Mothers or Meguiars to bring the luster back. You can then use your favorite wax or sealant after that...

No matter what, you should always clay bar your car before polishing or waxing, clay at least two times a year if hardly driven, every 3 months if driven more often

**Z06-Goose** · 09-10-2014, 06:07 PM

Originally Posted by TransAmTerry

I used a clay bar on my black 02 Ram Air. It felt super smooth but it seems like it brought out the orange peal in some areas. Wonder what I did wrong. Now I can't get that to go away. I tried a polish but still there. Any suggestions?

Haha!!!
No man, the orange peel has always been there, it's that they're visible now by having cleaned your paint...