bhays

I tried using claybar on my daily driver since reading about the product on the forum. I picked up a Mequiar's Clay Bar from AutoZone. I tried using both Mequiar's Quick Detailer spray as well as car wash and water as a lube, but same results with both. The clay bar seemed really sticky and no matter how wet I tried to keep it, it would stick to the car and leave big smears of clay...it ended up taking another hour to get the clay off the car.

My question is, did I have a bad clay bar that had gotten too hot or something, or do I just not know what I'm doing here? I tried rubbing very lightly and a little harder, same result?

Mandrake

I haven't used the Meguiar's clay bar, but I do know that the Zaino bar gets soft REALLY quick with the hot weather we have been having lately. Especially if you were claying outside. If the bar gets really soft try throwing it in the freezer for about 2 minutes to harden it back up. Hope this helps.

forrest

The good clay bars out there are yellow or blue in color.

Lots of folks have experienced the same problem as you with that particular bar. Please don't let it cloud your opinion of clay - return it for a refund, tell them how unhappy you are at the way it performed, and purchase one of the good yellow or blue bars from somewhere else.

I'm sure you'll be much happier with the end results.

bhays

[QUOTE]The good clay bars out there are yellow or blue in color.

Lots of folks have experienced the same problem as you with that particular bar. [QUOTE]

That's good news. I was beginning to feel I was incompetent :rolleyes:

Hot Ride

I used the Meguiar's clay bar and had the same problem. I switched to zaino products and have not had any problems with streaking or difficulty in removing the clay. throw out the meguias or better yet, get a refund. :lol:

mozin

I contacted Meguiar's and asked them to replace the unused claybar that I bought and they refused. Then I emailed them and they did not even bother to answer my email, only saying that they would respond within one business day. Four months later I still have not hear from Meguiar's. I threw out five unopened Meguiar's products and two opened products. Ask me if I will ever buy another Meguiar's product. :mad :mad :mad

I have spent nearly $100 on Zaino products in the past four months and I think every one of the Zaino products beats the heck out of the Meguiar's similar product. :boxing

Tom

bhays

Am I the only one who wonders how on Earth this sort of thing happens. Here's a company like Meguiars who you have to assume has chemical engineers and all other sorts of learned people on staff. They release a product that nearly everyone who uses it has the same problem. Do they not even test their own products? How do you develop a product that is fundamentally flawed without discovering the flaw.....I am bewildered :confused: :confused: :confused:

rubyred93

I have heard NOTHING positive about the Meguiar's Clay Bar. :( Do not feel bad - it is not your method of application or inexperience with automotive clay - it is a defective product. Plain and simple. I also happen to belong to a detailing forum, and there have been the same negative results about this product posted there as well.

If you would like to try a quality clay that is typically readily available, try the Mother's Clay Bar. I happen to use this clay myself and have found it very easy to work with, and it produces very nice results. :yesnod:

I do not blame you for not wishing to purchase another Meguiar's product; in my opinion they leave alot to be desired.

jsaunde2

I'm sorry but there is nothing wrong with the meguire's clay bar. I have used it many times on my car and it has only stuck when I didn't lubricate properly. I have also used the mother's yellow clay bar and it stuck in the same situations.

I guess it's lots of fun to bash meguire's, but the truth is they put out a fine product that is easily purchased or returned at your local parts store. I'm not bashing Zaino as I haven't tried it, but I am saying that maybe some of you should lighten-up over an $8 clay bar.

Jason

rubyred93

Jason -

I was not aware that I was having "fun" - thank you for bringing that to my attention. :rolleyes:

The term "fine product" is certainly subjective as this is an open Forum where others are allowed to voice their experiences with products.

The cost of a clay bar is a non-issue here - these bars are being viewed strictly from a performance standpoint, nothing more.

bhays

Jason,

I don't begin to claim to be an expert, as I said, it's my first time using clay bar. However, if I had this thing any more lubricated it would have had to have been underwater...I tried it with Mequire's car wash and water mixture and with Meguire's Quick Detailer as per the package specs...no matter how much I made it swim in lubricant it came off on the car. If that's how all clay bar is, then I am not sure how one would ever use it?

Should it be completely sticky to the touch? This was not like modeling clay that we used in school that you could roll into a snake...if you tried that with this stuff it would be at least half on your hands...

Like I said, I don't know...but I have a hard time believing that all of the products out there are just like this??? :confused:

rubyred93

bhays -

All automotive clay bars do not behave as the Meguiar's does. Quality is lacking in this product. Automotive clay should glide over the surface on a layer of lubricant, typically a QD is used for this purpose. You will actually feel the clay "exfoliate" the surface contamination. If, however, you begin to feel the clay "drag/pull" on the surface, then you are not using enough lubricant.

And no, the clay should not be completely sticky to the touch. It should actually be rather firm in consistency. Give the Mother's clay a try, you can then see the difference for yourself.


[Modified by rubyred93, 3:13 PM 8/9/2001]

jsaunde2

If that is the case then I would say it was a manufacturing defect in the particular bar you got rather than a design flaw in the way they are manufactured. The bar should be somewhat sticky but not to the degree that you describe.

I think the key to proper jubrication isn't the amount of lubricant you put on but how it is distributed. if you put a lot of lubricant on surface tension will cause it to form puddles rather than a moist surface. I find that the small quick detailer bottle than comes with the bar has a very good spray pattern that works well, so I refill it and use again.

If you didn't like the way the Meguire's bar worked, I highly recommend that you try the Mother's bar and see if it works out any better.

The whole point to my post was that there is generally a lot of bashing of Meguire's products when there is nothing wrong with them. Perhaps Zaino is better in general but Mother's brand stuff is definitely not generally better.

Jason

Gate2

I too used the Mequire's clay bar the very first time I clayed a car. I thought I was an idiot and doing something wrong, until I read on the Forum that other people were having problems with that brand too. So I switched to the Mother's clay bar and it worked great. I am sticking with their clay from now on!!