What is the difference in the clay you get off the shelf, at the local parts stores, and the blue (medium) clay and/or the red (aggressive) clay? I am getting ready to "re-stock" my products and figured I would give ADS some business. I got to looking at the clay and noticed the other two clay products and just got curious.

 

99.9% of the vehicles that I see come across my detailing work DO NOT require the aggressive clay (red in Meg's lingo).

As such, I would not recommend it. It *will* mar the paint and, as such, you have to resort to some more advanced detailing techniques to remove the marring that will probably be introduced by the aggressive.

The only times that I've used my aggressive clay (mind you, I'm using the same bar that I've had now for the better portion of 3 years) was to remove some yellow road paint -- and, even then, because of the resistance of the road paint, it was a beast to remove and I still had to use plastic razor blades.

In a nutshell, for the average guy who wants to do proper preparation techniques on his vehicles, standard clay is the way to go.

The clay that you're going to find on the shelves is of the 'medium' grade... in all honesty, it won't vary much from the Meguiar's standard clay in all of their kits and also professional line. The clay consistency from bar to bar may vary slightly (some may streak a bit more (softer) and others may have a tendency to get very very sticky while using but, overall, clay is clay (unless you jump to the aggressive varieties which, again, I wouldn't recommend for anyone that is not familiar with serious mar removal.

-RP-

 

Thanks RP. Just had never noticed different products.....now I know, and "knowing is half the battle." hehe....

 

I picked up the mothers clay kit and went to town today. Mine came with a yellow clay bar. heres some pics. [IMG][/IMG][IMG][/IMG][IMG][/IMG]

 

Naturally everyone has different opinions on their prods. That said, I like the blue Clay Magic, not only for the clay itself, but especially for their Quick Lube. Which, in my opinion, blows away Megs quick detailer. For the $10.00 kit, it's one helluva bargin = Auto Zone.

 

I'd be on the other end of the spectrum with the Clay Magic lube... while it's specifically made as a clay lube, I found it LOUSY to work with in that capacity as it tends to flash off much too quickly.

Meguiar's #00 continues to be my favorite choice -- in fact, someone 'up the foodchain' at Meguiar's actually said that this product should've been called "Hi-Tech Clay Lubricant".

 

I'll add another vote for not liking their clay lube ..

 

i was thinkin bout claying my truck within the next month...is there anyway you can mess ur truck up with clayin because this is first time im ever goin to do it...thanks for your help...sorry to steal the thread...

 

I have no idea how to clay a car....

 

claying is extremeley easy. In fact you can go to your local auto-part store, and but a kit. Which will have the clay and the lube/quick detailer. Take the clay and cut/tear it in half, (in case you drop it, which means you must throw it away) and flatten the pice you have like a pancake. Spray the lube on a 2x2 area, and then spray some on the clay, and with light pressure slide the clay back on forth over the area you lubed up. If the clay is sticling you need more lube. It's really simple, and it would be extremely difficult to hurt anything.

 

The main way that you'll cause problems with clay -- and really, using a lot of common sense, is probably the only way -- is to drop the clay or expose it to a heavily soiled area. From that point, the clay is contaminated. As such, you should start at the top of the vehicle and work downward. Avoid areas where overspray, tar specs, and other 'gunk' would reside -- even after washing. Reserve those spaces for LAST.

The clay is going to 'fleck' the stuck on stuff that won't wash off. The abrasive action will remove those problem areas spots and leave a smooth finish behind it.

Follow the directions explicitly and you'll be a-o-k.