Let's Talk Clay Bars
Let's Talk Clay Bars
Auto Magic holds the US Patent on detailing clay. While they make a small amount in Texas, the great majority of clay comes from 2 companies in Japan, and they simply sell it.
Clay is made to vendor's specs - color, consistency, etc.
Auto Magic's clay patent expires in 2013. What happens then is anyone's guess, but I'd lean towards a big price decrease as others start making it.
The Japanese companies are much larger than Auto Wax is. They simply buy the clay from the Japanese (2 companies) and resell it here in the US. One of those companies helped Auto Wax set up a small production line in the Dallas area where Auto Wax is, so they can make small runs, but I'd wager it's less than 10% of what is sold here.
BTW, the original owner of Auto Wax sold it a few years ago to ITW (Illinois Tool Works). It's a bazillion dollar company that deals primarily in adhesives. If you go to the ITW website (Illinois Tool Works: Global Diversified Manufacturer) you'll have to look long and hard to find Auto Wax company in there - it's a really small part of a really big company now.
AWC doesn't license those Japanese companies - AWC is just a customer who buys from them.
When you look at total dollars, clay is actually an insignificant part of the appearance chemical business. Tire shines, for example, sell at about 9 times the dollar volume of clay bars. Clay is about 1.5% of the appearance chemical market.
All detail products companies purchase from Auto Magic. It would be interesting to see what Clay Magic generates in private label sales to so many of the detailing products companies.
Clay is made to vendor's specs - color, consistency, etc.
Auto Magic's clay patent expires in 2013. What happens then is anyone's guess, but I'd lean towards a big price decrease as others start making it.
The Japanese companies are much larger than Auto Wax is. They simply buy the clay from the Japanese (2 companies) and resell it here in the US. One of those companies helped Auto Wax set up a small production line in the Dallas area where Auto Wax is, so they can make small runs, but I'd wager it's less than 10% of what is sold here.
BTW, the original owner of Auto Wax sold it a few years ago to ITW (Illinois Tool Works). It's a bazillion dollar company that deals primarily in adhesives. If you go to the ITW website (Illinois Tool Works: Global Diversified Manufacturer) you'll have to look long and hard to find Auto Wax company in there - it's a really small part of a really big company now.
AWC doesn't license those Japanese companies - AWC is just a customer who buys from them.
When you look at total dollars, clay is actually an insignificant part of the appearance chemical business. Tire shines, for example, sell at about 9 times the dollar volume of clay bars. Clay is about 1.5% of the appearance chemical market.
All detail products companies purchase from Auto Magic. It would be interesting to see what Clay Magic generates in private label sales to so many of the detailing products companies.
Member
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 24
Likes: 0
We can only hope that after the Auto Magic patent expires we are able to get other products used elsewhere...when I lived in Canada they have a product up their which was terrific, and due to the patent etc was unable to sell here in the USA.
Auto Detailing Clay is an engineered resin compound used to remove contaminants from the surface of your vehicles paint, glass, and metal. Auto detailing clay removes from the paint what washing cannot. (i.e. industrial fallout, tree sap, road tar, rail dust and brake dust). These contaminants pierce paint finishes, glass and metal and remain stuck on your vehicle through rain, car washes, and even polishing. The only way to remove these pollutants is – you guessed it – detailing clay. Detailing clay glides along the surface of your paint and grabs anything that protrudes from the surface. The particle sticks to the clay and is therefore removed from your vehicle.
Before clay
After clay
Before clay
After clay
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 1,372
Likes: 12
From: California
Auto Detailing Clay is an engineered resin compound used to remove contaminants from the surface of your vehicles paint, glass, and metal. Auto detailing clay removes from the paint what washing cannot. (i.e. industrial fallout, tree sap, road tar, rail dust and brake dust). These contaminants pierce paint finishes, glass and metal and remain stuck on your vehicle through rain, car washes, and even polishing. The only way to remove these pollutants is – you guessed it – detailing clay. Detailing clay glides along the surface of your paint and grabs anything that protrudes from the surface. The particle sticks to the clay and is therefore removed from your vehicle.
Before clay
This is just pure false statements....Megs was even nailed by the FTC last year requiring all of their ads to be modified.....claybar does not 7 and cannot remove industrial fallout...every auto paint mfg & oem has published documents on this dating back from 1990 to present.....
This particular pic is one of many regarding paint correction procedures specific to industrial fallout.....as you can see by both written statement & illustrations, claybar leaves residual contaimination subjecting the paint to destruction within the paint pores, below the surface.
https://www.f150online.com/forums/me...r-bar-1997.jpg
After clay
Before clay
This is just pure false statements....Megs was even nailed by the FTC last year requiring all of their ads to be modified.....claybar does not 7 and cannot remove industrial fallout...every auto paint mfg & oem has published documents on this dating back from 1990 to present.....
This particular pic is one of many regarding paint correction procedures specific to industrial fallout.....as you can see by both written statement & illustrations, claybar leaves residual contaimination subjecting the paint to destruction within the paint pores, below the surface.
https://www.f150online.com/forums/me...r-bar-1997.jpg
After clay
https://www.f150online.com/forums/me...y-bar-2006.jpg
I am not saying that claybar serves no purpose, but, if you are comfortable and believe your paint needs to be wet-sanded, and that is the only and safest way to correct the flaw/issue, then do so but for 90% for all paint contamination issues there are products designed to relieve/remove/neutralize the contaminants without reducing the mil thickness of the clear coat.
Claybar grit specs range anywhere from 3500 (Megs) to 5000.