Has anyone had a big difference before and after clay baring?

 

There's not going to be an award winning shine or mirror like finish if that's what you are asking.results are only as good as the quality of your paint job and effort in the job you do waxing.claying is just deep cleaning of the surface paint or glass,It's not going to make a car shine any more or less if not used at all.you'll feel a difference but won't really see it.

 

I'd say night and day. You have to take your time and do it right. But yeah it's second only to buffing with compound imo. It's the difference between having shiney paint, and color that's so deep it's hard to see where the surface begins.

 

What color is your car? Done right, proper wash then clay bar, followed by a machine polish then wax will provide fantastic results. if you do not have a polisher, you will not have as good of results, but it will provide a very smooth to the touch finish.

 

Clay barring will do nothing for the visual appearance of the paint.

It is made to pull contaminants out of the paint (over spray, tar, sap, fall out, etc)

Put your hand into a sandwich baggie, run your hand over the paint (after a wash) and if it feels rough to the touch, then you need to clay bar it.

 

Big difference if you drive the car regularly or end the lives of bugs often. It will take your paint from feeling rough to glass smooth. Just be sure to take your time and do it properly. Follow up with a nice polish and wax. Basically what everyone else said.

 

It's funny because my car has been sitting under a car cover for a while.i claybared it last spring washed it maybe 3 more times.finally Thursday the last time I washed I just happen to rub it and it was glass smooth still.It definitely does remove surface contamination and well worth the effort.You will be amazed at what you don't see

 

Clay bar isn't mean to give your car a shine. It's meant to remove all contamination in the paint. After clay bar a proper compound/polish/ wax or sealer is needed to protect your paint and truly make the paint shine. If you just clay your car and leave it, you're paint will go to sh** because there is nothing protecting the clear coat which will eventually cause fading and many many many many swirls.

 

What he said.

After the contaminants are off the paint it allow for better shine as the light isn't passing through crap on your clear coat. You need to follow through as described above, clay bar alone is not a miracle, but together can make a car look really nice if the paint already is nice. If you need paint restoration, clay will not help you other than the fact it is a step before restoration lol

 

Exactly ^

 

I guess I'm doing it wrong.

 

How long does it take to claybar the whole car?

 

About an hour. You need to wash your car, claybar it, then wash your car again. Then paint correction/wax, of course.

 

To say the same thing that the others have said, just using a claybar is not going to change the shine must. However if it has some overspray on it you will notice a difference in the shine. If it is just removing contaminants then you won't see any difference. People will vary on how they tell you to do it. What has worked for me in the past is to wash the entire car of course but make sure that the mitt or sponge is really clean and the water is fresh (sounds silly but I have seen some stupid stuff over the years). You also need a good quality claybar not the ones you find at walmart or the parts stores, you can find them on www.detailedimage.com or http://www.autogeek.net if you have never clayed before get one that is fine grade.

Next step while the car is still wet change your wash water and use it as the lubricant for the clay bar, dip it each time you put it on the paint. You will hear and start to feel a difference pretty quick, use lots of soapy water. If you suddenly hear a different sound then stop rinse the entire area and fold the bar over on itself. You will know this new sound as it does not sound the same as when you start to clay the paint. Always rinse an area when you finish it, don't let it dry till you are finished. Do one section at a time, like the fender or half of the hood, trying to do to big of an area will frustrate you and make the job longer and the results worse.

After you have finished with the whole car then dry it and check your work. I personally listen and feel the paint by lightly rubbing my hand on it. If it is all good then you need to polish it with a machine. Just waxing it is fine but you will be lacking a lot of shine as the wax or sealant can only do so much. When using a machine to polish it tape up the trim so that you don't screw it up as the Evo trim is not of the best quality and you can mar it or "burn" through the coating. After you finish polishing it wipe it down with microfiber towels, if you have dust everywhere you could wash it again but try not to as the dust will then stick to everything and stain it if not completely removed.

Final step would be to wax it with a good quality wax of your choice. I have the advantage of multiple waxes at my disposal but if I knew the color you are working on I could help recommend a polish and wax combo.

I have explained how to do it now is the why. The surface of any clear coated vehicle has contaminants on it and buried in the paint. The reason for this is that the air is not pure and free of carp so things land on the surface that you can't see, they get buried because of their chemical make up and when the vehicle is left in the sun it get heated up and the clear coat becomes pliable or soft. When you remove the junk from the clear it looks like the rocky mountains and therefore light is reflected in all directions which you can see the clear better with the naked eye but it is far from smooth. Polishing smooths the clear coat from the rockys to the prairies of the west. When you apply a wax on top of the polished surface it not only protects the clear coat but it adds a layer of smoothness and depth to the shine. A true wax is not perfect in it's ability and smoothness as it lays down in flaky layers (can't be seen by the naked eye). Wax also melts around 160 degree and this is why it doesn't seem to last long. A good quality sealant lays down completely smooth and melts around 500-600 degrees but can't give you the shine or depth of a wax. Most people like to clay, polish, wax, and then sealant to get the best results possible.

Sorry for the long post but I wanted to help people understand how and why.