well lets just say my dumb self drop the clay bar and kept using it so now my car is dirty even more. I was wondering if it can be cleaned up? don't flame me i know im dumb...i didnt know you couldnt use it after u dropped it

 

im sure it can be cleaned up try reclaying it with a NEW clay bar..

 

Thats why u cut it in half so if u drop one u still have the other half

 

You probably just swirled it all up as well. When you drop a claybar, you really should trash it and buy a new one. At least cut off the exposed part and knead the rest of it back up again. When they hit the ground, they pick up small debris, which can create microscratches in the finish when you start claying again.

 

so is there a way to clean it up or is it just stuck?

 

run over it with a new claybar

 

ima try that...hopefully it'll work cause my back bumper is super ugly now

 

Well, the dirty look should just come off with soap and water. The clay is mostly to remove contaminants that are embedded in the finish (a lot of what you can feel). If washing it doesnt do the trick, then you can clay again.

And just in case you didnt know it, you should wash with dish liquid soap first, to remove the wax. Next, clay the car. Then a quick wash again before waxing it. You should always wash before claying, and if you dont use something that removes the wax, you wont get much out of claying it. Then of course you need to put a coat of wax back on it.

Not sure if you do it that way already, but that is how it really should be done to get good results.

 

well i wash my car with meguiars gold class then clayed it but when i was finished i saw it was messed up. If i wax like a year ago should i still use dish soap?

 

yea probably. theres still some wax on there.

 

The wax just makes the bar slip over the surface freely, so it doesnt really get in there and take off what it should. I always wash with dish soap (palmolive or dawn, and lots of it in the bucket) before I clay. Makes it come out so much better.

 

I have a claybar that has been used once....

Can I use again or throw it away?(never hit the ground)

 

you can use it again...

 

yeah, you can use them a number of times. It all just depends on how much crud they have in them. I clayed my tC twice and our 4 runner once with the one I have. I will replace it before I clay again. I would get more use out of it, but the 4Runner (01 model) probably hadnt been clayed in its life before we bought it and I picked up a lot of particles and crud claying it.

 

Noob Question Here...

How often, for what reasons, and in what order should you clay?

Also while we are on the subject of car maintenance... How often should you wax?

And simply for the sake of sake.... How often should you wash?

Notice I said should, not how often do you.

 

That can vary, some go nuts on it and spend hours every week detailing.. personally I think that unless you show your car every weekend, that is pointless But some just enjoy doing it that much, which is cool.

My cars tend to look very good for years and years. For example, my 96 saturn with 170 k on the clock still looks nice, and the dash is not faded, cracked, etc.

My schedule is:

Clay once per year tops. Claying removes stuff that is imbedded in your finish. So claying a new car is typically pointless unless the paint feels rough. I have clayed mine twice in 47,000 . I try to wax once every month and a half or so with a decent wax (been using NXT) and a buffer. I clean my interior with a damp cloth and use Meguiars every month or so on it sparingly. I am sure to wax before the winter starts, even though I typically try not to drive it in the snow since I have my old car to drive.

To clay the car, my process is:

Wash with palmolive or dawn. Do a good job on this wash
Clay the car
Quick wash again
Wax well

I then wash with regular car wash soap and use quick detailer when needed after than until the next wax.

My car lives in a garage, and I many times drive my older car when it rains as well. If you park your car out in the sun and weather all the time, you will probably need to do a bit more with it.

But honestly, the paint on my cars has always looked nice, and most of them got waxed 3 times a year. So you dont have to go nuts on it.