As it didn't rain for most of yesterday I decided to give the Yeti a really good clean. I am certainly not a "detailer" but I like my SM to look good. Finally got round to buying a clay bar kit (have always been a bit sceptical about the need for stuff like this) and gave it a go yesterday. Results were frankly amazing! Car is only 18 months old but the amount of ingrained dirt that came out was astonishing. It got rid of all the tar spots much more easily than the usual Autoglym Intensive Tar Remover. Paintwork was left really smooth and it made polishing a whole lot easier. I guess I'm now a convert.

Wife wasn't too happy when she came home to find that I'd spent five hours cleaning the car and her tea wasn't ready though. Was sent to join Bobdog in his corner. Oh well .....

If the car hasn't been thoroughly cleaned for months, an interesting approach is to use tar remover first, clay bar afterwards (with a quick wash in between, as you don't want any remaining tar remover getting on the bar). This way, the clay bar shows up everything that the tar remover cannot shift, and that can be a surprise.

P.S. all this applies to the Yeti, of course - I can't vouch for it on any other model.

Edited 31 July, 201213 yr by r999

Also tried a clay bar kit on the wife's Fabia; had the opposite result. Felt it was causing more issues than it was resolving, so not used since. More than likely operator error having not used such a product before, although I did follow the instructions and guidance on the 'box'.

Maybe that's it, they only work on Yeti's :wonder:

TP

I like the Bilt-Hamber bars that need only water as a lubricant. The trick is to soften them in a bucket of warm water.

Also tried a clay bar kit on the wife's Fabia; had the opposite result. Felt it was causing more issues than it was resolving, so not used since. More than likely operator error having not used such a product before, although I did follow the instructions and guidance on the 'box'.

Maybe that's it, they only work on Yeti's :wonder:

TP

Did you use plenty of lubricant?

What issue did you feel it was causing?

It does make a difference to the paint work and providing you have clean paint before you clay..You cant really go wrong

I like the Bilt-Hamber bars that need only water as a lubricant. The trick is to soften them in a bucket of warm water.

I use BH too

They work even better with little car shampoo

The BH clay is more cost effective as you use water as a lube - another option is a diuted shampoo solution.

Cut the bar into 6 cubes - not only is it easier to work with but if you drop it you don't waste the whole bar. Wrap the remaining cubes in cling flim and sort it in a little box.