Little E

iTrader: (2)

Ugh...I got some bad water spots on my car from the sprinkler at work. I tried to wash/wax the spots off, but I can still see them.

Any good recommendations for a good lube/clay bar kit? I have never clayed my car before; is it like waxing?

Thanks for your help,
Erin

nabbun

I haven't done it yet either but I have the Griot's Garage clay bar and Speed Shine.

Going to try it out next time I wash the car down and I'll report on how well it goes.

Little E

iTrader: (2)

I think I am going to give Clay Magic a try. Some guy at my work told me it works really well....available at AutoZone in a kit (lube and bar) for $12.

eyezack87

iTrader: (4)

You don't hear a lot about it since its illegal to sell it here but Ricardo is a very good clay bar. Everyone says its one of the best out there. I have a box myself that I'm going to use to see if its worth all the hype before I go get more lol

Chris@GlimmerGlass

iTrader: (3)

almost all clay is identical due to a patent from a certain mfg. Clay magic is perfectly fine. Get blue, not red though.

radicalrev

iTrader: (2)

+1 for clay magic...

fasteddy91

iTrader: (5)

+2 for clay magic. My wife's accord had dry bug debris on her bumper and hood which I could not remove using the bug remover. the bottom rear bumper had tar and blood from a dead skunk stuck on there for years. I used it for the first time and man did it take it right off. Her car felt so smooth too, like a baby's butt

Stokdgs

Ands its easy to buy in most places, and also online. Their lube works great but so does stuff like Meguiars Quick Detailer, or even a little car wash soap mixed in a bucket of water. Some soaps I hear, will cause the clay to break down, I dont know if this applies to Clay Magic or not.
Just wash the car there, leave it wet if you want, and wet the clay and carefully rub it over the spots. If they are on top of the paint, you will hear this sound of the clay shearing them off and then the sound will change cause they are hopefully gone. So it is alot like waxing in a sense. Dry that spot with a clean towel, and look to see what is left. If the spots are still there, you may need to get a stronger paint swirl mark, spot, etc., remover..
If you have any friends that use Zaino, ask if you can try some ZPC-Fusion. This works really well on not really serious paint defects, etc. and leaves a beautiful clear finish that is ready for your choice of wax, polish, etc.. No silicones, fillers, or crap in it, just cleaners. Other choices would be Menzerna products and I am sure a host of others. Your black beauty is simply beautiful! Hope it comes back like you want it. The Lexus paint appears to be really nice and glossy to begin with, so you should be ok.
Do the claybar in a back and forth motion, on the hood, it should be from front to back. No circular no left to right, just straight front to back.
Lexus of Bellevue had an IS Owner night last night and I saw an IS350 totally done with all the F sport products including your wheels! It looked great! Some lucky guy won the raffle and they put the entire F sport suspension package on his IS while we watched! He was so happy he bought the last HKS exhaust from them and they put that on for him at the same time!
Take care, have a great Labor Day!! Are you in Central Calif ?

PaPaHoFF

iTrader: (19)

Agreed. Get me some! lol. If you can seriously, I will pay. Some guys on autopia said they would but never came through

eyezack87

iTrader: (4)

PM sent Papa. Hope it helps!

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

I've only used two different brands. One is the Mothers one you buy in their kit and it has worked great on my cars. It may not be the best, but it gets the job done so it is good enough for me. The other one is a green color clay bar I found imported from Japan. I have no idea what brand it is since it was all in Japanese, but it too seem to work as well as the Mothers one, so at least for me, I'm not really sure how much better the better brands are when they all seem to remove contaminants and leave the car paint feeling smooth Also, the green Japanese one I found was about $6 so I think that was well worth the price.

radicalrev

iTrader: (2)

btw, my car had water spots from the sprinkles too, didnt wash it for 2-3 months since i was out of the country, and left water spots all over and some were already etched into the clear coat...

i tried claying, vinegar and water 50/50..(worked on the glass tho).....and did not seems to work...

so last resort,
it took me 8 hours to polish it out...still not 100% spot free....oh well... at least i learnt that i need to buy a car cover next time...lol...

Blkexcoupe

iTrader: (8)

So you were lucky enough to get some of that infamous Ricardo's clay. Let us know how it works out. I've heard about this stuff since I first got into detailing, but never really knew a way to get some of it. I think people just like it because of how much it can stretch.

Right now I've been using Pinnacle clay since most of the cars I have been working on are all fairly new. Other then that I normally use the clay magic stuff from autozone because it is easy to get.

Trexus

Why is Ricardo clay bar illegal to sell here in California?

Little E

iTrader: (2)

Yup...Bakersfield