Clay bar/ buffing for paint restoration

[Bmytz]

Was just wondering if anyone has clay barred or buffed there trucks, heard this gives great results but im lacking the experience and wondering if anyone can point me in the right direction.

 

[vaporlock]

I did it this past summer and holy guacamole did it make a difference! You could both see and feel the difference, the paint got it's brightness back and it's super smooth now. Washing it is also alot easier now, everything just comes off super easy.
It's pretty easy but takes a little time. I started with a handwash, I used dishwashing soap (the kind you use to hand wash not the stuff you'd put in a dishwashing machine!) to get it really clean and to get all the old wax off. Then I clay bared it which was a whole lot easier than I thougt it would be. I used (if I remember right) a kit from Meguiars which had everything you needed in it, just follow the very easy instructions. Then I used some type of colored polish to brighten up the paint a little more, then wax and then it was done.
I did it all by hand and I think it took about 3 hours, the hardest part was reaching everywhere and my arms getting tired!

And for the record, before this I had never used clay bar nor had I polished or waxed a car/truck.

 

[meterman]

I like to do all the above but instead of clay I use 3m finesse machine polish


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[Ironhead]

It is amazing how much the appearance of your vehicle improves if you do a thorough wash, then clay bar, then polish, then wax or paint seal. These trucks have quite a few acres of sheet metal, so I think using a good polishing machine is worthwhile, unless you really like sore arms. I really don't think it matters which brand of clay bar or polish you choose, as long as it is one of the recognized brands. Because we have a really good rep in our area, I kind of like Adams detainling products, but I have had good results with Meguiars.

Not sure my truck has paint that is worth this much effort, but I like to do this to my Mustang from time to time, as it has great paint.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

try the new eagle 1 "clay bar mitt", i bought one to use on my camaro last fall. way easier than a clay bar, and if you drop it in the dirt, all you have to do is wipe it off. took 10 minutes to do my whole car.

 

[mackguy]

I got hooked on Griot's Garage stuff about 15 years ago, and the clay bar does make a huge difference.. If it's been a while you can definitely feel the difference of gunk on your paint after cleaning with the clay (and you can see all the gunk the clay is picking up.. nasty).

I concur that you'll be much happier spending some $ on a power buffer.. I've got the one Griots sells (well the one they sold 5-6 years ago), and happy with it. I know there's a markup for the Griots brand name, an HF one or similar will probably do the job fine, but Griots backs their stuff well and has great CS so figured it was worth it to use what they work with.

I have not done the Suburban yet, but imagine it to be quite a time consuming task. If your paint is decent you really only need to freshen it up with a light polish. There's various "grit" of polish to go from major paint correction to just smoothing out the swirl marks.

 

[BoxerPitMix]

^ I'm sold on Griot's Garage stuff. I have a whole shelf full

My '03 was in damn near mint condition when I bought it, but felt a little rough... Since I've clay bar'd and waxed it, it is like glass.
Not only that, but once you clay bar and put a good coat of wax on a vehicle it is much easier to keep clean and stay nice. But I have never and will never take my truck through a car wash. I don't want all my hard work going down the toilet

 

[sewlow]

I got a Makita power polisher & an orbital buffer off of C/L. The guy had won them at a car show.
But he was just an attendee from the crowd, not an entrant. The POS vehicle he had wasn't worth the effort of polishing!
All brand new, still in the sealed boxes! He wanted $100.00. Got them for $50.00! Being a prize, he wasn't out anything out of his own pocket!
Also came with all the various stages of Maguier's cut polishes, clay bar kit, waxes, sealers & glazes!
Probably way over $150.00 in that stuff, alone!
Best $50.00 I've spent in a long time!

 

[mackguy]

That's a sweet deal, and yes I'd bet easily over $150.

 

[Ironhead]

Would like to hear some recommendations on good power polishers (brand and model numbers) as I need to buy one. Hope this is not seen as a thread jack, it just seemed like a good thread to post this request.