I've used Mother's on my beater car in the past. That car was my first experience with clay. It was a white car with plenty of small imperfections, but the clay did a wonderful job of removing all of the tiny specs that you couldn't really see from a foot or two away (but bothered my nonetheless). The paint was SO smooth afterwards and waxing was a breeze after that.

I'll be detailing the S for the first time soon, and I know I want to use clay, but I was wondering:

- Do people have any other brand recommendations that are better or worse than Mother's?

- I've heard so-so comments about Zaino clay (I haven't decided if I'm going to try other Zaino products on the S or not.). Any comments?

- I see on some of the online detail product suppliers various grades of clay. I'd like to be enlightened. Where does a product like Mother's fit in with products like Sonus fine and ultra-fine clays?

- Lastly, Mother's came with a quick detailer as the lubricant. IMO, it worked well as a lubricant (the clay maintained it's form and consistancy), but left a nasty film on the car (which did wash off easily enough with Dawn), and I ran out of the entire bottle before I finished a Civic coupe. Other products recommend just using a car wash in water as the lube. Any comments on how this works? Does this cause the clay to break down (or turn mushy) sooner? What do other people use?

Sorry for the long list of questions. I was impressed with my first experiences with clay, but I'd like to learn a lot more before applying it to a brand new car.

 

i have not had bad experiences with any clay...
except when i have used old clay (which can crumble or fall apart).
i really dont have a brand pref for clays- but have not used mothers.

the clays that i have used most recently are the sonus, pinnacle, zaino, and then i think diamonite

i usually use clay with a detailers spray, but car shampoo in water works too. you usually can just wipe off the residue with a clean mf towel. but, i often wash the car again after claying- mainly cause i often polish after claying and i dont want to use the pc on a surface that isnt completely clean (remember, i really earned my badge- which means that i sometimes "overdo" things!)

 

Magic Clay at $9.99 is about the best deal going. Find it at Autozone.

 

I just used the sonus clay and while it felt softer than the mother's clay, end result was similar. However it was easier to remove which was a plus in my book. Also just finished using sonus 1, 2, 3, klause aio, and ps21 and I can see why some of the people are so into detailing. Sure makes the car look better than off the showroom

 

right on- you are sounding just like one of us!!

now, where is your badge?

 

Have only used the Meguiars clay and detailer. Easy to use. I am pleased with the results.

 

Thanks all, for the feedback.

So, are there different grades for different purposes? For intsance, what is the difference between the Sonus fine and Sonus ultra-fine?

Thanks again,

 

In my experience clay bars no matter the brand are always the same quality. The only differences that I've observed are the level of abrasiveness and some clays are more firm so they're harder to re-mold. As long as you stay with a clay described as mild, medium, fine, or ultra-fine you'll be all set. Stay away from clay described as aggressive.

In terms of getting the most clay for your $$$, I would look on-line to buy a box of clay instead of buying a clay kit at your local auto parts store. Here's a comparison. You can buy the Clay Magic kit for $9.99 it includes a bottle of clay lube and a small clay bar. Recently, I bought a box of Optimum Clay from Premium Auto Care for $11.66 (regularly $14.95 still on sale for $12.95 and I have a coupon code for 10% off). The Optimum clay bar is two to three times bigger than the bar in the Clay Magic kit. Also, I personally don't need the clay lube from the kit because I have gallons of quick detailer at home which I use instead.

 

what kind of detailers spray exactly do you use wanabe?

 

as with just about everything, i have several...
lately i have been using the griots speed shine- a carnuba based quick detailer.
griots is not my fav supplier for several reasons, but i have to admit that i like their speed shine.