Best value clay bar?

[toby]

Cheapest I've found.

Anyone tried this and others for comparison?

http://www.rollupandshine.com/roll-up-- ... -107-p.asp

Also on ebay with lots of positive feedback
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... K:MEWAX:IT

[e30den]

Just pop into halfords and buy the meguairs clay kit.
sorted

[chris432626]

+1 for Megs kit.

[AlpineAde]

Meguiars here, too.

[mabz]

ive looked at the meguiars one but i only need the clay and the lube.not the towels and stuff.might give it a go but im not too keen on the pricetag!!9 months ago it wouldnt have mattered but now my wifes baby is due in two days so cant afford to splash out so to speak.trying to do everything on a budget

[toby]

Examples of prices from ebay

Meguiars - £9.10 for 50g

Roll Up & Shine Medium clay bar - £8.50 for 100g

This one is less than half the price of Megabuckguiars!

That's why I raised the question... has anyone used it?

[DavieP]

I'd be interested to hear too. After 22 years, I reckon my car could do with clay barring, despite still having a good shine even when dirty. I'm not too worried about the cost, but I've no intention of becoming a detailing nut so I see little point in in shelling shed-loads if I'm only going to use it very occasionally. Being a bit of a lazy coont ( Well I get bored easily if things take too long), I reckon on being knackered/p'ssed off after the barring, so what is the best easiest wax to use afterwards? Chemical Guys' Hardcore looks as though it might fit the bill - any thoughts or pearls of wisdom?

[Blitz]

Bilt Hamber clay bar only needs water to work.

[toby]

Only needs water the Bilt Hamber - saving the cost of spray on cleaner. I think I'd use diluted shampoo anyway but at £10.50 for 200 grams on ebay it looks best value.

Just looking around their website. They have been recommended on here a few times - didn't realised they were good value too. Thanks for the suggestion.

[e30den]

Examples of prices from ebay

Meguiars - £9.10 for 50g

Roll Up & Shine Medium clay bar - £8.50 for 100g

This one is less than half the price of Megabuckguiars!

That's why I raised the question... has anyone used it?

The roll up and shine clay is a very sticky but mild clay ok for light use but if your car has not been clayed before i would go with a grey clay megs or similar [imo].
ps. you will not use a complete bar to do the job.

[dozula]

i clayed my e30 with the yellow bar oredered it last week to be honest it really didnt hardly remove any of the grit tar i was kinda amazed,when i used the meguirs clay few mothns back that certainly grabbed all the tar and grit and made it like glass finish

[ETERNITY]

i have used bilt hamber.good stuff.hard work though

[toby]

Thanks for the info guys.

e30den - yes I know it's only a part of the bar to do one car but handy to have spare for reuse and in case I drop it, cover it with grit and make it useless.

dozula - you used the roll and shine yellow one?

ETERNITY - it does sound like hard work

DavieP - good question about an easy/quick wax to apply after the effort of claying

[ETERNITY]

i think mequirs is ur best bet.its easier to use and always hear good reviews about meq

[toby]

Have you used meguaires then ETERNITY?

It is four times the price of the bilt stuff.

A recap on prices-

Meguiars - £9.10 for 50g

Roll Up & Shine Medium clay bar - £8.50 for 100g

Bilt Hamber - £10.50 for 200 grams

[ETERNITY]

50g 1 time and ur done.ur not gona need any more.if you was a detailer and needed it for 2\3 cars. then the bilt wud be better value.mequirs better result and easier

[dozula]

Yep roll and shine was the one I used the yellow one medium grade not good at all in my opinon,next time itl be meguirs clay again I fink

[toby]

The buffties reckon on claying the car a couple of times a year so I think it's worth having a bit more as I may use it on the family car too.

Thanks guys, I'm getting a picture from what I've read here and on Detailing World. (On Detailing World it is difficult to see if advice is objective or coming from a trader/sponsor.)


A fairly negative review for the Roll & Shine clay despite positive feedback on ebay.

Mixed review of Bilt Hamber clay.

Meguiars obviously has very positive feedback.

[grantfk10]

A fairly negative review for the Roll & Shine clay despite positive feedback on ebay.

Mixed review of Bilt Hamber clay.

Meguiars obviously has very positive feedback.

There you go - Meguiars FTW

[toby]

Ah, but what about Autoglym - £17.95 for 100g?

Better value(?) and still a well respected brand.

Edit: Just thought of a top tip - put a sheet on the ground in the area the clay bar is being used and if it is dropped on the sheet it won't pick up grit. (Unless this is common practice, I'd have no idea.)

[DavieP]

T
Meguiars obviously has very positive feedback.

I've come to that conclusion - almost everyone seems to love their products.

Oh stuff it! I'll do the job properly and get the quik clay kit from wherever and the 3 step Megs Crystal 'system' from helfrauds. They're doing a 3 for the price of 2 deal ATM so the whole lot inc. the clay bar kit won't come to very much more than £25, which ain't a lorradosh compared to a lot of detailing products.

I really do hope this isn't the the start of something

[toby]

Yes I'm trying to avoid getting sucked in and spending too much. The kits are quite good as they include an all-in-one cleaner/wax afterwards so it's a quick easy finish after the clay.

Do you really want to do a three stage process though? It means that ideally you'd have to do all three in one go the first time you use them.

[DavieP]

The trouble with me is that having clay barred, I'll expect higher level of finish compared to the usual triple wax shampoo and polish. When I can be arsed, I shampoo then polish anyway, so it's only one extra process. After clay barring that is.

[Simon325i]

I've used the Meguairs kit today and well pleased with the results. 1st time I've clayed the car and it was simple to use and proper effective, car was silky smooth it was.

Finished it off with Autoglym Super Resin polish followed with the Autoglym Extra Gloss protection.

Once I'd started I couldnt stop so the roof was also cleaned and re-proofed followed by the interior and even got round to cleaning the boot out, just what I wanted to be doing on a Bank Holiday!!

[Ilkorin]

I've only used Bilt Hamber and tbh, I found it very very hard work! I think it's just because I'm lazy and spending ages rubbing the car with a bit of clay that is the consistency of plastic just isn't that rewarding...

On the plus side, it got rid of all sorts of stuff, including a big bit of overspray...

Do the other companies produce anything softer/easier to use?

[Joeshaw123]

The Bilt Hamber stuff is really hard work, my previous car was a mk2 golf that had been parked under a tree without washing for about 2 years, with bits of overspray here and there and it took forever to get it nice and smooth. Ive used the megs kit since, although it is a bit pricey it is easy to use and I like their quick detailer too.
If you want to get a longer lasting good finish I wouldnt use SRP as the fillers in the polish wash out quite quickly, I go for megs stage1 paint cleaner and stage2 polish, followed by as good a wax as you can afford, I tend towards dodo juice when I'm feeling flush but otherwise, gold class liquid wax does a good job, then use a good glaze, and any dirt on the car after that sort of attention seems to just hose off for the next couple of weeks!

[toby]

get the quik clay kit from wherever and the 3 step Megs Crystal 'system' from helfrauds.

I go for megs stage1 paint cleaner and stage2 polish, followed by as good a wax as you can affor

What I don't like about the Megs 3 step system is that step 2 isn't actually a polish - it's a glaze - so it doesn't actually polish. There's no cutting action at all. So the 3 step system is just a cleaner, glaze and wax. (So the need to buy ANOTHER product arises if marks need an actual cutting polish.) This strikes me as a bit of a con and sucks people in to buying more products than they need.

I gave up Megs and bought the Autoglym clay kit cheaply on ebay - £22. What I prefer about their products is they are more clearly labelled and have detailed instructions on how to get the best results. I have the Megs step 3 wax and it's ok but nothing special.

I wouldnt use SRP as the fillers in the polish wash out quite quickly

It is recommended to use the Extra Gloss Protection after the SRP to keep the fillers in.

[DavieP]

In the end I bought the megs clay bar and quick detailer, but decided against the 3 step 'Deep Crystal'. I've got Autoglym Ultra Deep Shine and Aqua Wax to finish. The wax seems to have a good rating and is reputedly very easy to apply and buff off. So if tomorrow is cloudier and cooler, I've got my work cut out for me.