Chemical Guys Medium Duty Clay Bar, Gray, CLY_402

I had never Claybar my 2012 Ford Mustang and wanted to try this out before I did a full deep clean on the car. I followed the instructions and Claybar the entire car. I was very impressed with the amount of particles. This Claybar took out and how much better it made the car look even before I Buffed and polished it.

We moved across country last year and learned they have an irritating way of “resurfacing” the roads here. Normally they’ll either fill in potholes, or rip up and replace the road, right? Not here! They just dumped a bunch of asphalt and let the traffic tamp it down for them. The result was a horrific mess of black tar all over my white car! I bought the heavy duty clay bar as I knew it’d be a tough job, and though it did take a lot of work/rubbing, almost everything did come out. There was a small area of tar and yellow road paint in one of the wheel wells that didn’t fully come out, but it’s still much better. The picture really doesn’t do it justice/the difference was far more stark in person, but you get the idea!

Edit to add: The comments that complain about the clay smearing on the paint – yes, that can happen, though I found it tended to happen when I was feeling a bit low on luber. It also wipes right off if you just rub the clay bar over it again, so it’s really not a big deal!

I recently had the opportunity to use the Chemical Guys CLY_401 Light Clay Bar in the blue variant (100 g) on my car, and I must say I was quite pleased with the results. As an avid car enthusiast, I’ve tried my fair share of clay bars, and this one certainly left a positive impression.

First and foremost, the size of the clay bar (100 g) is perfect for the average car. It’s enough to thoroughly clay the surface without feeling like you’re wasting product, but it’s not so large that it becomes unwieldy. The blue color indicates that it’s a light clay bar, which makes it suitable for vehicles that aren’t heavily contaminated with stubborn contaminants.

The performance of the CLY_401 clay bar is where it truly shines. It effortlessly removed surface contaminants such as road grime, tar spots, and light oxidation. The clay bar glided smoothly over the paintwork with the help of a good quality lubricant, leaving behind a noticeably smoother and cleaner finish. The paint felt incredibly slick to the touch after the treatment.

One of the standout features of this clay bar is its durability. Even after claying an entire car, there was still plenty of clay left for future use. This makes it a cost-effective option for those who want to maintain their vehicles regularly.

However, there are a couple of minor drawbacks to consider. Firstly, the clay bar can be a bit on the softer side, which means it may be more prone to tearing or disintegrating if not handled carefully. Secondly, the packaging could be improved to provide better protection for the clay bar during storage and transportation.

In conclusion, the Chemical Guys CLY_401 Light Clay Bar in the blue variant is an excellent choice for anyone looking to achieve a smooth and contaminant-free car surface. It’s easy to use, delivers impressive results, and offers good value for money due to its durability. Just exercise a little caution when using it to avoid potential issues with tearing. Overall, it’s a product I would recommend to fellow car enthusiasts and detailers looking to maintain the beauty of their vehicles.

This stuff is GREAT! I generally use this as a precursor to wax application, and it easily gets all of the impurities off of the paint and leaves a nice smooth surface to apply the wax/ceramic coat of your choosing. A couple of things to keep in mind:

1) Don’t be like Tesla guy, who “followed instructions to the letter”. Make sure all other materials are off of your wax bar before use. This should go without saying. If you drop it, it will pick up whatever the ground has to offer, wash it off before continuing.

2) Do not go light on the lube. This shouldn’t be a hard process. If it’s sticking, you’re doing it wrong. It should glide across the surface and if it’s not, MORE LUBE. Just because it’s easy doesn’t mean it’s not working. I usually use any sort of speed polish or “spray wax” and get a good result.

3) As with anything, test on a SMALL, and INCONSPICUOUS part of your car. NOT your HOOD. I’ve not had a car this doesn’t work wonders on, but that doesn’t mean it will work with every car.

4) this is a little weird, but DO NOT like WD40 touch this stuff! lol! I learned the hard way by accident that it will quickly start to break it down, leaving nice blue or yellow clay spots to buff off. It doesn’t hurt anything, but it takes that quick and easy feeling away.

All in all this stuff works great when coupled with common sense! Works especially well for those cars that have gone a little too long between washes or waxes and have that extra layer of rain/road/etc on them. Try it out!