The "plastic bag" clay bar test - you'll say WOW!

[Team Adam's]

We love showing this at car shows and detail clinics - thought I'd run it by you all.

 

This is the test to determine if you need to clay bar your vehicle or not - and ultimately to show customers the difference if they are skeptical about clay bar (lots of people think it's a scam.)

• Wash your ride - you want to do this on a clean surface (to prevent scratches.)
  
• Feel your paint with the back of your hand. Always use the back of your hand to prevent leaving fingerprints and smudges.
  
• Now put your hand inside a clean sandwich plastic bag, ziploc, whatever - just plastic - and feel that same spot you felt with your naked hand.
  
• HUGE DIFFERENCE HUH?! The bag is creating a barrier so you can now feel every single imperfection.
  
• Now spray a liberal amount of Detail Spray on a two foot by two foot area - the more Detail Spray the better.
  
• Take a quarter of your clay bar and mash it flat in your palm or against your glass windshield.
  
• Begin rubbing the clay bar back and forth, left and right on the surface you've lubricated with Detail Spray, adding more if necessary.
  
• You'll initially feel something grainy and you might even hear what sounds like sand paper.
  
• Work the clay bar till it glides smoothly, effortlessly, and you feel absolutely zero abrasives. Remember, clay bar will make your paint feel like glass and that's the point!
  
• If you are claying and see that the side you are making contact with on the paint is changing color and getting dirty don't panic, it's working! Simply fold it over, kneed with your fingers a new side, and get back to it!
  
• Dry the area with a microfiber towel (never your cotton shower towel you just pulled out of the hamper).
  
• Grab the bag and perform the same test. Rub your now clayed surface - amazing huh?
  

 

Don't forget to clay your glass and wheels! Remember if you drop your piece of clay throw it away! You don't want to risk picking up a small rock or metal fragment and scratching your paint! If you clay your wheels DON'T use that piece on your paint, brake dust is scratchy!

[Nitelord]

Several folks I've run into have heard of a clay bar, but only having to do with body work and such.

 

That's when I whip out a baggie and show them the difference. Works every time...

[GerryC]

I love the expression on people's faces when I do the plastic bag test on their car

 

"is your car clean?"

 

yep

 

"bet you it's not"

 

As Jason said it also works amazingly on clearcoated wheels. BTW nice new smiley

[potent44]

Oh! I never thought of using it on the wheels! I have got to try that! Granted, I tend to wash my wheels so much that I don't have any type of contaminant buildup very often, but it can always feel smoother.....

 

Matt

2008 GMC Sierra

[jjwvette]

I clay twice a year

[Nickc0844]

The "Power" of the plastic baggie. How many claybars have we sold over the years using this? I almost feel like we owe something to Rubbermaid....ok, maybe not!

[Doug123]

Yeah, just had a neighbor come over and ask why all the time spent this weekend in the garage. Told him I was cleaning the finish, working with a clay bar. He looked skeptical. I let him hand touch a before and after area with his bare hand, then told him to use the plastic bag. Made his jaw drop. He said, "oh man, I wouldn't want to touch my truck like this with a plastic bag".

[BADRIDES]

We love showing this at car shows and detail clinics - thought I'd run it by you all.

 

 

This is the test to determine if you need to clay bar your vehicle or not - and ultimately to show customers the difference if they are skeptical about clay bar (lots of people think it's a scam.)

• Wash your ride - you want to do this on a clean surface (to prevent scratches.)
  
• Feel your paint with the back of your hand. Always use the back of your hand to prevent leaving fingerprints and smudges.
  
• Now put your hand inside a clean sandwich plastic bag, ziploc, whatever - just plastic - and feel that same spot you felt with your naked hand.
  
• HUGE DIFFERENCE HUH?! The bag is creating a barrier so you can now feel every single imperfection.
  
• Now spray a liberal amount of Detail Spray on a two foot by two foot area - the more Detail Spray the better.
  
• Take a quarter of your clay bar and mash it flat in your palm or against your glass windshield.
  
• Begin rubbing the clay bar back and forth, left and right on the surface you've lubricated with Detail Spray, adding more if necessary.
  
• You'll initially feel something grainy and you might even hear what sounds like sand paper.
  
• Work the clay bar till it glides smoothly, effortlessly, and you feel absolutely zero abrasives. Remember, clay bar will make your paint feel like glass and that's the point!
  
• If you are claying and see that the side you are making contact with on the paint is changing color and getting dirty don't panic, it's working! Simply fold it over, kneed with your fingers a new side, and get back to it!
  
• Dry the area with a microfiber towel (never your cotton shower towel you just pulled out of the hamper).
  
• Grab the bag and perform the same test. Rub your now clayed surface - amazing huh?
  

Don't forget to clay your glass and wheels! Remember if you drop your piece of clay throw it away! You don't want to risk picking up a small rock or metal fragment and scratching your paint! If you clay your wheels DON'T use that piece on your paint, brake dust is scratchy!

Awesome write up

[Chris@Adams]

The baggie test doesn't lie!

[ExpressThis13]

ive never done the baggie test myself but i was claying the windows on my truck once and some friends stopped by and asked what the hell i was doing to my windows and I said claying them. They looked at me like I was stupid and said all they need is glass cleaner so I had only done one of my windows and I took the glass cleaner and cleaned the other one and told them to rub their hand on that window and then to the one I had just clayed and they couldn't believe how big of a difference their was.

[mdolandese]

This is probably the stupidest question you ever heard. Can the plastic baggie when doing the test possiblly scratch the paint. I'm considering a very clean washed surface with no dust. Like rubbing to hard or applying to much pressure. Is there a certain way to rub the car. I know dumb question , but I swear the baggie scratched the paint.

[ihaveacamaro]

rubbing anything too hard on paint can scratch it. With the baggie test, you don't need to apply pressure. Just feel the paint.

[Chewy]

YES! You just lightly push on it (the weight of your hand is enough). It doesn't take much at all to feel the bumps. Your clean hands can scratch the paint. I am usually polishing the paint after this anyway, so a little scratching doesn't bother me. I personally have never noticed them and my car is black.

 

Chris

[EPHIOS]

The point of the "baggie test" is to amplify your sense of touch on your fingers. It's like suddenly you fingers became as small as the contaminants on your paint.

[Jim Kelly]

Does the Detail Spray work?  Does it help to dissolve paint contamination? I've got a silver 2004 Corvette drop-top.  
I've been using the clay bar with clean water as a lubricant.  I got a whole lot of the "bumps" out of the surface.
But there are a lot of smaller bumps.  Are those "on the surface" of the clear coat?  Will the surface get totally smooth?
It is extremely difficult to get more out of the paint. I want the best results before applying a ceramic sealer.
Is there a point where you just cannot get anymore micro-debris out of the surface?
The car is a 16 year old creme-puff race car and I'd like it to shine like the day I bought it? 
Crazy *** author in Vero Beach.

[falcaineer]

10 hours ago, Jim Kelly said:

Does the Detail Spray work?  Does it help to dissolve paint contamination? I've got a silver 2004 Corvette drop-top.  
I've been using the clay bar with clean water as a lubricant.  I got a whole lot of the "bumps" out of the surface.
But there are a lot of smaller bumps.  Are those "on the surface" of the clear coat?  Will the surface get totally smooth?
It is extremely difficult to get more out of the paint. I want the best results before applying a ceramic sealer.
Is there a point where you just cannot get anymore micro-debris out of the surface?
The car is a 16 year old creme-puff race car and I'd like it to shine like the day I bought it? 
Crazy *** author in Vero Beach.

 

Holy thread revival! Welcome to the forums!

 

Yes, Detail Spray is an ideal clay lubricant. You'll get smooth paint by claying, and even smoother by using Iron Remover, and the shine from machine polishing the paint. 

[Rich]

Once you get all the contaminants out of the paint, polishing is going to bring out the shine.  

[07stanggt]

Just like Rich said, polishing is the best step. Removing scratches will bring out the best in your paint. Polishing by hand is ok, but perfection only comes with a machine.

Edited September 1, 2020 by 07stanggt

[GXPaycheck]

On 8/30/2020 at 9:39 PM, Jim Kelly said:

Does the Detail Spray work?  Does it help to dissolve paint contamination? I've got a silver 2004 Corvette drop-top.  
I've been using the clay bar with clean water as a lubricant.  I got a whole lot of the "bumps" out of the surface.
But there are a lot of smaller bumps.  Are those "on the surface" of the clear coat?  Will the surface get totally smooth?
It is extremely difficult to get more out of the paint. I want the best results before applying a ceramic sealer.
Is there a point where you just cannot get anymore micro-debris out of the surface?
The car is a 16 year old creme-puff race car and I'd like it to shine like the day I bought it? 
Crazy *** author in Vero Beach.

Make sure it’s the original detail spray! Not the new graphine stuff. Or you could use soapy water. 

Edited September 2, 2020 by GXPaycheck

[RayS]

Just use a regular baggy, not one of the thick freezer bags.