The debate about clay bar versus synthetic decontamination in auto detailing

I have been detailing cars on weekends for about three years now, and I noticed a big change in how my paint looks after switching methods. A few months back, I was strictly a clay bar guy. I would spend a good hour or two claying a whole sedan, and the smooth finish after was always satisfying. But about six months ago, I started using a synthetic iron remover spray before claying, and the difference was shocking. The paint felt smoother after just the spray than it ever did after a full clay bar session alone. Now I wonder if the clay bar is even needed for most cars, or if the synthetic stuff does enough on its own. Has anyone else compared these two methods back to back and found a clear winner for regular maintenance?

3 comments

3 Comments

lunah1214d ago

Clay bar feels like overkill after a good iron spray, right?

jakewhite14d ago

Overkill" is rich coming from someone who just spent 45 minutes spraying purple goo on their wheels, @lunah12.

calebc407d ago

My buddy Mike who works at a body shop saw this firsthand. He clays cars every day and swore by it until one of his customers wanted him to try just the iron remover to save time. He sprayed it on a white Tacoma that looked clean and the amount of purple running off that truck was ridiculous. He still used the clay bar after but said the tar and fallout came off way easier than usual. I mentioned @jakewhite's comment to him and he just laughed and said the purple goo is worth the mess. Mike told me if a car gets regular washing and waxing, the iron remover alone is usually plenty for the paint.