Claying-Do they all mar/scratch?

[Striker]

I've been looking for a clay bar that I can count on to remove bugs/bug marks from my front end safely without the need of me having to take my rotary out and do some correctional work.



Sonus green seems to come in mind. Does anyone else think this would be a good clay for my use?

 

[Bert]

I've been looking for a clay bar that I can count on to remove bugs/bug marks from my front end safely without the need of me having to take my rotary out and do some correctional work.



Sonus green seems to come in mind. Does anyone else think this would be a good clay for my use?

Sonus Green would be a good clay to start with. I have never had an issue with that clay marring. However, on softer paints, light marring could be possible.



If you are using the Sonus Green and it just isn't removing the bug guts very well, you may need to move up to a more aggressive clay. That is when you will start noticing more marring possibilities.

 

[Accumulator]

What bert31 said :xyxthumbs



Watch your technique, and remember that as soon as the clay picks up anything abrasive it turns into sandpaper.

 

[Bert]

What bert31 said :xyxthumbs.

Thanks.

Watch your technique, and remember that as soon as the clay picks up anything abrasive it turns into sandpaper.

Very important. Along with frequently folding the clay when it picks something up, don't use too much pressure. The clay only need to glide along the paint, not be work into the paint.



I will admit though, if I get to a stubborn spot, I will increase my pressure a little bit, but for the most part, I try to be gentle and just let it glide along the lubricant.



One last thing, if you drop it, throw it away. If the clay hits the ground, it will pick up grit and debris which will REALLY marr your paint. Even if it is a brand new piece of clay, just cuss at yourself a few times and then throw it away. I once thought about lying a clean beach town under the body panels to see what would happen if I dropped the clay on it. I didn't drop the clay but my plan was if I did, examine the clay cafefully and see if that prevented the need to throw away.

 

[Striker]

So I have to look at the surface of the clay very often and fold If I see anything in there?



Also, I use a more abrasive clay for my windshield to make it a 100% clean surface, is this ok? It's an older megs clay (megs clean surface kit with the red bottle QD)

 

[Accumulator]

So I have to look at the surface of the clay very often and fold If I see anything in there?

Or just assume it's contaminated and fold/knead/replace it whether you see anything or not, which is probably easier anyhow. Hard to say when you're overdoing it and being overly cautious, you won't know you *under*-did it until you see marring.

Also, I use a more abrasive clay for my windshield to make it a 100% clean surface, is this ok? It's an older megs clay (megs clean surface kit with the red bottle QD)

If it hasn't scratched the glass yet then it's almost certainly not going to.

 

[solekeeper]

Is the sonus green clay one of the softest clays available?



Would it be tough enough to get rid of bug marks, like in OP's case?

 

[Up To Eleven]

I've used Sonus Green on 4 different cars. I've seen no maring or scratching and it's removed everything I wanted it to. I always used 50/50 Megs Last Touch / Water as the lube (and plenty of it).