Recommended clay substitute?

[Lutotarek]

What's a good clay substitute product. I see a lot here on AG but am having trouble deciding. I have a couple vehicles, one that is ~1 year old and never clayed and the other that hasn't been clayed in years but is more of a "garage queen" so likely has only light to mild contamination.
Normally I would just grab a few ounces of clay from an auto part store and go to town, but I was interested in something easier and more cost efficient

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[RLE55]

I've used Mother's for years.........

 

[Bikeman315]

Well there really is no substitute for clay but here is an alternative that is easier and cost effective.

https://www.detailedimage.com/The-Rag-Company-M99/Ultra-Clay-Mitt-P2710/

 

[Rocket Man]

there is the clay towel and the clay sponge. I have used both and they are an acceptable alternative.

 

[S650Mustang]

https://www.nanoskinusa.com/products/autoscrub-sponge-fine-grade

Nano skin fine grade should fit the bill for the vehicles you’ve described. You can buy their specific clay lube and dilute it or use something like optimum no rinse (ONR)

 

[Wiley Marmot]

I used to use Mother's clay bar + quick detailer (after washing and drying and before waxing).

https://www.amazon.com/Mothers-0724...08315c3f81dc6d3c10&qid=1738446902&sr=8-1&th=1

About 4 years ago I switched to Mother's speed clay; which I use while washing. Much quicker than the other method.

https://www.amazon.com/Mothers-1724...78519ac0a4e28a1bf13a53c&qid=1738447001&sr=8-4

As @Bikeman315 and @Rocket Man have noted there are other good alternatives to the Speed Clay 2.0

 

[DFB5.0]

I've used Mother's for years.........

For a traditional clay bar, it's an excellent choice, very mild and user friendly.

 

[DFB5.0]

This is a subject that usually gets detailers arguing. The guys from the old school swear black and blue nothing comes close to offering the decontamination ability of a traditional clay bar. While those open to new ideas argue synthetic clay products are safer and easier to use. Both sides have merit.

So, which you should you use? Well, that depends on the level of contamination you can feel on the paint.

Traditional Clay Bar - These products will pull considerably more from paint, even the mildest forms. So, if you can feel significant paint contamination or are dealing with tar or paint overspray, a clay bar is going to do more for you. If you live in an industrial area, near an airport or park near a railway, you will probably need a clay bar at some point.

However, depending on the paint they can and do inflict more marring. You also need to manage them while using, kneading a fresh side often and making sure to NEVER drop them.

Most of the popular brands offer mild clay bars that will sort 90% of all contamination. Only use the aggressive stuff if you need it. The yellow Mother's or white Meguiar's consumer clays are a good starting point, but overpriced for what they are. I'd recommend the TRC Ultra Clay Bar for safety and value for money.

Ultra Clay Bar | The Rag Company

Synthetic Clay Sponge/Towel/Mitt - These products are far more user friendly and require little to no management during use, just rinse and dry after use. For most well-maintained cars, these products will be more than sufficient to deal with light to moderate contamination. They are also much safer to use, inflicting less marring. If you happen to drop one of these, just rinse it off and keep going, a traditional clay bar would need to be thrown away.

The one downside of these products is they don't quite have enough grunt to deal with severe contamination. But, as always with detailing, its always best to start with the least aggressive method first.

Again, most brands have clay towels/mitts ect now. The TRC items are great for their price point, but you could also look at the Carpro and Economax alternatives. Of them all, I prefer the Ultra Clay Scrubber for mild to moderate contamination.

Ultra Clay Scrubber | The Rag Company
Ultra Clay Towel | The Rag Company
Ultra Clay Mitt | The Rag Company

Lubricant - This can be as simple as soapy water, but you can also use rinse-less wash or a quick detailer. Some companies offer dedicated clay lubes, of which I really like the Gyeon version. Otherwise, just go with ONR or N-914 at the clay lube ratio.

Gyeon Q2M Clay Lube | Clay Lubricant – Parks Car Care
Optimum - No Rinse Wash and Shine (ONR) | The Rag Company
N-914 Rinseless Wash - V2 - McKees37.com

 

[RLE55]

And as a reminder.....Do Not Clay Bar your car if it has been Ceramic Coated. The Clay Bar treatment is done before the CC treatment as part of the process in preparing the paint. Most reputable CC installers/applicators know and do this.

 

[Deleted member 63363]

I use and recommend the Griot's Garage fine surface prep mitt. It won't scratch, it really removes any wax and contaminants. I use Griot's Speed Shine as the lube as they recommend. My new Mustang had mild hail damage. Finish felt like sandpaper. One prep mitt treatment and a fresh coat of their Poly Wax and it's like brand new. Smooth as glass everywhere. Excellent product:

https://www.griotsgarage.com/fine-surface-prep-mitt/

At the Griot's Garage website they have excellent videos about using this product. I think their Poly Wax has been replaced by their Best Of Show Wax. Also excellent. These products are regularly on the winning cars at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. I don't use anything else.

 

[drive_55_not]

So, which you should you use? Well, that depends on the level of contamination you can feel on the paint.

This, My 2018 Gen3 had way too much iron on the paint to use a microfibre, I used the Mothers clay bar to pull it off.

My S650 OToH had no iron on it, It did appear the dealer detailed it while they had it as it shed water like it had some kinda wax job and the orange peel was noticeably un-noticable.



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