here is the basic story in bullet form:

- i got a regular car wash from a hand car wash place
- i knew i had tree sap on my car that a regular car wash wouldn't get out
- i decided to buy turtle wax's ICE liquid clay bar and some other brand's liquid wax
- i applied the liquid clay bar, but i noticed it left a wax-like residue
- turns out the liquid clay bar is also a wax at the same time???
- the wax dries, and i try to get it off with a dry towel
- this does nothing good, doesn't get the wax off, and even leaves weird designs
- i am worried at this point
- i decide to get the wax off by taking it through a gas station, drive-thru car wash
- i look at the car after the wash, and although it is shiny, there is still a wax-like residue with designs made by the red strips of cloth or whatever the car wash machine is made of

is everything okay with my car, or did I make the worst mistake of my life?

thanks

 

Try stripping it with Dawn dish washing soap

 

I helped a friend detail his car before and we used that ICE liquid clay bar. It sucks.

 

For future reference... Goo Gone. The stuff works great

 

That sux I hope you can get it out. I use dish soup once every3 months and then apply some new fresh layer of wax. Can you capture it on camera?

 

Best stuff you can use to get bugs and tar off of your car - Honda Spray Cleaner. Depending upon what state you live in (banned in some states) you can find it at most any Honda motorcycle dealership for all of $5 a can. Just spray it on and let it sit for a few seconds, and wipe the crap off.

For really sticky stuff you can use lighter fluid. The same stuff you use to light your BBQ with - Zippo stuff works good too. Just put a little on a terry cloth, wipe it off, and have another clean rag with some Simple Green on it to remove the residue. It works 10 times better than Goo Gone.

 

thanks everybody

i'm gonna see how it turns out in the next couple of days.

my question is: what's so good about clay bar that everybody uses it if this other stuff works just as good?

i used to pay premium for a clay and wax from the car wash. $69.99

this liquid clay bar stuff sucks. i guess i should stick to goo gone type stuff and then wax it with real wax.

 

Do you mean the differences between googone/Honda Spray Cleaner/etc vs clay bar? In my mind they are for different purposes. Honestly I just don't think I would put lighter fluid on my car but to each his own. Googone in very sparing amounts for very stubborn - typically sticky- spots. All of these are meant to be used sparingly IMO, whereas claybar is great to pick up contaminants(most of the time that you can't easily see) which gather while driving. Even clay bar I wouldn't use frequently though.

For your original question though, sounds like the liquid claybar is just not good and left a film on your car. Wash it by hand with Dawn and a quality MF and start over.

 

I tried that Liquid ICE Claybar stuff too - pretty much blows if you ask me....

 

Clay bar is completely different than that crap you used. A clay bar gets contaminants that are stuck in your paint to stick to the clay and get pulled out of your paint safely. No liquid can do that. Think about it. Go to your local auto supply store and pick up a clay bar and clay lube for like $10 or so. Cut or tear the clay bar in half and use only one half, saving the other half for another time - or when you drop the first half on the ground. If you drop clay, throw it out! Do not use it because that contaminant, pebble, dirt, microscopic piece of glass, etc will scratch the hell out of your paint. Spray the clay lube on the car and spray enough to allow the clay to slide back and forth easily. Wipe off the lube after doing a section. Go back to the finished section and feel how smooth it is compared to an unfinished section. THEN you will know why people use clay bars. Don't pay some schmuck to clay for you. Do it yourself. It is simple. Then just wax if your car doesn't need to be polished.

 

This is actually bad for your paint, I only use this super sparingly when removing logos and wipe immediately.

Make sure you use a real clay bar as said before, and any caybar and wax combo is not going to be as good as one or the other. Its a wax but also a cleaner that your basically buffing to a slightly wax finish.

 

Lots of information on Clay - http://www.detailuniversity.com/foru...on-miller.html

 

The only way to truly strip the wax is with a 50/50 mix of isopropyl alcohol & water.