Clay Bar detailing?

[PHOENIXFLIER]

Has anybody tried using a clay bar to prepare their caravan for waxing?.
Have just clay barred the car with excellent results.

 

[Keefanmaxx]

Have done a car but not the caravan. I'd rather use a proper shampoo to remove road film and dirt then wax with Autoglym. The paint on a caravan isn't put on to the ssme thickness as a car.
Thinking about it, clay barring a caravan might be time consuming!

 

[Anseo]

Has anybody tried using a clay bar to prepare their caravan for waxing?.
Have just clay barred the car with excellent results.

Hi Phoenixflier,

Agreed, if you get down to prepping a car by claybar after all the previous necessary decontamination (elbow grease and time consuming) preparatory works, the potential results can be outstandingly rewarding.

(Parksy produced an outstanding finish on his recently acquired vehicle, sorry, I dont have the link(s) ).

That said, a caravan is a greater undertaking by some considerable degree of prep work.

An important point (for me) is that after all the prep work, the best quality products (and I am guessing around £80.00 purchase price) should be used to protect and preserve all the hard work that has gone into the preparation phase.

A labour of love indeed, but outstanding results when executed properly.

I tremor at such an endeavour when doing a car, a caravan project is beyod my time and commitment and resolve.

If you go for it, I for one will be very happy to see your efforts, I am guessing you would produce an exceptional finish, I wish I had the time (and dedication) for such an exercise.

Lots and lots of pics of the entire process please (should you decide to go ahead),

And lots of advice from what you learned as you went along, please.

Anseo

 

[Mogwyth]

Life's. too short! I drive a land rover its meant to be dirty, Van is washed but storage owners son just before we take it out costs us a £5.

 

[DaveA1]

Has said in a previous post the vans paint compared with a car is very thin, plus the majority of cars now-a-days are lacquered giving a comparatively hard surface so can be polished to a high gloss. A caravan would still buff up well but not the same as a motor.

 

[chrisn7]

I've used a (fine) clay bar many times on cars. Provided the van has been washed and rinsed, there shouldn't be any problem as claying doesn't remove any paint in the way polish does. If you run your finger tips over the washed surface and can still detect particles, then claying would be beneficial.
It just removes contaminants that have embedded themselves in the paint - you have even hear a little click sometimes as they are picked up by the clay. Its essential to use a lubricant, and if the surface has not been neglected its not a slow process in itself, just a lot of surface to cover.

 

[Dustydog]

The caravan is microns thin. Nothing like a car. My paintwork has faded a bit over the years but still responds well to Autoglym super resin polish. During the main season a quick wash with Fenwicks shampoo followed by a rinse with Fenwicks Bobby Dazzler.

 

[PHOENIXFLIER]

Clay barring does not remove any paint!
It removes the black streaks caravans seem to attract, pollen, sap, bird lime etc.
It prepares the surface for the application of wax and buffing up to a showroom shine.
I tried a small section of our 320/2 and it works a treat.
Using Bill Hamber 200g bar.

 

[Burn]

I have detailed my van for this year,hard work but worth it,I purchased a clay mitt from Halfords made by farecla,it covers a bigger area than a bar can and can be used with either detail spray or shampoo,then I polished with Autoglym super resin polish and finished with Autoglym Extra gloss protection which seals in the shine,then I maintain the finish using Autoglym shampoo and while the bodywork is still wet I use Autoglym rapid aqua wax,I am not here to represent Autoglym it is just that their products work for me,another thing,do not try and do the van in one go it is too big and much too hard work but easy to maintain in the long run.

 

[Martin24]

The caravan is microns thin. Nothing like a car. My paintwork has faded a bit over the years but still responds well to Autoglym super resin polish. During the main season a quick wash with Fenwicks shampoo followed by a rinse with Fenwicks Bobby Dazzler.

With you there Dusty, not only that but life's too short!

 

[Andy-H]

I'd probably only do it on the black streaks to be fair; a full wash, clay and wax on my car took nearly a whole day, christ knows how long the 'van would take. It is quite satisfying though when it's done.

 

[Parksy]

Black streaks are usually caused by dirt being washed by rain from the caravan roof. Unless you regularly wash the roof the black streaks will always appear.
Neat Fenwick's Caravan shampoo applied from the corner of a microfiber cloth and rubbed in should easily remove the streaks.
Stubborn grime can be removed with any proprietary automotive polish. ( I use Meguiars step 2)
Claying with plenty of the correct lubricant should be fine but too time consuming for me personally.
There's some excellent auto detailing products out there, I use water repellent car shampoo (Banana Sudz) and glaze (Pria Amiga) followed by a good coating of car wax (Collinite Insulator Wax or Meguiars Premium Wax) on my car, I haven't done the caravan yet this year but I will do before August. It's best done on a warm dry cloudy day, only treat a smallish area at a time away from direct sunlight.

 

[PHOENIXFLIER]

Must be doing something wrong then.....the roof of our 320/2 has been polished the same as the rest....and I still get black streaks. Must be Streaky Lunar syndrome!

 

[Parksy]

Must be doing something wrong then.....the roof of our 320/2 has been polished the same as the rest....and I still get black streaks. Must be Streaky Lunar syndrome!

Even if you polish the roof, grime and dust will still settle on it because it's a horizontal reasonably flat surface.
As soon as it rains the dust and grime runs down the vertical surfaces. Still, what do I know?

 

[VicMallows]

Strangely I have managed to live well into retirement without ever hearing of 'Clay Bar' in any context, and had to look it up. (You can conclude that I am not a car fanatic!). It sounds on a par with anti-fouling the boat in terms of effort, but the end result is probably rather more satisfying. My 'van thinks it is a lucky day if it gets a good shampoo.

 

[tadhgocuilleain]

I find liquid decontamination products quicker to use. Gyeon Q2M Iron is excellent for inorganic contaminants. I'm not too sure about using the likes of a tar remover on a caravan, however, as it may affect seals.

Gyeon also do a clay bar (Gyeon Q2M Clay), which is resistant to chemicals. That means you can use Q2M Iron as the lubricant, which gives you the best of both worlds.

If you're going to use a bar on the caravan, I'd probably recommend Bilt Hamber. You can use water as a lubricant, which is an advantage on a caravan because of the size, otherwise you'll need to use a lot of lubricant.

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