Just been looking at the paintwork on the car and thinking about using clay block on it. It seems a very heavy metallic finish though...metallic bronze...so looking for advice on whether it could possibly be detrimental to the finish rather than improving the smoothness and lustre. Any advice welcome as I have not used clay before.

I used clay bar on my 1992 LS when I had it, and it definitely made a difference prior to polishing. No side effects of using it.

However, I don't know "when" Lexus switched to water based paints, which are softer than the older paints.

HTH.

Clay bars are not abrasive - not in the conventional sense. So, you can use one from now 'til doomsday, your paint will not be affected.
What a clay bar does do, is pull out bonded contaminants from the pores of the paint and surface - such as tree sap, iron filings from railways, road tar, and various other industrial contaminants.
It'll also remove overspray, and bug remains, and baked on brake dust on wheels, as well as deep clean glass.
So long as you use plenty of lube, you'll not leave any marring (skid marks) on the paint - which are easily dealt with, with a bit of panel wipe/IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol) or AG SRP.
One thing you will notice after claying, is how much brighter and clearer the paint looks - daft to a degree, but there really is a glow that you'll have not seen before/in a while, and that's before you put any wax or sealant on it.

I'd recommend the Bilt Hamber Autoclay soft as your introduction to the world of claying - massive bar (200g) which goes a long way, designed to use water as lube rather than a more costly QD product, and mild on paint, but aggressive enough to tackle the most stubborn of contaminants.

You can get it direct from Bilt Hamber or the following resellers:
Clean Your Car
Elite Care Car
Pro-Detailing
Ultimate Finish
Carnaubawaxshop

Been thinking about claying mine for a while. But, like Dave, have no idea about it.

PJ S seems to know what he is talking about. Thanks for the advice.

Yes, thanks for your input PJ S. Just looked on the Bilt Hamber site and found it very informative. Still not 100% certain about any possible negatives on the metallic paint. Think I may get some though and try it on a bit of the wife's car to get used to using it.

Used the Meguiars Clay Bar Kit on my Platinum ICE IS200. No bad effects at all.


After the Clay Bar I used Autoglym SRP, the Autoglym EGP, then Collinite 476S to finish

Just remember don't drop the bar on the floor & attempt to re-use it

Cheers Wozza....looks good. I've been using the Autoglym SRP & EGP and it's been giving a really good finish but I just wonder if I could get it better, esp. around sills etc. Does this Collinite stuff add much to the finish or the longevity of it?

Clay bar will only remove contaminants that stick the paint surface, leaving an ultra smooth finish it will not alter the look of your paintwork in any way. Clay bar is a sticky residue compound so a lube is needed so the clay will glide across the surface picking up contaminants.

Now the bilt hamber one is quite aggressive i have always used the yellow poly clay , you dont need a different grade of clay it will all do the same job . You will then need to either polish your car after or if you are into detailing then use a cleaner fluid then a wax to seal the paintwork in.

As I said above, the clay bar won't affect paint, irrespective of whether it's metallic or pearlescent, and singlestage or clearcoated.
Think of claying as using a lump of plasticine to remove blocked pores in your skin.
All those black and white heads are the bonded contaminants, and the plasticine pulls them out leaving your skin cleaner and fresher looking.

As spearsy said, if you want to deep clean the pores before putting on the "moisturiser", then a cleanser is needed.

If you use Autobalm, then something like 50% diluted IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol) or panel wipe is best.

If you go down the wax route, as opposed to sealants like AB, EGP, then a glaze would be an option to enhance the appearance. You've many choices from Zymöl's HD Cleanse, Swissvax's Cleaner Fluid (medium is slightly abrasive), Meguiar's #7, and Dodo Juice's Lime Prime Lite (LP has micro abrasives), and Clearkote's Vanilla Moose Hand Glaze Wax (a bloody mouthful and ultimate daft way of simply saying "vanilla smelling Glaze").
Any one of those under a wax would be an alternative to just a clean panel as provided by IPA/panel wipe. The oils left behind in the micropores and voids are designed to add a bit more depth/wetness to the looks once the wax is applied.
Don't use with sealants, which are more fussy about what they bond to.

But in all honesty, I'd be extremely surprised if you found the appearance Autobalm provides to be anything less than very pleasing.


One other thing - SRP is an abrasive, and continual use will be like rubbing a fine sandpaper on the paint. Over time - quite a bit admittedly, you'll lose precious µm of paint or clearcoat.
Fine if you're removing swirls/light scratches and using a proper wash/dry technique to prevent further defects, but if the paint has been properly deswirled, then there's no need for SRP.
If you're using it for its swirl masking ability, then save yourself the hassle of it and EGP for a half decent durability combo, and use the better masking ability of Autobalm, not to mention its superior durability too.
A bit more expensive than the AG twins, but then only a smidgeon is needed to cover a panel, so it'll last a long time before needing replaced with another jar.


So, some food for thought before rushing out and spending money on the first thing that comes to hand or grabs your attention.

Cheers PJ S. Plenty there to think about. There are no swirls on the car that I have noticed but I have a nearly full 1 ltr bottle op SRP and near full bottle of EGP. Also near full 2.5 ltr AG car shampoo stuff. Not sure now whether to keep using them or just use them on wife's car......last about 10yrs as I rarely do hers!
Used to have lots of IPA (which I used as a screenwash antifreeze additive) when I used to blend it whilst working for a paint manufacturer but don't know where to get it now in decent size containers.
I wash the car with warm water/AG conditionershampoo using an AG lambswool washmitt and a constant flow of water from hose to rinse. I don't dry at the moment as I was getting streaks with chamois or microfibre cloth. Just polish when dry then quick coat of EGP.