Well, I took ya'll advice and went out and got some Trutle Wax Ice and used it on the truck. I will say, it is very nice to not have to worry about the crappy white residue on the black plastic, however, I'm not real impressed with the feel of the paint. Am I just ingrained to think that if it's not slick like wax that it's not really working? Did I do something wrong? It's alright, but I almost feel like I need to go back and wax the thing again now. And how the hell do you tell what you've done and what you haven't? It didn't haze up or anything other than in just a few little spots. I need to stop drinking beer when I detail my truck, I might miss a bunch of spots! What's the deal, did I do something wrong? DOes it bead up like regular wax when it gets wet?

Well, I took ya'll advice and went out and got some Trutle Wax Ice and used it on the truck. I will say, it is very nice to not have to worry about the crappy white residue on the black plastic, however, I'm not real impressed with the feel of the paint. Am I just ingrained to think that if it's not slick like wax that it's not really working? Did I do something wrong? It's alright, but I almost feel like I need to go back and wax the thing again now. And how the hell do you tell what you've done and what you haven't? It didn't haze up or anything other than in just a few little spots. I need to stop drinking beer when I detail my truck, I might miss a bunch of spots! What's the deal, did I do something wrong? DOes it bead up like regular wax when it gets wet?I feel the same way as you! I like using it, but I can't tell if its good or bad. I have just started using it on all the black plastic only and that works out really good. I bought a multi stage Meguires system with their triple action buffer. It' awesome! You can get it thru the website but its cheaper at auto events, such as races.

Well, I took ya'll advice and went out and got some Trutle Wax Ice and used it on the truck. I will say, it is very nice to not have to worry about the crappy white residue on the black plastic, however, I'm not real impressed with the feel of the paint. Am I just ingrained to think that if it's not slick like wax that it's not really working? Did I do something wrong? It's alright, but I almost feel like I need to go back and wax the thing again now. And how the hell do you tell what you've done and what you haven't? It didn't haze up or anything other than in just a few little spots. I need to stop drinking beer when I detail my truck, I might miss a bunch of spots! What's the deal, did I do something wrong? DOes it bead up like regular wax when it gets wet?
There is no abrasive in ICE. To do your truck right, purchase a clay bar http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/everythingautomotive_1994_2938684Like this and use it on your truck first. It does what a buffer does without the labor. Rinse your truck off, sponge bath it with a quality carwash soap, rinse, soap it up again and rub the clay bar over it (using the soap as a lubricant), rinse again and then ICE your truck.

I can clay and Ice a 3500SRW in about 40 minutes. And you'll need the clay bar regardless of which protectant/polish/wax you choose.

And, your truck will bead just with claybar removing the contaminants in the paint. The ICE is to prevent them from sticking the next time. A claybar is a sponge like product, and as such, requires you to start at the top to lessen the contamination of the bar. Works awesome on windows, too.

And ICE does work very well as a protectant, but the claybar is the most important part.

The reason for the 3M brand clay bar is it needs a water based lubricant (soapy water) as opposed to, say, the Mother's bar, which requires a detailer spray for lubrication. Malco and quite a few other companies manufacture the claybars, but it is imperative that you get one that specifically says "uses water based lubricant" so as to spend less time time for the same result. Using it during the wash process saves a tremendous amount of time and the ICE can be applied to a slightly wet truck. The clay is not an abrasive, but rather a ball of adhesive (for lack of a better word) for contaminants. Just like a sponge, it will carry the dirt (and scratch your truck with the same dirt) unless you take care not to drop it, and knead it often.

I keep two bars around. One for the good finish parts (hood, upper body) and an older one for rockers and glass.

You will never power buff for clean paint again. Saving the buffing for scratches.

AND, your paint will feel AWESOMELY clean and smooth after claying but before ICEing.

I've found ICE is a good quick shine for inbetween regular applications a whatever wax or other preservative you use. I've used Nu-Finish for years and a little ICE since it has come out in between the Nu-Finish applications.

How often do you clay bar your truck.

so, can i use astroglide to lubricate my claybar?? :lol:

How often do you clay bar your truck.

Personal vehicle = every wash for claybar, every third or so for polish.
Fleet trucks = when available (once a year or so)

Again, the claybar is a non-abrasive surface contaminant remover.

It makes any polish go on easy.

I'm sure we all have had to rub traditional wax into the paint harder due to little comet streaks caused by surface contamination. The claybar decontaminates the paint as easily as sponging the truck. If you wait longer between claybarring, the work effort increases marginally, as opposed to regular waxing, which takes more rub the longer you wait between waxing/polishing.

When to do it??? When you dry your freshly wash truck and throw a T-sgirt on the hood and it doesn't slide off. Or when you run your hand across your freshly washed truck and it doesn't feel like teflon coated glass.
Again, the 3M or equivalent claybar is as easy to use as a sponge.

so, can i use astroglide to lubricate my claybar?? :lol:

Absolutely, but don't blame me for the dents in the door, just below belt height.

I'm not the only one.......I used it too and didn't really think much of it. Didn't seem to work that good.

I use it on everything. Not sure why it didn't haze up for you though. I've never had an issue. Yeah its probably not as good as an actual polish or wax, but its nice because you can put it on all the pieces of your truck (metal, plastic, etc). You don't have to worry about it either. I use it as well on my 4 wheeler because it gives off a good shine.

My unwashed for 1 year POS Gto still beads from the last ICE application, over a year. If it wasn't such a POS, I'd sparkle it more often.

Used it on my truck once and it was worthless threw it away, bought black pearl made by Carbrite. Never been happier

Another yes vote for TW Ice. I really like it and the gloss on my Black truck is excellent. What I like most is what it does for the plastic flares and mirrors as well as the window mouldings. More important is it brings out the sheen to the over the rail Line-X. No it's not a wax, but it beads like wax and if your truck is really clean before applying it, it will really do a nice low labor polish job. BTW, the stuff goes a LONG, LONG way.

heymccall

Great Post.

heymccall,
Does the clay bar help to clean of stuff like tree pitch? My truck sits outside and once in a while I'll find a very small drop or two of pitch from nearby trees. If I catch it early it usually comes right off - especially in the warmer weather, but if it sits for a while it becomes a PITA.

I've used ICE before with mixed results and I usually revert back to my favorite 3M stuff that I've been using for a decade or more. I've had a clay bar in my hand ready to purchase on repeated occasions, but always opted not to do it. Maybe this will convince me :)

X-2 Clay bars are the way to go-smooth as a babys bottom when finished.I have always known about the clay bar method but until recently never used one myself.Was amazed at the ease of application and how smooth and clean it came out.Have not used on windows yet but will try it out.

There is no abrasive in ICE. To do your truck right, purchase a clay bar http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/everythingautomotive_1994_2938684Like this and use it on your truck first. It does what a buffer does without the labor. Rinse your truck off, sponge bath it with a quality carwash soap, rinse, soap it up again and rub the clay bar over it (using the soap as a lubricant), rinse again and then ICE your truck.

I can clay and Ice a 3500SRW in about 40 minutes. And you'll need the clay bar regardless of which protectant/polish/wax you choose.

And, your truck will bead just with claybar removing the contaminants in the paint. The ICE is to prevent them from sticking the next time. A claybar is a sponge like product, and as such, requires you to start at the top to lessen the contamination of the bar. Works awesome on windows, too.

And ICE does work very well as a protectant, but the claybar is the most important part.

The reason for the 3M brand clay bar is it needs a water based lubricant (soapy water) as opposed to, say, the Mother's bar, which requires a detailer spray for lubrication. Malco and quite a few other companies manufacture the claybars, but it is imperative that you get one that specifically says "uses water based lubricant" so as to spend less time time for the same result. Using it during the wash process saves a tremendous amount of time and the ICE can be applied to a slightly wet truck. The clay is not an abrasive, but rather a ball of adhesive (for lack of a better word) for contaminants. Just like a sponge, it will carry the dirt (and scratch your truck with the same dirt) unless you take care not to drop it, and knead it often.

I keep two bars around. One for the good finish parts (hood, upper body) and an older one for rockers and glass.

You will never power buff for clean paint again. Saving the buffing for scratches.

AND, your paint will feel AWESOMELY clean and smooth after claying but before ICEing.

heymccall,
Does the clay bar help to clean of stuff like tree pitch?

Picture this: Two brandnew $45k Red Gmc trucks park 100yds down wind from OUR crew airless spraying a metal frame skeleton of a new one story building in DARK GREEN. One had 72 miles on it (maiden voyage). Needless to say, the new came home two days later to have the overspray removed and we started with Kerosene. Once my hands became numb from rubbing, out went the phone calls. My local alignment shop has a body shop and Dave says, use a claybar. ??Huh?? He said use it and you'll never use anything else. Completely cleaned uo the first one that day. The other didn't come home for a week and it cleaned just as easy (1 hour plus drying).

It takes more work to get the Yellow road stripe paint off the rocker panels but it'll remove that, too. Including sap from maple tree out back.
So, in answer to the Question, it will remove all surface contaminants from your paint. Baked in mosquitos take a little more rub, but it'll do it. Again, it's awesome on glass and chrome, too.

The 3M has been mentioned, as it only requires a water based lube, and can be done easily as an additional stage to washing. Other brands I've used include Malco, and they offered two grades, Fine and Medium. I do not know what grade the 3M is, but it works.

And, it will allow you to scratch your paint if you don't take care to keep it clean and knead it frequently. How often to knead it depends on how much debris is stuck to the truck. And, at some point, they are saturated with the contamination and should be thrown away, or saved for fleet windshields:D. And it works awesome on 10'x12' glass garage doors.

so, can i use astroglide to lubricate my claybar?? :lol:
hmm....

My unwashed for 1 year POS Gto still beads from the last ICE application, over a year. If it wasn't such a POS, I'd sparkle it more often.

why is it a pos????

Picture this: Two brandnew $45k Red Gmc trucks park 100yds down wind from OUR crew airless spraying a metal frame skeleton of a new one story building in DARK GREEN. One had 72 miles on it (maiden voyage). Needless to say, the new came home two days later to have the overspray removed and we started with Kerosene. Once my hands became numb from rubbing, out went the phone calls. My local alignment shop has a body shop and Dave says, use a claybar. ??Huh?? He said use it and you'll never use anything else. Completely cleaned uo the first one that day. The other didn't come home for a week and it cleaned just as easy (1 hour plus drying).

It takes more work to get the Yellow road stripe paint off the rocker panels but it'll remove that, too. Including sap from maple tree out back.
So, in answer to the Question, it will remove all surface contaminants from your paint. Baked in mosquitos take a little more rub, but it'll do it. Again, it's awesome on glass and chrome, too.

The 3M has been mentioned, as it only requires a water based lube, and can be done easily as an additional stage to washing. Other brands I've used include Malco, and they offered two grades, Fine and Medium. I do not know what grade the 3M is, but it works.

And, it will allow you to scratch your paint if you don't take care to keep it clean and knead it frequently. How often to knead it depends on how much debris is stuck to the truck. And, at some point, they are saturated with the contamination and should be thrown away, or saved for fleet windshields:D. And it works awesome on 10'x12' glass garage doors.

Thanks for the info! I use the TW liquid clay bar to wash the vehicle, it take surprisingly quite a bit of gunk off then I use the TW ice and its some of the best I have used as far as waw, protects for months and looks great. mine hazes up when i use it just like my meguires gold class... just lasts longer

And picture a 10 yr old Dodge pickup sitting next to a barn (in the shade) under the pine trees for a full year. That one sat long enough that the clear coat has light pitting, but it's as smooth as glass and only took an hour with wash. I filled a 5 gallon bucket with the pine needles alone, not to mention the green algae-type growth on the whole truck.

HeyMccall,

I'm very familiar with the Clay bar. Thanks for the education however on the water based vs. quick detailer type. I had only used the mothers bar before, hence the longer schedule. I will use the clay bar, but the truck is only a few months old and it has at least 4 coats of wax on it already. I brought it straight home from the dealer and stuck a good old Meguiar's #26 ( i think?) yellow wax on it, two coats to try to help with the surface contaminents.

I guess what I'm getting at is, I liked how easy the Ice was to put on and how far it went, but the ease of application doesn't override me wanting what's best for my truck. If it's to be used in between waxing jobs, I'm cool with that. It just didn't impress me enough I guess to completely abandon a traditional Meguiars Gold Class, or Zaino type wax. I just didn't know how everyone else felt about the stuff. Didn't want to be the skeptic who thought it didn't work just because it's not what I'm used to.

HeyMccall,

I'm very familiar with the Clay bar. Thanks for the education however on the water based vs. quick detailer type. I had only used the mothers bar before, hence the longer schedule. I will use the clay bar, but the truck is only a few months old and it has at least 4 coats of wax on it already. I brought it straight home from the dealer and stuck a good old Meguiar's #26 ( i think?) yellow wax on it, two coats to try to help with the surface contaminents.

I guess what I'm getting at is, I liked how easy the Ice was to put on and how far it went, but the ease of application doesn't override me wanting what's best for my truck. If it's to be used in between waxing jobs, I'm cool with that. It just didn't impress me enough I guess to completely abandon a traditional Meguiars Gold Class, or Zaino type wax. I just didn't know how everyone else felt about the stuff. Didn't want to be the skeptic who thought it didn't work just because it's not what I'm used to.

Maybe it's what your using to take it off???
I use a spongy applicator (I think it came with) and I start at one end and work all the way to the other. Removal goes best with microfiber towels. T-shirts didn't do it any good coming off. IIRC, I have 3 microfiber towels and rotate them out as I go. No complaints on durabilty or shine here.

So, in answer to the Question, it will remove all surface contaminants from your paint. Baked in mosquitos take a little more rub, but it'll do it. Again, it's awesome on glass and chrome, too.


:thumb: Cool. I will pick up some this weekend. Thanks.

not sounding stupid but say on my extended cab how much clay would i use? also once you use it do you throw it away or is it still good enough to keep and reuse? i'm really learning something about this clay.

not sounding stupid but say on my extended cab how much clay would i use? also once you use it do you throw it away or is it still good enough to keep and reuse? i'm really learning something about this clay.

Again, it's like a sponge. It'll pick up all the surface garbage, and it keeps it. If you have a cleaner truck to start with, they last a long time. If you have a black truck, you'll wanna replace it more often. How long they last depends on how much garbage they pickup. For sure, it'll do an extended cab truck several times or more, but only if you're not removing stuck on asphalt or any other Hard contaminants.
Since most of my trucks aren't show vehicles, but rather work trucks, I limit myself to above the body molding. Below that is where the nasty stuff resides. The bars seem to pickup the most non-abrasive garbage on tailgates.

hey thanks for all the info

where do you get this 3M clay? Thanks.

Joe

where do you get this 3M clay? Thanks.

Joe
NAPA

hey i'm not sure if i did it right last night. after i clay do i rinse it again or go right to the wax cuz that's what i did. didn't come out too bad, but i figured i'd check.

anybody ever use the ice clay bar?bought the ice car soap and wax tonight.thought i would do some searching before i opened it.so would the ice clay bar work?or only the 3m one?

NAPA
Wow! Expensive! Worked my ass off! Looks good....Then it rained after I got to work:mad:

yeah im not a fan of the ice....i tried it and it didnt feel or look as good as other wax....and the best thing for wax on plastic or just faded plastic is mothers Back To Black. really makes the truck glow and look good

Yeah I'm not familiar with clay bars, do you just use them on metal/painted surfaces? or can they be used all over? Do you leave it as a bar, or just sort of knead it and keep rubbing?

Yeah I'm not familiar with clay bars, do you just use them on metal/painted surfaces? or can they be used all over? Do you leave it as a bar, or just sort of knead it and keep rubbing?
It's a blob of silly putty that is used like a sponge to remove surface contaminents. Any smooth surface still has microscopic pores that retain dirt and such. The clay bar is essentially a magnet to remove those particles. The 3M one I mentioned uses water as a lubricant, whereas others may use silicone detailers spray.

The term "bar" describes the way it looks when new. It will be a blob of clay after you start using it.

i like the ice, lasted a long time for me and still beads good after many washes.

next time i will clay bar then ice it down along with my beer ;)

It's a blob of silly putty that is used like a sponge to remove surface contaminents. Any smooth surface still has microscopic pores that retain dirt and such. The clay bar is essentially a magnet to remove those particles. The 3M one I mentioned uses water as a lubricant, whereas others may use silicone detailers spray.

The term "bar" describes the way it looks when new. It will be a blob of clay after you start using it.

So to use it, you would just wash your truck, then while its wet, use the clay bar? Do you just rub it around? And can I use it on the metal and plastic pieces as well?

So to use it, you would just wash your truck, then while its wet, use the clay bar? Do you just rub it around? And can I use it on the metal and plastic pieces as well?
It's a blob of clay, and is used just like a sponge, including the soapy water. Wet, soapy sponge, rinse, soapy water desired area, clay bar 'til no friction is felt, rinse, drink beer, watch Penguins take this playoff Tier, call it a day. Regular soapy sponge bath and rinse are recommended to lessen the contamination picked by the clay bar.

For glass, I windex the window, clay bar it while wet, then windex and wipe, unless I'm already washing the truck, then I just use soapy water on the glass, too. Windex will soften the bar, but it'll firm up again sitting in it' container. The clay loves any glossy surface. It doesn't work well on eggshell finished plastic, but the bar is NOT an abrasive, so you can't screw anything up by trying it on any surface. Scratching of the finish will occur if it's not knead and turned when it's contaminated.

Read this http://www.advanceautoparts.com/english/youcan/asp/ccr/ccr20030401cb.asp
but remember to buy a brand of bar that uses water as a lubricant, not detailers spray. Using a water lubricated bar allows you to skip the drying step listed for use with silicone/detailer's spray lubed bars. Everything else listed is good to go.

why is your gto a pos?

k if i sound stupid forgive me.just want to get it right the first time.so should i wash my truck with a sponge the complete truck.then go back and wash it again but this time use the clay bar.instead of a sponge.and then wax it?if you use soapy water to lube it.can't you just wash the truck with it basically?after you have washed it once with a sponge.

if you use soapy water to lube it.can't you just wash the truck with it basically?after you have washed it once with a sponge.NO, as you will be clogging your clay bar with excess contamination. It will then give a shorter service life, as the bar is not cleanable. It is kneadable and can be mushed around to always expose fresh clay, but at some point, it will be loaded and no longer abrasion free to your paint. So, technically, you can skip the sponge part, if you wanna buy a new clay bar every other wash and risk scratching your paint with the big dirt that a sponge would have otherwise removed.

This not to be mean to anyone, but I'm not sure any of these questions aren't duplicates. SO..........Buy a claybar and use it and feel/ see how clean paint can be, then polish with your choice or don't polish. It is absolutely amazing at how much gunk is in the pores of most paint jobs, from the environment.

thanks for the info, I'm looking forward to seeing the "real" shine on my explorer. I've never used a clay bar before, thus the questions

I tried the ICE after reading this post and I like it. I'm going to keep using it... Makes my little red truck shineeeeeee.

i'll tell ya what

i got some eagle one spray on wax...you spray it on when the car is wet after washing, then dry...but i sprayed much more than what the bottle said to do, and most of it after the car was dried...WOW

i waxed, by hand and with a buffer, my truck with KIT wax, and did my wife's tahoe with this eagle one product a couple weeks ago.

my wife's tahoe still as shiny as my truck, feels softer than my truck, and took less than half the work to wax it...AND I use the stuff to detail the inside of the truck and tahoe, wax the doorjambs AND it smells really good

im gonna by a case of the stuff