Claying Rubber Pack

Never so clean

By: Richard J. on 1 July 2021

After a year of neglect, my 21 year old VW Golf let me know it was in need of some TLC. I have always been impressed with the paint on this car, but when I washed it I was appalled at how the paint felt now - it was like 80-grit sandpaper. Time to get serious. I had bought a clay bar a while back but hadn't used it, because I was not confident I wouldn't drop the damn thing while gloved up and slippery, and end up doing more harm than good. The claying rubber is cleanable and seems to me to be a much more sensible, sustainable alternative for the 21st century. The instructions are pretty clear and easy to follow, and the video was helpful to a claying virgin like me. I found that being able to hear the claying rubber gliding over the dirty paint was helpful: it gets quieter as it works it's magic, and when its silent I know its time to move on to the next section. I had a few specks that just wouldn't shift, so well-lubricated credit card helped move them along. Three Way is an awesome product, and it stays workable and on the job for a good long time (in mid-winter in a suburban Perth garage at least). If things did get a bit dry a couple of sprays and two to the pad seemed sufficient for a refresh, no need to drown yourself. Clean up was interesting, for a few reasons. Water seems to reduce the lubricity of the product so the panel needs to be dry. Fair enough. However, as I rinse off as I go, the adjacent section will gets wet, so that needs drying off, and eventually I ran out of drying towels. I ended up making a map of the car, and going from end to end to avoid the bulk of the water, marking up my map as I went so I wouldn't lose track. I'll get better with practice, but it took me a while. I had another problem with water when I dropped the claying rubber: I washed it out, but I needed to prime it again, and if there's much water in it I found it developed suds and wouldn't glide as smoothly so more product was needed. Drying the claying rubber is an experience too: don't do it inside. I put mine on a cloth in the bathroom to dry out because I wanted to keep the polymer in good shape, but the chemical is concentrated in the foam and the smell in a small space, well... I'm lucky I wasn't lynched. All good now it's dry though. The results are exceptional. I had to pack up in the dark, because I wasted so much time just looking at it. This car has never been so clean, in the 14 years I've owned it. Water doesn't bead or pool on the paint, it just spreads out, like it should on sterile, clean, laboratory glassware, makes me giggle like a school kid. It makes the garage lights look brighter, and it draws the eye. Even the day after, I had to go out and just stare at it. It just glows, even without a sealing top coat. Well done, Bowdens.

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