How long does the clay bar last? is it re-useable?

Andy did you buy the MAGUIARS SMOOTH SURFACE KIT from Halfords @ £23.99

Yep, that's the one.

Looking mint Andy :beer2:

shroon

Looks like an afternoon of elbow grease this weekend for me (and a few tinnies doing it) but looks like it will be well worth it

Dunno how long it lasts. Depends on how 'bad' the car is each time and how often you use it i guess. It definately is re-usable though.

Shouldn't that read not re-useable?Once you have used the part of the bar you tore off it shouldn't be put back for future use

I have used clay for about 6 years now. Started off using 3M clay from brown brothers but have used the megs one since it became available.

As Shronnie has said you shouldn't really re-use clay if it is dirty especially on the first use on a car although if you can still fold it to a clean section then there is no reason it cant be reused. I normally cut the bar into 3 bits and then use a section at a time. If the weather is cold i drop it into a bucket of warm water before i start washing and this makes it easier to work with when u get to that stage. Some people use 2 bits and swap them over when it becomes hard to work but i have never found it cools enough to go hard while i am working it. With the 3M i just used a spray bottle of plain water and lots of it. With the QD in the megs kit i spray direct onto the panel in a small (about 1foot by 1 foot) and work that then move on.

Once you have clayed (and i am sure most already know this) u should follow up with a decent polish (by this i mean something like megs stage 1 polish or autoglym super resin polish, something that has a certain amount of cutting action to it) and then top it off with at least a decent wax (like the megs stage 3 or gold class) or a sealant. for a black car i would add a glaze in before the wax or sealant.

i will agree on the megs stuff but not on the super resin polish as this is full of silicone and fillers, and the finish will not last long :D

oh yeah, as for the clay bar it should be only used once, as if any one of those tiny particles sticks out belive me it makes a mess of your car and twice as much hard work to get rid of the fine scratches it leaves, best way to use one is to cut it up into small bits (about 5cm sq and about 5mm thick) and when you have used both sides then just throw it away, this way you get to use 90% of the clay bar and not a lot of waste

I personally swear by SRP as its great stuff, but each person is entitled to their own opinion. I am going to clay mine this weekend and then get some soft carnuba over it :D