Product Review: GLARE Liqui-Clay

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AlexRuiz

New member
As discussed here in the Glare main thread I was going to conduct reviews for each of the individual products. Here is the first one.



LiquiClay overview and directions

The product comes in a 355 ml bottle (12 oz). Shape of the bottle is like a caulking container. While personally I don't find the design as attractive as the LSP bottle, the manufacturer pointed a very accurate fact: This caulking-like bottle is very practical. I have to agree, and because cosmetics of the containers are secondary let's focus on usage. I forgot to take a pic, so I'll use one from the manufacturer's site:

web_clay_glow.jpg






Front of bottle says

"LiquiClay, the clay bar in a bottle.

Smoothes and removes stubborn blemishes before polishing! Won't rescratch your paint like a regular Clay Bar. Fast and very easy to use. The MOST advanced claying system for your vehicle's finish ever developed!



Restores Color

Picks up Debris. Fallout, Insects, and Dirt Particles like a Magnet!

Smoothes paint like glass

Preps paint before polishing

Takes out deep embedded scratches and blemishes

Ideal for all paints and clear coats



Textual directions taken from the back of the bottle:

Wash vehicle with glare ultra wash. Dry vehicle thoroughly. Wet vehicle again where liquiclay is to be applied. DO NOT DRY AREA, LEAVE WET. Apply liqui-clay by rubbing small amounts into paint by hand with a clean terry cloth in VERTICAL motion. Leave on until dry. Some finishes may discolor, this is perfectlt normal (color will be restored after using glare microfinish) Simply wipe off liqui-clay. Paint will be smooth and ready for application of Glare Microfinish followed by a final coat of Glare Professional Polish to give your vehicle a brand new wet painted look"
 
I wanted to point the textual directions as to avoid any potential misuse that could affect the result. Some additional things to mention about the liqui-clay:



Color: Light tan color

Consistency: Like a thick liquid polish.

Smell: No smell at all.



Initially as preview, I applied to only panel in the car (horizontal section of trunk). I used a foam applicator to spread it in front to back motion after after a quick wash with eagle one WET wash (what I had closest to me at the time). Dryed with WW, then sprayed water. The coat was uniform and thin, very much like the coating you leave when you polish a vehicle with #83. Let it dry (took a few minutes) then removed with a microfiber towel. I call it a preview because the paint is in top shape, already smooth and had collinte 476S on it. Removing the liquiclay didn't change the color at all, but

made it feel smoother. No visible contamination was present, and the liquiclay kept it clean. Not really a good test as the surface was in excellent condition. Granted, it felt smoother and slicker after removal, but pig's lard on top of paint will also feel slick. Left a good impression but nothing special as paint was clean. The true test came a few days later......





A tough test

When paint is clean and nice, any product can appear to work fine, correct? How about when the product really has a tough assignment? That is the ideal test condition! None of my relatives cars had really any need for clay (blame it to autopia) so I didn't know what would be a good test, then this happened. Engine oil in paint I don't know how, but after driving one day I had engine oil on the paint :mad: As a wise autopian, I came here to ask for help, and clay was the proposed solution.



I washed the car completely with zymol autowash blue, then dried. Spot clayed using a mothers claybar with showtime quickdetailer as lubricant. The oil was in the sides and also in the front bumper. Not really big stains, but many of them that looked that my car was becoming dalmatian. I was so concerned about the oil that I forgot the GLARE products I received before. When only the right back fender and right back door were left to go, I remembered the liqui clay. My mothers claybar was taking a beating from the oil, and the bright yellow was already brown. :( I took the liquiclay, poured a small amount into a foam pad, then rubbed very lighlty into each stain. Let it sit. For the fender, I decided to clay the whole fender as this one was the worst. Applied liquiclay in circular motion (not according to directions) and left a thin even coat. Presure and repetition just enough to leave the even coat. Coat as thick as you would with #83. Let it sit.



After almost 10 minutes I was nervous. Product was dry, so it was time. Took a blue microfiber and started to remove it from the door like a wax. Very easy to remove, maybe too easy. Where the stains were located I had to rub a little harder or give more repetition, but still very easy. ALL the stains came out I was quite amazed and satisfied. Checked the paint, still some tint was present but nothing different to what the mothers claybar achieved. Then I proceeded with the fender, and it was also very easy. I had again to rub a little harder to take the stains out where they were, but they came out also quite easily. Overall, removal is as easy as NXT were no oil stains were located, and as easy as mother cleaner carnauba where a severe stain was located. In both cases, the effort is far short of what a typical clay bar takes and the results were at least as good. Both panel were left very slick by the clay.



Upon further inspection, I found that the fender where I applied the liquiclay to all the surface no stains were present, while the other panels where I clayed locally still had a few tiny ones that I missed with the conventional clay bar. I re-applied liqui-clay to the whole vehicle. Then, nufinish to remove oil tint where present. topped again with collinite 476S. Happy owner! I also checked my microfiber, and discovered many black dots (oil) that were dry. The majority came out after a wash, but even if I cannot take all of them out, for deep surface cleaning I prefer to ruin a microfiber instead of runing a complete claybar. :2thumbs:





Alex
 
If you haven't noticed, I really liked this product. As skeptical as everyone else, I have to admit that it not only did a very good job, it is also very very easy to use. The contaminants are removed by the final wipedown, and all of them are very dry in the microfiber. It seems the clay adheres and dries the contaminant, and maybe drying it is the key to remove it from the paint. The manufacturer needs to explain us how it works.

I'll come back with pros and cons I found.



Alex
 
Incredible review! It looks like the Glare Liquiclay really does the job. Thanks for posting!



Charles
 
Here is a summary of pros and cons I found so far with the product:



PROS:

- Versatile. I didn't follow the directions completely and the product still performed (used foam instead of terry, used circular motion instead of vertical, used a different wash)

- Application, Very very easy to apply. Very easy to remove

- Container, the bottle, while not sexy in my eyes allows to pour the exact amount. Given the thickness and viscosity the product has, this is in fact the best container for it.

- Clean, as new clay is poured into each spot, the contaminants in the paint don't touch other areas. A conventional claybar pick contaminants.

- Safe, risk of rescratch because of improrer lubrication is minimal. I think is is safe without lubrication, but better safe than sorry. I will try to use it by itself without water, but it won't hapoen in my car. I'll report about it later.

- Economical for tough jobs, while oil or overspray means you'll have to use and discard a claybar per job, or even more, the liqui-clay can be used at the same rate than normal jobs. The only difference I have found is the effort to remove. Granted, your MF will become a rag, but better to toss a MF rather than a complete claybar.

- Fast Application of a complete car takes 5-10 minutes. By the time you complete application of the whole car the initial panels should be ready. Removal takes 5-10 minutes max. In case it is not dry yet after you applied to the complete car, you can always wash the tires or the mats. ;)



CONS

- Yield, at the rate I used it to do a compact car (Astra or civic) takes aprox 2-3 ounces. That is 4-6 cars per container. A regular claybar will give you a similar number of applications for a fraction of the cost. But cost is no issue for many autopians if the product is right.

- Speed, while doing a full car it is faster than conventional clay, for spot clay don't even bother. Drying time will have you waiting. A conventional clay bar is your best bet in this case. Being dry is key to remove comtaminants, otherwise you will only smear them. However, this is not really a downside, the product performs as intended, and the design can't accomodate every single possible case.





Veredict

This one is a winner! First product tested and works very nice. I have some question that I'll post later as FAQs. Again, I can share my sample so another autopian can test it.





Alex
 
It surely took me some time to come back ;) The questions are directed mainly to the manufacturer.



Questions and observations



1.- What is the ideal dosage to get best results? I mean, exactly how thick should it be applied for optimum results (good cleaning and least effort) How many oz should be needed for a med-size car?



2.- Does foam really affect the outcome if used for application?



3.- How crucial is to have the paint wet? Is it for lubrication only, or does the liqui-clay also need water as catalyst?



4.- If I don't moisten the paint, can I mar the paint? How bad?



5.- What techqnique would give me the best results: Rubbing with more repetition during application, or just spread it to apply it? Does rubbing while liquid help to pick up contaminants, or is useless? I am just thinking the profile of a polish or a wax.



and finally, the most important question.

6.- Can it be applied by machine? A dual action orbital polisher (Porter cable 7424/7336) is the subject? If possible, what kind of foam pad would be the ideal? Finish, glazing or polish? I am leaning towards finish.





Alex
 
"Clean, as new clay is poured into each spot, the contaminants in the paint don't touch other areas. A conventional claybar pick contaminants."



Isn't that the claybar's job...to pick up contaminants?
 
DavidB said:
This cracks me up... Liquiclay.



An abrasive polish by any other name is still an abrasive polish!
Click to expand...



Dave, why do you think it is abrasive? What I have seen seems more like "adhesive", that in fact matches closer the behavior of a clay bar. I am curious.
 
SilverLexus said:
"Clean, as new clay is poured into each spot, the contaminants in the paint don't touch other areas. A conventional claybar pick contaminants."



Isn't that the claybar's job...to pick up contaminants?
Click to expand...



Absolutely! That is the work of a claybar. My point was that you don't drag the contaminants you just picked to a new spot, and I know some obssesive people will find it as "cleaner" ;)
 
AlexRuiz said:
Dave, why do you think it is abrasive? What I have seen seems more like "adhesive", that in fact matches closer the behavior of a clay bar. I am curious.
Click to expand...



Alex,



I said it a bit off the cuff...



I have been studying paint cleaning for a long time. In fact, a lot of smart people are looking at the problem of paint cleaning in many new ways due to the patents on clay. My guess is that we will see new breakthroughs in the the 12-24 months.



Is it possible to use a foam/liquid to "pull" off contamination? I'm not sure. It does not seem logical to me, as the liquid would have to have more resistance than what you are trying to remove.



There as been some mis-information put out about how detailing clay really works. I must admit that I once spread some of that bad information. The mis-information was created to avoid using the word "abrasive".



Clay is not really designed to "pull off" contamination. It "sheers off contamination". Put another way, it grinds it off. It does so (without damaging paint) through the use of lubrication. The lubrication floats the clay allowing it to touch only the particles raised from the surface. The raised particles are removed abrasively, and the paint finish is not touched.



I'd like to see an explanation of how a "liquid clay" works so I can understand the technology.
 
DavidB said:
I have been studying paint cleaning for a long time. In fact, a lot of smart people are looking at the problem of paint cleaning in many new ways due to the patents on clay. My guess is that we will see new breakthroughs in the the 12-24 months.
Click to expand...



Interesting... we talking about radical new formulations of clay or just totally new materials for paint cleaning? Or mabe you can't say? ;)
 
DavidB said:
Alex,



I said it a bit off the cuff...



I have been studying paint cleaning for a long time. In fact, a lot of smart people are looking at the problem of paint cleaning in many new ways due to the patents on clay. My guess is that we will see new breakthroughs in the the 12-24 months.



Is it possible to use a foam/liquid to "pull" off contamination? I'm not sure. It does not seem logical to me, as the liquid would have to have more resistance than what you are trying to remove.



There as been some mis-information put out about how detailing clay really works. I must admit that I once spread some of that bad information. The mis-information was created to avoid using the word "abrasive".



Clay is not really designed to "pull off" contamination. It "sheers off contamination". Put another way, it grinds it off. It does so (without damaging paint) through the use of lubrication. The lubrication floats the clay allowing it to touch only the particles raised from the surface. The raised particles are removed abrasively, and the paint finish is not touched.



I'd like to see an explanation of how a "liquid clay" works so I can understand the technology.
Click to expand...



I will ask the manufacturer about it. Thanks for the explanation of how clay works!



By the way, this product also requires the use of lubricant (plain water) so it is applied to wet panels. I think this would somehow confirm what you mentioned of it being abrasive. Before I forget, I can share the sample I got if someone wants to try it.



Edit: what I noticed of how it works is that it dries big stains (oil and flies poop) so when you remove it you basically get a very dry dot of contamination in the towel. I have no idea how it cleans small particles



Alex
 
DavidB said:
Clay is not really designed to "pull off" contamination. It "sheers off contamination". Put another way, it grinds it off. It does so (without damaging paint) through the use of lubrication. The lubrication floats the clay allowing it to touch only the particles raised from the surface. The raised particles are removed abrasively, and the paint finish is not touched.
Click to expand...



I thought the clay actually pulled the contaminants out. So medium clay is thicker, (hence, heavier sheering action) more solid than a mild clay? Also, I thought clay was somewhat abrasive in itself. I have heard of clay marring a surface. Then is that (marring) due to a lack or lubrication ? So, Liquiclay is adhesive? Then it "sucks"or "pulls" the contaminants out ? Interesting.









:xyxthumbs







EDIT: Because I am a polish/product freak, I have decided to try the Liquiclay product. I have a candidate vehicle in mind to try it on sometime soon... I just ordered some so, I will see !:cool: I will keep you guys posted....:xyxthumbs
 
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