Due to a lack of garage space, I’ve had to keep my 2000 Honda S2000 outdoors lately. To combat the ill effects of exposure to pollutants and the California sun, I decided to do a clay and wax job… which really brought back its paint. *Note: on the recommendation of a friend, I used an artificial clay bar, which worked well.
Inspired by the results, I thought I’d experiment using the artificial clay bar on my Delorean. Its stainless panels are in very good shape, and in my 17 years of ownership, I’ve never re-grained it. But I wanted to see if the process would improve its finish (after all, its brushed surfaces could hold lots of contaminants). I dropped a masking tape line down my hood, and proceeded to clay one side, to see if there was an observable difference… and (drum roll)…
Kinda.
The experiment took place in my garage, under dim artificial light. In this environment, a slight difference between the passenger’s and driver’s sides can be seen. I moved the car around to observe it with the light hitting it from different directions, and in all instances the small difference remains. However, when viewed outside, under bright, natural light, you can see the the difference is minute.
So, is it worth it? Using the artificial clay bar was quite easy, and not time consuming at all. But the end result was only a mildly cleaner surface. Perhaps if I started with a more contaminated surface the result would be more prominent, but based on this experiment I have to say “no.” I’ve never tried Scotch Bright, or Barkeeper’s Friend (more commonly used products), but my guess is that these would likely yield more dramatic results. Maybe another experiment is in order?