Clay Bar Car

Clay Baring a car has become a very popular way to give an extra dimension to deep shine. It can be a lengthy process but the benefits are worth it we assure you! You have three main options to Clay Bar a Car. You have three main options to Clay Bar a Car.

• Clay bar
•  Clay bar towel
• Clay disc.

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 But first, does your car really need clay baring?

How to know when your car needs Clay Baring

To clay bar a whole car can be a large time commitment, therefore its best to firstly check it does need clay baring.

So to avoid losing a whole day (Unless you really enjoy it!) then is best to check if the process is really needed and will it sufficiently improve the overall look of the car.

Paint Roughness?

The simplest check it to simply run your hand over the surface. It will feel smooth, particularly if its just been cleaned. But note are there and particles/granules protruding from the surface? Can you feel and lines of roughness? If so then the paintwork would benefit from the clay bar process. A second check can be made by putting you hand in a zip bag and again drawing it across the surface. This will pick up even more rough spots than your hand. Finally take a real close look at your paint work, particularly if it is a light colour. Are there any dots or slight flecks in the paint work? If so then its a good sign that the clay bar could really make a difference to your paintwork.

How to start Clay Baring

It goes without saying that prior to any Clay Baring starting the car should be spotlessly clean, although it doesn't matter if it isn't completely dry. A good pressure washer with a snow cannon is the ideal way to start, followed by a hose down with care being taken to remove any heavily soiled areas with hot pressure wash.

Next take your clay bar a break it firstly into two halves, then those two halves into quarters. This provides you with 4 parts and is usually about right to use one part per quarter of the car. Now these may at times seem like micro pieces and make you think the whole process is going to take a year! But trust that the process is worth it and will certainly give you that deep, bottomless shine you desire!

With one of your quarters start on a section at a time ensuring the surface is well lubricated as well as the clay bar itself. I can hear you asking what do I use to lubricate? Well you have a choice of either 

• Detail Spray
• Water
• Waterless Car Wax

Either of these will have your clay bar gliding over the surface picking up every little minute particle in its path! We at Autodetailing Lab have definite preference for using Spray Wax and we find Meguires Quick Wax being ideal to use with our clay bar. Or you can purchase a complete kit like Mothers Clay Car Kit

Clay Bar WAXING TIP!

Please take note that if you drop your clay bar you need to BIN IT! We have already written about the huge affection your clay bar has for every particle that comes within an inch of, now imagine what happens if it falls on the floor? Yes you will immediately pick up every granule of grim and if you continue to use it these will produce swirls the size of your hands! So remember if it drops....BIN IT!

Lubrication is the key to Clay Baring

The more it slides the more it picks up we find is the key to good Clay Baring. Ample spray wax applied to both clay bar and the surface will ensure you end up with a glass smooth finish. We also find that dipping the clay bar in water occasionally further helps the process.

By using the suggested spray wax you can kill two birds with one stone if time is not on your side. As leaving the wax to cure as you start on next section can result in a good wax to polish off and finish the job. If just water is used then wax will have to be applied. Having said that we think to complete a truly professional finish you should wax the car completely after clay baring.

When is the ideal time to Clay Bar?

It is ideal to clay bar before the paint is too bad. If it is extremely pitted and ingrained in with salt and grim deposits then you could do more damage than if you didn't clay bar. However, there are different grades available and we have found some success with varying the grade. As and example my daughter purchased and ex company vehicle which had stickers on the side. We removed the stickers with a hair dryer but large glue residues were left behind. Using the higher grade clay bar and small circular actions we eventually removed them all.

Speeding up the Clay Bar process

If your time is limited you can speed the actual Clay Bar process up by applying it with a polisher and a clay bar disc. I ideally a DA buffer should be used, again with plenty of lubrication. This process can take the time spent on the process down to 5 minutes! But please take note, IF these pads are in anyway dropped or have any kind of dirt on them they must be binned just as previously mentioned with the Clay Bar

.Another way to speed it up if your haven't got a DA polisher is to used a Clay Bar Mitt. This enables a much larger area to be covered in half the time, rather than with what at times can seem a tiny Clay Bar!

Which ever method you use clay until you can hear no more roughness. This is the time to stop as the task is complete and further clay baring will do not further good.

And Finally...

After you have finished the claying process ideally wax or seal the while car to maintain that perfect mirror finish. To polish off the wax you can use Costco Towels as we find these as good as anything. Ideally use one towel per panel and finish the whole process with final coat of Optimal Car Wax to deepen the shine!

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