How to Use a Clay Bar
- Wash and dry your car.
- Flatten your clay out to fit flat in your hand.
- Spray a small area of a single panel, around 2 square feet, with your lubricant of choice.
- Lightly rub the clay back and forth on the lubricated paint.
- Rub the clay back and forth until you no longer feel any resistance or hear friction. This means the paint is clean.
How often should you clay a car?
Twice a year is a good interval of time to clay your car’s finish. If you check the surface and it feels rough you shouldn’t wait. If you check the surface and it feels glass-like smooth you can safely wait. In truth, you don’t necessarily need to clay bar your car or truck twice a year.
How to clay bar your car properly?
How to Clay Bar Your Car Properly
- Start by washing your car. Before you apply the clay, first you need to wash your car thoroughly and allow it to dry. ...
- Gather all necessary supplies. After cleaning your car, the next process is gathering all the necessary supplies needed to clay your car.
- Subdivide your car into sections. ...
- Spray the recommended lubricant. ...
- Clay the car. ...
- Inspect the car. ...
How to detail your car with a clay bar?
Part 2 of 3: Clay the car
- Spray the clay lubricant. Spray the lubricant across a small surface. ...
- Move the clay bar over the surface. Work the clay bar in a back-and-forth motion rather than moving in circles or up and down. ...
- Rub the clay bar till the surface is clean. ...
- Repeat the steps on the whole car. ...
- Store the clay bar correctly. ...
What does clay bar do for car?
In short, a Clay Bar is an Engineered Resin (Engineered Clay) which is slid across a vehicle’s exterior surfaces, to remove contaminants, from your Vehicle’s Metal, Glass, Paint & Fiberglass surfaces. So What Exactly Is A Clay Bar?
Can I clay bar my own car?
Pick a small section of the vehicle, such as a quarter of the hood, and liberally spray it with detailer. Lightly glide the clay across the wet vehicle using a back and forth motion until the entire area has been clayed. Wipe excess detail spray off with a microfiber towel.
Is it hard to clay bar a car?
While there are a few important safety tips to be aware of before trying it, claying your vehicle is actually quite easy and doing it a couple of times per year will help maintain a smooth, clean finish.
What's the best way to clay bar your car?
Work in small sections to begin with, around 1ft x 1ft, spraying your clay bar lube liberally onto the surface as you go, now glide your clay bar across the paintwork and you will feel it working, don't apply pressure, let the detailing clay bar do the work for you.
Do I wash my car before using a clay bar?
Timing is Key – When to Clay Bar Claying should always come after a good wash. You want to get as much of the dirt out as possible, by scrubbing and brushing and scrubbing some more. Your choice of cleaning agent will also ensure that your vehicle is ready for the use of a clay bar.
Should I wax after clay bar?
A wax or sealant should always be applied to the car after using a clay bar. The clay bar will remove any old protection so a wax or sealant needs to be applied to ensure the paintwork is protected to help keep it clean and free from contaminants and UV rays.
Do you wash car after clay bar?
When you're finished claying your car, you may need to wash it to remove any lubricant film. If you plan to use a pre-wax cleaner polish, it will remove clay residue so there's no need to wash. Last but not least, after using clay, seal your freshly cleaned paint with your choice of wax or sealant.
Do clay bars remove clear coat?
Clay bar detailing is an effective means of removing the embedded particles from the clear coat. The clay encases and adheres to the tiny bits of debris and literally yanks them from the clear coat. If performed correctly, you can remove particles without leaving any traces on the clear coat.
Does clay bar leave scratches?
Clay bars scratch your paint. That's just the nature of the beast. Rubbing anything abrasive across your paint will mar the surface causing thousands of microscopic scratches. Once you have enough of them, they'll give the surface a dull appearance.
Does clay bar fill scratches?
A clay bar does NOT remove any scratches from the surface of the paint because it contains no abrasives. A clay bar is useful for when a car's paint feels rough and is no longer smooth to the touch as it can help restore that nice smooth feeling you once knew and loved.
When should you not clay bar a car?
If your car has been thoroughly cleaned, polished, protected and the protection has been regularly reapplied, you may not need to clay before polishing. There are three different grades of clay.
How do I know if my car needs a clay bar?
It's relatively easy to know whether you need to clay your car. After every cleaning and drying, run your hand through your vehicle's paint, and if you feel it's rough and a little bumpy, then yes, it's time to clay bar your car.
Should I polish or clay bar?
The Quick Answer. Clay is a substance used to remove contaminants that have bonded to a car's paintwork, whilst polish, on the other hand, is used to remove a layer of paint to make the paint glossier. Polishing should be performed after claying to remove any marring inflicted by the clay.
How long does it take to clay bar car?
about 30 minutesIt's a simple step, usually taking about 30 minutes, and one that's well worth doing for a proper car detailing. We recommend decontaminating your car with a clay bar every time you wax, which should be at least twice a year.
Is it worth it to clay bar?
Over time, these particles could permanently damage your paint. These particles also prevent wax and polish from working properly, which means you don't get as clear a shine. If you want to protect your paint job in the future and have your car looks its best, clay bar detailing is absolutely worth it.
Is it worth Claying your car?
It either needs to be done, or it doesn't. If it's been done recently, your paint is likely still smooth. The fact is, you should never clay bar your car and stop there. Clay bars are abrasive and will mar your paint while they remove the contaminants.
When should you not clay bar a car?
If your car has been thoroughly cleaned, polished, protected and the protection has been regularly reapplied, you may not need to clay before polishing. There are three different grades of clay.
How Often Do You Need To Clay Bar A Car?
This will largely depend on how often you drive the vehicle, how often you wash the vehicle, whether or not the vehicle is waxed or coated, and the type of outside conditions the vehicle encounters. The touch test, if it feels rough to the back of the hand, should do the trick, though.
What is a clay bar?
Though sporting an entirely different recipe and makeup than the masks used in spas, clay bars are great tools to add to the car care arsenal. Used as a complement to washing, polishing, and waxing, clay barring a car grabs and removes life’s harsh contaminants such as overspray, road tar, acid rain, ...
What to use to work on a car?
Use these items to ensure your safety and prevent any accidents. Nitrile gloves (optional) Safety glasses. A bright mobile light or brightly lit area. Meguiar's/Amazon. Meguiar's Clay Kit.
How to use clay on a wet vehicle?
Lightly glide the clay across the wet vehicle using a back and forth motion until the entire area has been clayed.
Does clay barring damage paint?
Clay barring needs a certain level of lubrication, and without it, you risk damaging the vehicle’s paint . Brand-new cars need love too. Dealership lots are vulnerable to a variety of contaminants and grime, so even if the car just rolled into your driveway, it probably still needs clay.
Can you reuse clay?
Be aware of where you place clay. Never reuse clay that has been set down on a used workbench, the floor, or any other place where it could collect dirt. If it touches any of these surfaces, especially the ground, throw it away and use a fresh piece of clay. Likewise, once you’ve clay barred a car, throw that clay away.
Can you wax a car with clay?
The claying is done, but for extra protection, it’s best to polish, wax, and/or ceramic coat the vehicle.
How Often Should You Clay Bar a Car?
This will come down to preference, but it’s a good idea to clay bar a car before you plan to apply a fresh coat of wax. There is no specific grit level that requires claying, it’s entirely up to how clean you want your car. If you feel the paint is gritty even after a fresh wash, it might be time to consider using the clay. Even some brand-new cars need to be clayed if they’ve been sitting on a lot for a long time or were hit with overspray.
What Does a Clay Bar Remove?
During daily driving, a car accumulates all sorts of microscopic particles that get stuck to the paint and won’t budge. This includes things like industrial fallout, insect goo, tar, sap, brake dust, overspray, and general road grime. In other words, it removes things that are stuck to the surface of the paint, nothing below it.
Does a Clay Bar Remove Swirls and Scratches?
No, a clay bar will not be able to resolve any issues below the surface of the paint .
