Everything You Need to Know About Clay Bars
 

Automotive Clay Bar is an engineered resin mixture that auto detailers use to remove contaminants and pollutants from the surface of your car’s paint, glass, fiberglass, and metal. Detailing clay can be natural or synthetic. However, synthetic clay bar is most common these days.

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Since clay bars are clay-like, they are very elastic. This elasticity means they can be easily molded and stretched. This is perfect for using on cars we need to roll, flatten and pull the clay bar for different sections of the vehicle.

I. What is Clay Bar Treatment?

A Clay Bar Treatment is the process of using a clay bar to remove containments from the surface of your car. Common containments that pollute and slowly destroy your vehicle include things like rail dust, brake dust, and industrial fallout. These pollutants can penetrate through paint, glass, and metal and settle on those components even after several car washes and polishing.

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In short, if you care about your car, you should consider doing a clay bar treatment. We've included a step-by-step guide below so that you can try it out yourself, but be careful not to damage your car.

When detailing clay is used correctly, it is 100% safe, and nonabrasive. In fact, it is less abrasive than polishing or buffing the surface.

How frequently should you do a clay bar treatment?

At Washos, we recommend claying twice a year, but you can do it as often as you want as long as you know what you’re doing.

It’s pretty easy to determine whether you should clay right now. Massage your hand along your car. Do you feel roughness? If so, it’s time to clay and draw those particles out of the paint.

II. How Does Clay Bar Treatment Work?

As we mentioned earlier, auto detailing clay bars are a resin mixture designed to remove containments from surfaces. When you glide the clay bar along the surface of your car, it picks up anything extending from the surface. The dust and dirt get stuck to the clay, and so you've successfully removed the containment.


An important note to keep in mind is that you always spray lubricant or detailer spray before claying. The lubrication stops loose debris from scratching your car.

Clay is better than polishing because the polishing process sometimes removes a thin layer of paint, while claying is nonabrasive.

III. What is in a Clay Bar Kit?

If you're just starting out with claying, we recommend buying a clay bar kit. You can find these kits being sold on Amazon and automotive product websites. We recommend Meguiar's G1016 Smooth Surface Clay Kit. It is highly rated and has everything you need to get started.

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In a typical clay bar kit, you will find:

a. Clay Bars

Clay Bars usually come in 2 to 8 oz. bars. Typically, 2 ounces is enough to do three or four vehicles. We estimate that one 2 oz. clay bar will last you 18 months to 2 years if used on the same car.

b. A Microfiber Towel

Microfiber towels (sometimes called microfiber cloths) are one of the most essential tools used by car detailing experts. A microfiber is an incredibly tiny synthetic fiber. It is approximately 1/100th the diameter of a human hair. The fiber is made from a blend of two materials: polyester and polyamide. Polyester and polyamide are blended at different ratios to create different types of microfibers. This results in a broader range of microfiber towels for unique applications

c. Detailer Spray or Lubricant

It is essential to use the detailer spray or lubricant before starting the claying process. The lubricant form as a thin film over the surface so that they clay bar doesn't stick to the surface or damage it with the debris. Additionally, it is harder to clay without lubricant since the clay doesn't glide over smoothly
There are two common types of clay lube: quick detailers and a combination of water and shampoo solution. At Washos, we recommend using detailing spray over the water and shampoo solution.
The solution may damage the clay bar, which will lead you to using more clay. The detailer sprays are engineered to complement the clay bars and give them that smooth flow across a variety of surfaces.

IV. What are the Best Clay Bars?

Clay bars come in different colors, at various price points, for multiple purposes. However, the most critical factor for you to consider when deciding to buy a clay bar is aggressiveness. Clay bars aggressiveness generally ranges from consumer grade (medium grade) to professional grade (fine grade).


Consumer grade (medium grade) clay bars are gentle and will need more work when cleaning extremely contaminated surfaces, while professional grade bars are aggressive and will swiftly remove contaminants.


If you know what you are ready and have plenty of experience claying, then only do we recommend buying the professional grade (fine grade) clay bars. The fine grade bars are more effective against dirt, but they can also damage your paint easily.


The Meguiar's G1016 Smooth Surface Clay Kit is an excellent kit for beginners.

How to Store Your Clay Bar

Store the clay bar in its original case, or in a sealed plastic bag. Spray it with the lubricant to keep it wet. Do not allow the clay to freeze and do not store it in temperatures above 200° F

V. How to use a Clay Bar

Carefully follow these steps to learn how to use a clay bar on your car:

1. Clean your car

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Before using a clay bar, we suggest that your vehicle should be washed and dried to eliminate most of the surface containments.

2. Use detailer spray

Start by spraying a small area of your car with the lubricant or detailer spray. Keep the sprayed area less than 2 feet.

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3. Glide the clay bar

The next step is to gently slide the clay bar back and forth across the freshly lubricated area. You can initially anticipate the surface to pull the clay while it is taking out all the contaminants. When you can feel the clay gliding effortlessly, then you will know that the area is clean.

4. Check the clay bar

You should keep monitoring the clay to verify that you're using a fresh side. After you've used both sides, you can fold the clay a couple of times, press it, and then straighten it. You can now continue, but you should keep checking to see if any pieces of dirt could damage the surface of your car.

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If the clay seems to be discolored, or rough, then you should throw it away and start with a fresh piece of clay.

5. Check your work

After you've finished claying an area, wipe the area down with a microfiber towel. You can also use the lubricant to remove any clay residue. To check if it's clean, slide your fingers across the paint. If it's smooth, then you're solid. Otherwise, you will need to re-clay that area. Remember to re-lubricate as required.

Repeat these steps until you've cleaned the entire vehicle. You can use clay on glass and chrome, too.

6. Finishing up

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You can finish up with a wax. The wax will fill any gaps left from the contaminants and it will shield your paint from corrosion.

VI. Clay Bar Alternatives

A popular alternative to clay bars is mitts or clay mitts. They're efficient and do the job as well. A typical clay mitt is a rugged microfiber mitt with one side made of a rubber polymer coating that picks up surface contaminants like tar or bugs.

There is one downside to using mitts though. They are known to cause more damage to the paint than an automotive clay bar. If you use a mitt, then make sure you're generous with the lubricant to avoid any damage. The most popular mitt brand is Nanoskin Autoscrub Wash Mitt.

Welcome to the forum..........:clap:

Good informative first post ......:thumbsup:


humfrz

Great info!

I've driven the 6.2l non-turbo c63. Amazing!!! Have not tested the new bi-turbo version.

Welcome to the Forum!

The 6.2L is a classic though. V8 for life

I used Mothers Clay kit a few times and loved it. I decided to give a clay mitt a try and it is a very good alternative. It covers more surface area than the claybar which can be beneficial if you're limited on time. Great post. I've heard many people say they are hesitant to clay their car. This post will help.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

Do you see any greater potential for damage using a mitt?

Hey sorry for late reply. From my experience and reviews that i have read, the mitt is safer. It may not be as effective as a traditional clay bar however. Since it is a textured rubber (forget the exact material) surface it is less abrasive. Just gotta make sure you rinse or dunk it in water after using it on the paint in a given area. I've scratched my clear coat before using improper technique with the claybar. I think the mitt is great for beginners as well as experienced detailers. Just my experience. I know others will have different opinions.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

Great write up and welcome to the forum! I use Mothers and Meguiars both really great products.

That's the opposite of what I expected. I've clay-barred once and was impressed with the results. Just considering alternatives. Thanks!

There's nothing quite as satisfying as a freshly clayed and waxxed exterior. Doing it right takes forever but it's so worth it.

can we pin this pls

Cool info but I just can't get over the feeling that somebody is trying to sell me something here.


One thing is doesn't mention (and few articles on the subject do) is that you should strip all the wax off the car before starting. I learned the importance of that step the first time I did my car and the clay kept clogging up after about two minutes of rubbing. I was totally baffled until I realized it was the wax that was getting pulled up. Stripped it off with some Windex as I progressed to each area and all was good.

He's selling Windex ...... :D


humfrz

Well he isn't doing a god job then since they didn't even mention was stripping.

But mention no was job read is never.

Still beats hooking.

It's a soft sell ....... he didn't want to insult our intelligence ..... :)

Personally, I prefer Dove soap for stripping off wax ..... so, he didn't sell ME anything ...... :D


humfrz

huh ......??????

:confused0068:


humfrz

He is making fun of my typos.

Oh, I thought maybe you two have spent so much time together, you started talking alike .....:D


humfrz

Still better than your hillbilly shit.

Hey, I learnt to talk mainly from my older girl cousin from West Virginia ...... so, maybe I didn't pay too good of attention sometimes ..... :iono:


humfrz

This thread's about clay bars, not your little sausage parties.

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Trying in vain to bring this back on track, there are car wash shampoos like a citrus-based wash that are great for taking off the old layer of wax making it ready for the clay/new layer of wax. That's the step that's not mentioned here.

Any brands in particular that you like? Are they really better than regular old Dawn?

Ya, ol @Ultramaroon started it .......he is pretty good at derailing threads ....... :D

I think ol @Tcoat mentioned stripping the old wax off before claying.

Why go to the expense of a store bought car wash shampoo, when you can just grab any old dishwashing soap from underneath the kitchen sink and do the same job .... ??

But, thanks for getting the train back on the track .......:)


humfrz

Plugging a particular brand is always the quickest way to start a flame war but I'm still using a bottle of stuff that has been reformulated and isn't for sale any more, so I guess it's fine. It's an older version of the Chemical Guys Citrus Wash, which has a day-glo neon orange color to it which is awesome. I think the newer formulation also works as well, but IIRC they also now sell a product specifically for taking off old coats of protectant for new applications.

using clay alone has been fine for taking off old layers of wax, at least in my experience. have never seen any car wash shampoos specially formulated for that, will look for it next time.

i also would never clay my car unless i had a polisher as well. way too easy to mar your finish with clay.

There are a lot of factors going on here. Clay bars are a good way to remove imbedded particals from the surface and light imperfections that are in your wax or surface. The reason I say lots of factors is it depends on what you have done and what products you have used and if you used them correctly. You don’t want to end up like humfrz on a beach covered from head to toe in 150spf white sunblock with a straw hat on in a speedo;). Here is the proper process for a brand new car off the lot. Take it home handwash using good car wash not dawn or lava. Dry your car I recommend using absorber shammy like product because it dose not scratch towels will. Then wipe down with detailer and micro fiber cloth do not get ones made in China or Taiwan as the way they loop the threads causes scratches. Clay bar the car using a kit work in small sections at a time. Now you can use a paint sealer then final stage is waxing.

Ultra in your case you have to use a better car wash soap. Also if you don’t apply wax properly and the type of wax used will differ immensely. You are at the humfrz at the beach stage. So to fix it will require a lot of time and work if you do it yourself it will take some $$ if you pay someone. But what you have to do is the following.
Wash the car, using the micro mit mentioned above (this is what they are really for) and paint prep spray and some water scrub the whole car down, this will remove all those layers of wax and get you back to clear coat. Clay bar your car. Next is when you would use compound and machine to get swirls out, then you would use a machine and car polish. Then I would suggest a using a polywax product that seals your paint and provieds protection and wax all in one. Then wait a couple weeks then I would wash inspect the wax then I would use a really good carnuba wax product and just wax it once every couple months as needed. In between washes I would use a detailer and wipe down the car. Dust and dirt scratches your wax and over time your paint hence swirls don’t use drive through car washes use only hand wash ones.

I do this process 2x a year once before winter and once in spring and maintain the wax through out the year. The reason is I live in the desert and uv and dust will degrade the wax and protection. My dad lives back in Ohio he dose it once a year in spring time and maintaines with wax but he has to deal with snow and salt.

Hmmm... paint prep spray. I see two classes of active ingredients, CFC solvents like p-chlorobenzotrifluoride, and acetone. Of the two, I'm least opposed to using acetone. I have a couple super clean gallons of that so I may try a test strip this spring to see how the clear coat holds up.

Just thinking out loud. Acetone seems sketch.

Wow don’t go over thinking it though. Although I should be more specific. https://www.griotsgarage.com/product...e=&from=Search

Check out the link above. I have been using this stuff for years all of the products work really well and customer service is outstanding. Plus if you don’t like it send it back and get full refund. I stated using it when my auto supply place closed down. I was able to get professional stuff at good rate. Although different griots is out standing and a little goes a long way. Plus all of the products smell really good.

You may wish to try that on someone else's car ...... :eyebulge:


humfrz

That's mighty generous of you to volunteer yours. Thanks!

I was thinking that your neighbors car may be handier for you.....:D

Back in the day, I used to use acetone as a solvent to put unformulated experimental pesticides into solution to spray them.

Yep, I had a 30 gal can of it strapped in the back of my company pickup truck ..... later, I discovered the can was a leaker. Took the paint right off part of the bed of that truck.

Of course, that was before clear coats, so ....... your test strip MAY turn out to be different ....:confused0068:

humfrz

I have used acetone on my cars for years now. It does not react with the acrylic clear coat at all. In fact it comes in a plastic bottle. Now I don't puddle it on and walk away either since I still have some paranoia left.

That paint would still have been lacquer. Acetone will go through lacquer faster than shit through a goose.

OK, @Ultramaroon , here is the acetone challenge for you and Tcoat.

This evening, soak a sponge in acetone and place it on the hood of your car.

Tomorrow morning, report what you see ...... ;)


humfrz

Thanks. That makes sense. Still a little scary, but I won't go wiping down my neighbor's car.
@humfrz, I have tools in my garage. I don't wanna deal with any here. :slap:

Well, all I know, is that I'm not gonna put anything on my car's finish that will go faster that shit through a goose ......:eyebulge:

You may wish to try it on one of your chickens first ...... :iono:



humfrz

See above.

There is no lacquer involved in our car paint. It may peel your nail polish off though.

I knew that, that's the reason I always wear latex gloves when I'm handling acetone ...... so it won't take off my nail polish.

:D


humfrz