Claying or clay bar treatment as its sometimes referred to seems to most to be an advanced detailing treatment as its not a common stage of most peoples general car cleaning or car care routine, but its not supposed to be. You don’t actually need to clay your car that often, usually just prior to a good polish and sealant treatment, maybe as a yearly treat or some people like to do so quarterly. What claying will do is remove any bonded contaminates on top of the paint's surface that the car wash stage alone doesn’t. A clay bar removes these contaminants by “shaving” them from the surface, these contaminants the likes of tree sap, tar, iron and other industrial fallout are some of the more common you will find that bond them selfs to your vehicles paintwork over time, leaving your paintwork feeling rough to the touch
Bars - they come in different grades, fine, mid etc but essentially all do the same job and the technique is the same. You will need some form of lubricant (water is not always enough) and work in small sections, a panel at a time. These bars need to be manipulated into shape and this easier when they are soft. Once into a flat shape and the panel is lubricated, gently sweep across the panel. Don't press too hard, let the bar do the work for you and as you work across, you will feel the bar picking up contaminants. This is felt by the panel getting smoother (to the touch) and there being less 'drag' on the car. Lastly a great indicator that it is doing the job is to inspect the bar.. This is where you will immediately see the difference. If the car has not been clayed before or for some time, the bar will be filthy.
Now you just fold the bar over on itself presenting a nice clean side and you move onto the next panel. Repeat this process until the entire car is complete. * if it is the first time for claying, you may find the bar is so dirty that you have to discard it but I suggest keeping the old clay for other items in the future like wheels etc. |
Mitts - Recent developments in detailing technology have paved the way for more durable synthetic materials that mimic the natural “grabbing” action of the previous clay bars, but have a longer shelf life and aren’t as susceptible to being over-concentrated with dirt particles during use. Applying this new material to a microfiber mitt, towel and/or foam pad creates a very convenient way to remove embedded paint contaminants.
Both versions of clay have distinct advantages and serve unique purposes. “Natural” clay advantages:
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Note: regardless of which product you have used and depending on how contaminated the surface was, polishing may be required after claying to help correct any micro-marring that may have occurred. If no micro-marring is present, then I suggest to add protection (wax and/or sealant) immediately after claying.