A clay bar treatment is when a piece of clay is used to remove contaminants from the surface of your car’s paint. Although you might not be able to see all of the contaminants with your naked eye, there’s a lot of dirt and dust that have a handy way of sticking to your car’s paint as you drive around.
What lubricant should you use with a clay bar?
Dec 11, 2017 · 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.
How to properly use a clay bar?
Sep 22, 2020 · September 22, 2020 March 24th, 2022. So, we’re going to throw you a change-up here in Car Detailing 101 – and explain why a professional detailer will recommend to clay bar a car during a full-service job. Clay bar treatment is the third step in the automotive detailing job. You’ll start with the wheels and tires, move onto washing the exterior – and then, the …
What is the difference between clay bar and rubbing compound?
One of the most often overlooked treatments in auto detailing is the Clay Bar. Why is a Clay Bar treatment recommended? While your vehicle is exposed to the elements, it will pick up tar, road grime, insect splatter, and many other contaminants that will bond to your vehicle’s paint.
What is a clay bar, and how does it work?
Oct 17, 2017 · Here I describe the process and need for clay bar treatment of your vehicle as an essential part of the detailing process.www.visualprodetailing.com
What does a clay bar treatment do?
Why should you clay bar your car?
Is clay bar necessary?
Does clay bar make a difference?
Should you wash car after claybar?
How often should you claybar a car?
Should I polish my car after Claying?
Can a clay bar remove scratches?
Can you clay bar without waxing?
How long does clay bar last?
Is clay bar better than wax?
What can I use instead of a clay bar?
- Clay Mitts. Clay mitts provide the same services as a clay bar, but they are much easier to use. ...
- Using Clay Mitts. Clay bars should be replaced whenever you drop them on the ground as they can quickly absorb too many contaminants. ...
- Clay Towels. ...
- Clay Pads.
What is detailing clay?
Automotive detailing clay or decontamination is essentially separated into three different categories – a spray or iron remover, a clay kit that includes the detailing clay bar and clay lube, or a clay bar detailing towel or mitt.
How to use auto detailing clay?
Work from top to bottom – left to right – and stick to using it on the same panel.
How long does ceramic coating last?
Cheaper DIY ceramic coatings claim to be all-in-one solutions, but usually hold up from a few months to 18 months. They work OK, but none of them are backed with a guarantee or warranty.
What to use to speed up claying?
If you want to speed up your claying, you might consider using a clay mitt or clay towel. These products will cover a larger surface area than the traditional clay bar. They work just as well – but are larger – so it covers more space than a regular bar.
Can you use clay mitts on a detailer?
There is a growing segment of detailers who are swapping to using clay mitts or a clay towel. They can cover more surface area per wipe down, which makes the process quicker.
Do nano ceramics work?
When you have a professional nano ceramic coating applied to your vehicle, future detailing jobs will remove the need for clay bar treatment, no more time-consuming chemical washes, and don’t even worry about polishing or buffing again. Ceramic coated vehicles shine better, stay cleaner for longer periods, and protect all surfaces from exposure to harmful contaminants and UV rays.
Why do you need clay bars?
Clay bars are purely for removing bonded particles to prevent future damage, like paint swirls. They cannot fix existing damage.
How to use a clay bar?
Using a clay bar is pretty simple. We just need 3 things: First, we apply the detailing spray or clay lubricant to a small area of your car. This is important: without some sort of lubricant, the clay could damage your car’s paint. Then we slowly glide the clay along the body of your car. It’ll grab the surface, ...
What is clay bar detailing?
Clay bar detailing is when you use an engineered elastic clay compound to remove particles from your car’s surface that a thorough car wash could never get. This includes: Everywhere you go, your car is being pelted with miniscule particles that bond to its surface.
What happens when clay stops gripping the surface?
When the clay stops gripping the surface and glides smoothly, we’ve gotten all the particulates from that area. We’ll wipe it down to remove any lingering residue, and do a touch-test. The paint should be smooth – no bumps.
Why is it important to detail your car semi-monthly?
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. It's important that you're detailing your car semi-monthly to maintain it's condition. Whether you want your car to look fresh for a special occasion, give someone a useful gift, or just want that new-car feel, a Bemac detailing will do the trick.
Is clay bar detailing worth it?
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.
What is the purpose of a clay bar?
A clay bar’s purpose isn’t to change the look of your paint. Its job is to make it feel slippery and smooth. For this reason, you can’t judge a clay bar treatment’s success with your eye – it’s all about touch (and in extreme cases, sound). Clay Bar Alternatives.
What is a clay bar?
A clay bar is typically the final step that makes sure your paint is surgically clean. The results you can expect from using a clay bar alone are not very exciting. As a matter of fact, you probably won’t see any visible difference at all. A clay bar’s purpose isn’t to change the look of your paint.
What is mechanical decontamination?
Mechanical decontamination is exactly what it sounds like. The friction created by moving the clay back and forth physically pulls the contaminants out of the paint.
How to tell if your car has clay bar?
The best way to check is to run your hand across the paint after you’ve washed it. Does it feel rough and textured? Can you hear the sound of your hand moving across the paint? Those are both tell-tale signs that your paint is contaminated. In this case, a clay bar is an excellent thing to use.
Can you use a clay bar on a car?
Although using a clay bar on your car is an essential part of detailing, it shouldn’t be done unless absolutely necessary. The clay bar has a specific job – to remove bonded contaminants from your paint. Even when used properly, it should be considered a necessary evil since it can be abrasive.
Can clay bars scratch 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.
Do you polish clay bars?
Clay bars are abrasive and will mar your paint while they remove the contaminants. You need to polish the paint afterward in order to maintain a perfect finish. Even a mild all-in-one polish like this one will be enough to fix any damage the clay has caused, and leave some protection behind.
Why are clay bars used?
They are called Clay Bars because they actually feel like Clay, have high elasticity, and can be stretched, and molded, very easily. This elasticity comes in handy, when we need to mold it around certain shapes, on our Vehicle. All professional detailers use some form of a Clay Bar, to remove these contaminants, from the Vehicle’s they work on. When correctly used, and the contaminants are removed, your Vehicle’s paint will change from physically feeling rough, to feeling very smooth, like Glass.
What is a clay bar?
As we mentioned earlier, a Clay Bar is an Engineered Resin (Engineered Clay) which is used to remove contaminants (I.E. Tree Sap, Bird Droppings, Paint Overspray, Dead Bugs, Tar, Rail Dust, Brake Dust & Industrial Fall-out), from your Vehicle’s Metal, Glass, Paint & Fiberglass surfaces. Clay Bars are typically either Synthetic, or Natural, with the Synthetic Type being more prevalent, in today’s marketplace.
How to know if a clayed surface is smooth?
After you have removed all clay residue, and lubricant, using your microfiber towel, verify that the section you clayed is super smooth, by running your fingers across the surface. If it feels smooth, you’re all set. If its not smooth, you need to re-clay the area.
How to remove clay from car?
If there is any stubborn clay residue, on the vehicle’s exterior surfaces , you can use more clay lubricant, to help remove them, with the microfiber towel.
What is the difference between lighter duty clay bars and heavier duty clay bars?
The lighter duty clay bars are gentle, and you will need a little more elbow grease, to clean highly contaminated exterior surfaces. The heavier duty clay bars are more aggressive, and will require much less elbow grease, to clean highly contaminated exterior surfaces.
How to use clay lubricant?
Using Clay Lubricant, spray a small section, of your vehicle (no larger than a 2 foot x 2 foot area). Note, if you do not use clay lubricant, the clay bar will scratch your vehicle!
How to store clay?
When done claying, spray any unused portions of clay, with clay lubricant, and store it, in either its original case, or in a sealed plastic bag/container. Never let your clay freeze, or be stored in temperatures above 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
What is a clay bar?
Essentially, clay bars are an essential tool to remove dirt and contaminants from your car that typically can’t be removed with a standard wash, or even through polishing and waxing. The good news is, the process of clay bar detailing is straightforward enough that anyone can do it, but it does take a bit of time.
Why fold clay bar over?
It’s also nice to know when you should be folding the clay bar over to work on another area of your car.
What is the California Gold Clay Bar System?
The package includes two clay bars, instant detailer, and a microfiber cloth so you can go straight to detailing your car. This clay bar is great for cleaning oxidized paint and overspray, offering good value overall since it does include instant detailer and a microfiber cloth. It’s also one of the easier-to-use clay bars if you’re inexperienced with clay bar detailing since it’s not very abrasive.
How to store clay bars?
Most clay bars will come in or with a container that you can use to store the clay bar when it’s not being used. If it doesn’t, use any sort of sealed container or bag to make sure it doesn’t come in contact with any contaminants. It’s also recommended to spray it with lubricant prior to storing so it retains its elastic properties. When a clay bar isn’t being used, store it at room temperature.
What is Griot's garage paint cleaning clay?
Priced competitively, especially for the amount you get, Griot’s Garage Paint Cleaning Clay is a well-rounded clay bar. It comes in an 8-ounce sealed container, so it maintains moisture even after long storage. It’s a little bit harder to form and shape compared to other products, and it doesn’t offer the same tactile experience but it does work pretty fast on larger surface areas. It’s recommended to use this clay bar with Speed Shine lubricant from Griot’s, but any other lubricant will suffice, such as Meguiar’s Quik Detailer.
What are the different types of clay bars?
Chemical Guys offers 4 different clay bars in its lineup, depending on your needs. Your choices are original, light, medium, and heavy, and each clay bar has a different color to represent its type. The medium and heavy clay bars are professional-grade products, fairly stiff and not easy to shape. They are however, very good at removing any kind of contaminants in your paint and overspray. But no matter which clay bar you choose, it’s one of the best out there if you have the experience and patience to properly use it.
How to keep car paint shiny?
Routine washing of your car is great to keep your paint looking shiny and new, but from time to time you’ll want to put in some serious elbow grease to make sure your paint stays protected. You’ve likely heard of polishing and waxing your car to restore some of its lost shine, but to really keep your paint finish pristine, you’ll want to use a clay bar.
How to use a clay bar?
To properly use your clay bar, you must first wet down the panel you’re cleaning using either a dedicated clay lubricant or something like a quick detailer . The idea is to give the clay a layer of liquid to slide across smoothly. Next, divide the clay bar into thirds or fourths, being careful not to let it touch any surfaces ...
Why would you want to take clay?
Why would you want to take clay—yes, the same stuff that’s dug up out of the ground—and rub it against your vehicle? The simple answer: it’ll grab onto unwanted particles and pull them right from your paint.
How to pull paint out of clay?
With the piece of clay flattened out in your hand and the paint misted in a layer of liquid, pull the clay in one single direction in a straight line across your paint. Don’t swirl, or make circles, and use a steady but not too strong pressure. You might feel a small tug as the clay pulls particles out of your finish.
How to know if a clay panel is clean?
Continue until you can no longer fold to a clean surface, and then replace the piece of clay. You’ll know a panel is clean once it feels smooth under your fingertips —especially as compared to your unclayed panels.
What does a clay bar do to a car?
What a clay bar does. Washing your car thoroughly after a long winter season is a key component of protecting its finish over the long term. Allowing the salt and grime that has accumulated over the cold weather months to sit on your vehicle’s paint, chrome, and plastic, can dull its shine and encourage chemical reactions ...
What does it mean to cut up a bar?
Cutting up the bar means if you drop a piece while working, you can throw it away and still have some left over to finish the job —once clay has touched the ground, it’s too contaminated to continue using.
Can you use a clay bar to clean a car?
While it’s certainly satisfying to attack the dirt on your vehicle with a sponge and a bucket on a warm spring day, removing just the surface level of gunk, no matter how clean your car or truck might look afterwards, should be only part of your approach. In order to really dig down into your paint and snag the contaminants embedded within it, you’ll need to tag in an inexpensive, yet incredibly useful piece of cleaning kit: the clay bar. (Yes, the same stuff that’s dug up out of the ground.)
