Taking proper care of your car’s paint requires a full toolkit, and one of the most useful instruments at your disposal is the clay bar. Keep reading to learn more about this product and how it helps protect automotive paint.
What Is a Clay Bar?
A clay bar is a natural or synthetic resin compound that feels a bit like plasticine and has the ability to “lift” pollutants from the surface of your car.
When you rub the clay bar against the surface of your car, it catches contaminants that may harm your vehicle’s paint.
A clay bar is an effective way to get pollutants off the surface of your car. Additionally, since clay adapts to any surface, it’s ideal to clean hard-to-reach spots or difficult angles of your vehicle.
How to Use a Clay Bar?
Using a clay bar on your car without any kind of preparation may actually scratch the paint. That’s why you need clay lubricant. This product, that usually comes in a spray bottle, helps clay glide smoothly across the surface of your car without damaging it.
However, before you get down to work you must make sure to wash and dry your vehicle thoroughly.
Once your car is clean, take your clay bar and divide it up into two or three pieces. This step is important because if you drop the clay you can’t use it on your car anymore, so it’s a good idea to create “backups.”
Flatten one of the pieces and give it the shape of a small pad you can comfortably hold using three fingers. Apply the clay lubricant and then rub gently the surface of your car using the clay. Apply horizontal motion instead of circles. At first, the surface may be rough, but after a whole you will notice that the clay glides smoothly and effortlessly, indicating that that part of your vehicle is already clean. At this point all you have to do is move on to the next part until your car is spotless!
As for how often should you clay your car, expert opinions differ. Some people advise doing it two times a year, while others believe that four times will do the trick.
If you need help determining whether you should clay bar your car, you can use a very simple test. Run your hand along the surface of your car, if it feels rough, then odds are that there are too many contaminants adhered to the paint and you need to use clay to remove them.
More Car Detailing Tips
Keep your ride always in mint condition with these tips that cover every aspect of the maintenance of your car.
- What is car detailing?
- Windshield replacement: 3 facts you should know
- How to clean your car rims
- 4 Tips to wax your car
- Use these ideas to avoid door dings
- Don’t ignore cracked windshields!
- How to wash your car by hand
- Protect your car from rust
Inland Empire Autobody & Paint Inc. is a leading company providing car detailing and auto detailing services in California. We take pride in our day-to-day workmanship and we work closely with our clients to satisfy their every concern.
We have locations in Riverside, California, and Moreno Valley, California. Request a quote today! Call us (951-465-7350), contact us through our website or through our social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get information about our services: Collision repair, custom paint, windshield replacement, rim repair, paintless dent removal, auto detail, complete paint jobs and more!