Everything You Need to Know About Clay Bar Treatment on Your Vehicle

Wondering what vehicle clay bar treatment is? There’s more to keeping your car or truck paint job looking smooth and vibrant than a regular wash. Over time, dust road grime, bird droppings, and other contaminants stick or bond to your vehicle paint finish, creating a dull, faded appearance.

To ensure your car paint always looks its best, you’ll have to decontaminate the paint job from time to time. Unfortunately, a thorough wash doesn’t do the work always. But there’s a way to effectively clean off all contaminants, and that is through auto clay bar treatment.

What is A Clay Bar Treatment?

A clay bar is a synthetic material like putty that you stretch and move repeatedly over your car paint to remove contaminants such as dust, road grime, and dirt embedded in the clear coat (the uppermost layer of your car paint job). A clay lubricant is typically used alongside a clay bar to ensure the contaminants come loose without scratches or damage.

If you haven’t seen a clay bar before, we’re sorry to be the one to break the news to you that clay bars aren’t actual clay that leaves muddy clay material behind, but a synthetic, clay-like product that attracts contaminants from the car surface.

When out there shopping for clay bar for car paint, do not confuse clay bars with recent options such as clay mitts and sponges. These new options, though, are designed to remove above-paint surface contaminants, don’t work as clay bars when dealing with concentrated, aggressive contaminants. Plus, they also require washing after use.

Benefits of Auto Clay Bar Treatment

In case you’re wondering about the benefits of applying a clay bar on your ride when you can just wash it to remove dirt and dust, here are some key advantages of a clay bar for vehicles.

Helps Prevent Scratching

Contaminants attached to the surface of vehicles don’t always bond permanently, and they break free sometimes. The rubbing from when towel drying your car could grind loosen contaminants across the clear coat, leaving scratches behind. This situation will be like going from taking care of your car to damaging its paint job without even realizing it until it’s too late. Regular clay bar car cleaning means you don’t turn wipes into a scratch fest.

Helps With Car Waxing and Ceramic Coating

Car waxing or ceramic coating is a car detailing procedure done typically twice a year. The point of any of the options is to protect your car finish from damage and looking dull. If you don’t, however, remove all the contaminants from your clear coat before coating or waxing, you’ll simply be waxing the tops of those contaminants. This is an issue because waxes, ceramic coating, and other sealants used as barriers between your car paint and the elements don’t bond properly on uneven, dirty surfaces, but with a smooth, even layer.

So, for proper adhering to your clear coat and longevity, only wax or coat your car after proper decontamination.

Maintain the Shine

Contaminants take away from the shine of your car finish. Tiny particles of dirt, grime, and other contaminants block light from bouncing off your clear coat. Periodic auto clay bar treatment is a great way to prevent that muted, lackluster shine.

When to Use a Clay Bar?

Before waxing or polishing of your vehicle is the best time to use a clay bar treatment. The purpose of any of these two treatments is to protect the topmost layer of the car paint from contaminants and the elements. It becomes counterproductive to polish or wax over contaminants.

Polishing over little particles of grime and other contaminants means grinding or setting deeper into the car paint the particles, leading to scratches. Those little particles also prevent wax from proper bonding, making the wax fade faster and dimming shine.

Before performing a clay bar, you can test for contaminants by slipping your hand into a zippered, plastic bag and slowly sliding it across the car finish at different locations.

Your clear coat is free of contaminants if the surface feels smooth like glass. Tiny bumps under your fingertips, as you slide the plastic bag around, indicate the presence of contaminants, requiring a clay bar treatment. Just because some areas feel smooth doesn’t mean you skip clay treating such sections. A complete clay barring helps ensure no stone is left unturned and should take about 30 minutes – an effort worth putting into the care of your four-wheel investment.

7 Steps to Automotive Clay Bar

Never handled a clay barring treatment before? Don’t worry as we explain below the steps to clay bar your car.

Requirements for Clay Bar Cleaning

• Car soap
• Water
• A clay bar
• A lubricant spray formulated for clay barring
• A few lint-free microfiber towels

Step-by-step instructions for Using Clay Bar on Car

Once you have on hand the materials and cleaning ingredients, it’s time for the clay bar.

1. First thoroughly wash your car using preferably a pH-balanced car soap and rinse off with water. Do the wash in a cool, shaded spot as opposed to under direct sunlight. Intense heat or sun rays can dry up soapy water quickly, leading to water spots and streaks. A cool environment also helps prevent the lubricant from drying up before working its magic.
2. After a thorough car wash, dry off the car body with one of your microfiber towels.
3. Take out the clay bar from its package, break it into half, and return the other half to the package. Mishandling or dropping the clay on the floor renders it useless.
4. Shape or knead the bar into a flat material large enough to cover your hand or fingers.
5. Mentally break your car surface into sections of say 2 feet by 2 feet. Clay cleaning in bite-sized chunks helps ensure no section is left unaddressed.
6. Spray a generous amount of lubricant onto the first section as well as the clay bar, then gently move back and forth the bar over each section. Do this for all the other parts. The use of lubricant helps prevent scratches and ensures smooth glides across the car surface. As you slide the clay bar across different sections, it attracts dirt and particles. Therefore, fold and knead the clay often for a clean, fresh surface so you don’t spread around dirt. Grab the other half when the clay bar is too dirty.
7. Use another microfiber towel to gently wipe down any excess lubricant. Once you’ve completed the clay bar treatment, then your car is fully ready for a polishing, waxing, or coating job.

Contact The Pros

By following the seven steps to auto clay barring, you’ll be able to effectively decontaminate your four-wheel investment of any contaminants that dull its shine and that can potentially damage the finish, leading to unplanned auto paint jobs.

But keep in mind that there is more to auto detailing than just washing or clay barring your car or truck. When you hire a professional car detailing expert, not only the exterior surfaces are given treatment but also the engine and interior surfaces.

Quality Control Detailing is a reliable expert you can trust, providing professional car detailing services. Contact us today for more information about our car detailing services.

Bullet Point Summary

• Clay bar treatment helps remove contaminants such as grime and dirt.
• Clay barring helps maintain the shine of your car, prevent potential scratching when towel drying, and prep your car surface for proper waxing, polish, or coating.
• Clay bar doesn’t have to be a monthly affair but can be done when planning on polishing, waxing, or coating your vehicle. For many people, this is two times a year.
• You can test for contaminants on your vehicle finish by gently sliding through the paint surface a zippered, plastic bag.
• Use a lubricant spray alongside a clay bar during auto clay bar treatment.

Frequently Asked Questions About Clay Bar for Car Paint

Are synthetic clay bars good for cars?

Yes, clay bars are good and safe for your car or truck paint finish. Clay bars are clay-like, synthetic substances that you roll and press into a flat surface to decontaminate your car surface.

Can you Clay Bar Your windshield?

Yes, it’s fine and safe to give your windshield a clay treatment to remove paint overspray, bird droppings, grime, and other particles that can hamper visibility.

Can I Keep Using a Dropped Clay Bar?

No, once a clay bar is dropped on the floor you have to replace it. This is because the bar is just as a dirt collector as chewing gum. Its sticky nature makes it pick up dirt in nanoseconds – if you will. Continued use after it’s dropped is like using sandpaper on your car.

Do You Clay Before or After the Wash?

The general rule is to first thoroughly wash your vehicle before clay barring the ride.

Will Clay Bar Damage My Clear Coat?

A clay bar is not made in a way that will strip off your clear coat. Instead, it’s designed to remove above-surface contaminants without causing damage to the uppermost layer of your car paint – the clear coat.

How Often to Clay Bar My Car?

Once or twice a year is generally enough for clay barring your vehicle. If you, however, live in a seaside town or an area with lots of dirt flying around, you may want to clay clean often to keep the surface of your car smooth and shining.