Car enthusiasts know that maintaining a vehicle’s appearance is not only a source of pride but also essential for preserving its value. One very important, and often overlooked step in the decontamination stage of detailing, is the process of claying the car. If by chance you are new to the detailing scene, you might not have heard of claying (clay bar treatment as it can also be referred to), which is a process in which you remove embedded contaminants from your car’s clear coat.

Detailing clay is specifically designed to glide effortlessly over the surface of your car’s paint and grab anything that protrudes from the surface. The particles that it glides over stick to the clay and are then removed from your vehicle.

Washing alone will not remove these particles from the paintwork, which is why auto-detailing clay is such a valuable tool to have in your arsenal. However, you must look for the best clay bar possible when you take the plunge into the world of car claying, as some of the cheaper clay bars can wreak havoc on your car’s paintwork.

It is also HIGHLY recommended to use a clay bar lubricant for whatever clay you are using, and never use dirty clay (more on this later).

For now, let’s start at the very beginning for those of you who might be new to this claying process. In this comprehensive guide, i will help you choose the best clay bar for your car detailing needs, taking into consideration factors such as the type, size, compatibility, and value for money. 

I will also provide a step-by-step guide on how to use a clay bar and answer some frequently asked questions about this essential car detailing tool. By the end of this post, you should be well-equipped to clay your car to the highest standard possible, ensuring a pristine and flawless finish.

What is Clay Bar Treatment?

A clay bar is a specially formulated, malleable substance used in the automotive detailing process to remove contaminants from a car’s clear coat. It is an essential tool for achieving a smooth, clean surface before applying wax, sealant, or ceramic coatings.

Clay bars effectively lift and extract embedded particles, such as dirt, dust, and tar, which regular washing cannot remove.

 

How Do Clay Bars Work?

The effectiveness of clay bars in removing contaminants from a car’s paintwork can be attributed to their unique composition and working mechanism. Clay bars are made from a combination of natural and synthetic materials, including resins and clay minerals like kaolin or bentonite. This blend results in a highly pliable, sticky substance that can safely glide over the surface of your car’s paint.

When used with a lubricant, the clay bar’s sticky surface adheres to contaminants that protrude from the clear coat, pulling them away as it glides across the paint. The clay effectively traps the contaminants within its matrix, preventing them from being dragged across the paintwork and causing scratches or marring. This process ensures that the contaminants are entirely removed from the surface without causing any damage to the paint.

Additionally, the clay’s malleability allows it to be reshaped and folded, continually exposing a fresh, clean surface for use. This feature extends the clay bar’s lifespan and ensures optimal cleaning performance throughout its use.

Why Use Car Clay?

Using a clay bar in your car detailing routine offers several advantages that contribute to achieving an immaculate finish on your vehicle’s paintwork. As you drive on the roads, your car is exposed to road dirt, grime, and brake dust, which can embed themselves into the clear coat, making them difficult to remove through regular washing alone.

Claying your car is essential to address these stubborn contaminants and enhance the overall results of your paintwork.

Here are some key benefits of using a clay bar in your detailing routine:

1. Thorough Decontamination: Clay bars effectively remove bonded surface contaminants that cannot be eliminated by washing alone. This deep cleaning prepares your car for further paint enhancement treatments, such as polishing, glazing, or applying paint sealants.
2. Smooth, Glass-like Finish: By removing embedded particles and surface imperfections, clay bars create a smooth, glass-like finish on your car’s paintwork. This result not only improves the appearance of your vehicle but also ensures that subsequent treatments, like wax, glaze, polish, or paint sealants, adhere properly and evenly to the surface.
3. Enhanced Paint Protection: By eliminating contaminants and creating a smooth surface, a clay bar treatment makes it more difficult for dirt and grime to stick to your car’s paint in the future. This helps protect the paint from further damage and prolongs the life of protective coatings applied afterwards

Incorporating a clay bar into your car detailing routine is crucial for achieving the best possible results on your paintwork. By thoroughly decontaminating the surface and providing a smooth, glass-like finish, a clay bar treatment sets the stage for further enhancements and protection, ensuring your vehicle maintains a pristine appearance

How Often Should You Clay Bar Your Car?

You should clay bar your car approximately every six months to maintain a smooth and contaminant-free paint surface. However, the frequency can vary depending on factors such as driving conditions, climate, and your car’s exposure to contaminants. Always assess your car’s paintwork by touch to determine if claying is necessary.

Factors to Consider When Choosing the Best Clay Bar for Your Car

When selecting the ideal clay bar for your car, it’s essential to consider a few key factors that can affect the overall effectiveness and suitability of the product. Keep the following aspects in mind to make an informed decision:

Type of Clay Bar

There are three primary grades of clay bars, and choosing the right one depends on the level of contaminants on your car’s paintwork:

1. Fine Grade: Ideal for vehicles with light contamination, suitable for regular maintenance or cars that have been clayed recently.
2. Medium Grade: Suitable for moderate levels of contamination, providing a balance between effectiveness and safety for your car’s paintwork.
3. Heavy Grade: Designed for heavily contaminated vehicles, offering more aggressive cleaning action but with a higher risk of marring the paint. Use this grade with caution and follow up with a polishing step to remove any induced marring.

Size and Weight

Clay bars come in various sizes and weights, typically ranging from 50g to 200g. Larger clay bars can cover more surface area and speed up the process, while smaller ones offer better control and precision. Choose a size and weight that you find comfortable to work with and suits your car’s size.

Compatibility with Various Car Surfaces

While most clay bars are designed to work effectively on paintwork, it’s essential to ensure that the clay bar you choose is compatible with other surfaces such as glass, metal, and plastic. A versatile clay bar will allow you to decontaminate your entire vehicle with a single product.

Price and Value for Money

When investing in a clay bar, consider the price as well as the value it offers. High-quality clay bars might come with a higher price tag, but they often provide better results and last longer. Cheaper clay bars, on the other hand, may have a higher risk of damaging your car’s paintwork. Look for a clay bar that offers the best balance of performance and affordability, ensuring you get the most out of your investment.

Best Clay Bars For Your Car

Below are what i believe to be some of the best clay bar options for your car :

Mothers California Gold Clay Bar System

Mothers car care products have long been a trusted choice among both amateur and professional detailers.

The Mothers California Gold Clay Bar is an excellent option for vehicles with light contamination, as it features a fine grade of clay. This clay bar effectively handles most levels of fallout, with the exception of extremely heavy cases.

Offering good value for money, this product comes as a complete kit, which means you won’t need to purchase the lubricant separately. (Remember, using a lubricant while claying your car is essential.)

This kit is particularly recommended for beginners, as it provides everything needed to get started with claying.

Key Points:

• Great value for money, as it comes as a complete kit
• Suitable for cars with light to medium contamination
• Affordable, includes two clay bars and a microfiber towel

For more information on this product, follow this link HERE

Meguiar’s C-2100 Professional Detailing Clay

For those dealing with heavily contaminated paintwork, Meguiar’s C-2100 Professional Detailing Clay is the ideal choice for a more aggressive detailing solution. As a product from Meguiar’s, a renowned brand in the detailing industry, you can trust its quality and effectiveness. The C-2100 is designed to tackle even the toughest contamination with ease. While it may be slightly more expensive than less aggressive clay bars, it delivers exceptional results on paintwork in poor condition.

Note that the C-2100 doesn’t come with clay lubricant (any type should work).

Key Points:

• Slightly more expensive, but highly effective on heavy contamination
• Safe and efficient on paint, glass, metal, and plastic surfaces
• Non-abrasive and gentle on all surfaces, despite its aggressive nature

For more information on this product, follow this link HERE.

Griot’s Garage 11153 Paint Cleaning Clay

Griot’s Garage Paint Cleaning Clay is an exceptional all-around clay bar suitable for various scenarios. This versatile product offers excellent value for money, considering the size of the clay bar included in the package.

While this clay bar doesn’t come with its lubricant in a kit (any quick detailer or similar product should work), the recommended clay lube for this product is Griot’s Garage Speed Shine.

Key Points:

• Versatile all-rounder
• Affordable and great value (200g+ of clay)
• Griot’s Garage is a trusted name in the detailing industry

For more information on this product, follow this link HERE.

Chemical Guys  OG Clay Bar & Luber Synthetic Lubricant Kit, Light/Medium Duty

Chemical Guys present an excellent kit with their OG Clay Bar Kit, perfect for introducing you to the world of automotive car claying. Designed for light and medium contamination, this kit is suitable for nearly all situations, except for cases with excessive heavy contamination.

The kit includes Chemical Guys’ own clay lube, eliminating the need to purchase it separately.

Key Points:

• High-quality product, as expected from Chemical Guys
• Ideal for light and medium contamination 
• Features Flex-Clay Technology

For more information on this product, follow this link HERE

Meguiar’s G1016 Smooth Surface Clay Kit

Meguiar’s Smooth Surface Clay Kit offers exceptional value for money, including 2- 80-gram clay bars, clay lubricant, and a microfiber towel. As a complete detailing clay kit from one of the most established names in car care, this package provides everything you need to clay your vehicle right out of the box, even featuring a high-quality microfiber towel.

Key Points:

• Renowned name and brand
• Suitable for light and medium contamination, effective in 99% of scenarios
• Ideal kit for beginners

For more information on this product, follow this link HERE

Now that you are hopefully all set with a good product, it is time to begin!

How To Clay Bar A Car (Step By Step)

Using a clay bar on your car is a fairly straightforward process, but attention to detail is crucial. Follow these steps to achieve the best results:

Step 1

Prepare your vehicle Wash and dry your car thoroughly to remove dirt, grime, and other contaminants from the surface. Before washing the car, consider using a product like Iron X to begin removing contamination. This pre-treatment can help loosen stubborn contaminants and make the claying process more effective.

Step 2

Shape the clay bar Break off a small piece of clay and shape it into a flat surface by rolling it between your palms to warm it up. A properly shaped clay bar ensures even contact with the car’s surface, allowing it to effectively lift contaminants.

Step 3

Apply clay lubricant Spray a small area with clay lubricant. Clay lubricant is crucial, as it provides a slick surface for the clay to glide over. Without it, the clay won’t slide easily, and you risk marring the paint or leaving behind clay residue. Many detailers use a quick detailer as their clay lube, but any suitable lubricant will work.

Step 4

Glide the clay bar over the surface Gently glide the clay bar over the working area using overlapping passes, going left to right or up and down. Allow the clay to absorb contamination rather than applying excessive downward force. Stubborn contamination may require multiple passes, more clay lube, and patience to remove effectively.

Step 5

Inspect and clean the area Wipe the area with a microfiber towel and use the clay lubricant to remove any clay residue. The paint should now feel smooth as glass. If not, repeat the process. Reshape the clay bar as needed to expose a clean surface, and keep it well-lubricated to prevent marring the paint.

Step 6

Continue with the entire vehicle Continue working on an area until all contamination is removed. The clay will slide effortlessly across the paint, and you won’t hear any contamination being picked up. Proceed until the entire car is finished.

Important Notes:

• Reshape the clay after each section to expose a clean surface. If a fresh surface isn’t possible, use a new piece of clay.
• If you drop the clay, discard it immediately to prevent introducing new contaminants.
• Heavy-grade clay bars may leave marring that requires polishing to remove. Adjust your choice of clay bar based on the level of contamination.
• Store the clay bar in its original case or an airtight plastic bag to keep it clean and pliable.
• Re-wash your vehicle after using a clay bar to remove any loosened contamination and excess clay bar residue. The wash should be quicker and more effective due to the ultra-smooth paint. After re-washing, polish your paint as needed to restore shine and remove any remaining imperfections.

Frequently Asked Questions about Clay Bars

Does Clay Remove Ceramic Coating?

Claying can potentially remove or diminish the ceramic coating on your car. While clay bars effectively remove contaminants from the surface of your car’s paint, they can also be abrasive. When using a clay bar on a car with a ceramic coating, the process might degrade or remove the coating, especially if the clay is aggressive or not properly lubricated. To maintain your ceramic coating, consider using alternative decontamination methods, such as iron fallout removers or gentle chemical decontaminants.

Can I Use a Clay Bar on Glass?

Yes, clay bars are safe and effective for use on glass surfaces. In addition to removing contaminants from your car’s paint, clay bars can also be used on glass to remove water spots, sap, and other stubborn substances. Ensure you use proper lubrication and gentle pressure to avoid scratching the glass. Always follow up with a glass cleaner to remove any residue.

Can I Reuse a Clay Bar?

A: Clay bars can be reused multiple times, as long as they remain clean and free of contaminants. After each use, fold the clay bar to expose a fresh surface and store it in an airtight container or plastic bag to keep it clean and pliable. If the clay becomes excessively dirty or contaminated, discard it and use a new piece to avoid introducing new contaminants to your car’s surface.

Can I Use Soapy Water as a Clay Lubricant?

Soapy water can be used as a clay lubricant, but dedicated clay lubricants or quick detailers are recommended for optimal results. While soapy water can provide some lubrication, it may not provide enough slickness to prevent the clay from marring your car’s surface. Dedicated clay lubricants or quick detailers are formulated specifically to create a slick barrier between the clay and your car’s paint, reducing the risk of scratches and enhancing the effectiveness of the clay.

What Happens If I Drop the Clay Bar on the Ground?

If you drop a clay bar on the ground, it should be discarded immediately. The clay can easily pick up dirt, grit, and other contaminants from the ground, which can cause severe scratching or damage to your car’s paint when you continue to use it. To prevent this, always discard a dropped clay bar and replace it with a new, clean piece.

In Summary

Hopefully, I have given you some good information to start claying your car. Once you do this step once, you will never go back once you see the results you can achieve by completely removing all contamination from your car’s paintwork using car clay!

As always, I am interested in hearing your thoughts and experiences with car clay. If you have any product recommendations please let me know in the comments, I would love to hear them.

Until Next time,

Happy Detailing!

Don’t forget you can check out a range of clay bars over on the DriveDetailed Store

About the Author – Darren O Hara

Darren is the founder of the DriveDetailed blog and is a keen detailing enthusiast living in the rainy south of Ireland. When he is not cleaning his car he is always researching ways he can improve his techniques and enjoys testing out out new products.

Darren currently drives an Audi TTRS and is a big fan of performance cars.

You can follow Darren on Instagram @darrenoharacork

Go Home