How To Use A Clay Bar On Your Car (And Why You Might Need To)

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Car enthusiasts take cleanliness very seriously. Detailing is a huge business in the world of cars, and it ensures that cars always look shiny and new, no matter how old they may be. There are, of course, several steps that go into detailing a car properly. Washing it is one thing, but there's a lot more to it, including ceramic coating, polishing, and PPF — meaning paint protection film. Polishing keeps the paint shiny and smudge free, while ceramic coating and PPF protect the bodywork (and windows in the case of ceramic coating) from various kinds of debris.

One less commonly seen step when detailing a car is something called claying, or a clay bar treatment. Don't worry, this is not turning into an arts and crafts class — claying involves using a clay bar to get rid of deeper contaminations in the paint work, something that simply washing the car thoroughly won't be able to do. 

Despite being called a clay bar, it's actually made from a synthetic putty. For those familiar with gua sha tools, this is essentially the automotive equivalent. If this is something you'd like to try out, using a clay bar is actually pretty easy. It's beneficial to remove various contaminants from the car's paintwork, including brake dust, grit, and rocks that can accumulate on various spots while you're driving.

The process of using a clay bar is fairly simple, but you'll need more than just the clay bar by itself. You'll also need the appropriate lubricant. Without it, you'd just be rubbing a piece of synthetic putty on the bodywork and ruining the paint. Along with that, you'll need the standard microfiber cloths, and you'll have to make sure that your vehicle has been washed as thoroughly as possible before starting. There are also several different kinds of clay bars you can choose from — such as Chemical Guys Clay Bar and Luber Synthetic Lubricant Kit — depending on how contaminated your paint is. For most cases, light or medium duty should get the job done.

Once you have everything ready, grab your clay bar box, open it, and break off a small piece and shape it with your hands in the form of a small disc, similar to what you'd do for a hamburger patty. Then, spray the area on your car's bodywork with the lube, and gently glide your clay bar over the surface, and make sure you're avoiding applying pressure as much as possible. As you work through it, you'll feel the surface of the body panel soften up.

Repeat this a few times, then fold up the clay bar and keep swiping. This is the same process you should follow across the entire car, and eventually, you'll end up with even shinier, decontaminated paint. Then, you can polish and wax your car.