Clay bar guide

So you’ve followed the steps from our ultimate detailing guide and waxing guide, your cars looks shiny and clean.

Or at least that’s what you think! Cars get put through more than what meets the eye,

No matter how well you wash it, even if you follow our car wash steps 

We can guarantee you will leave shocked with how much grime truly stays in your paint.

You are probably wondering what a clay bar is and what it can do for your car,

Detailing clays are an engineered resin mixture that helps remove contaminants form your paint that cannot be seen from the eye. 

Overtime your car becomes a victim to industrial fall out, acid rain, dirt, brake dust and much more,

These contaminants can become trapped inside your vehicles metal, paint, fibre glass and glass.

Clay bars are very similar to the clay we have all seen kids but clay bars are made to help you suck all these contaminants from your vehicle,

Elasticity is the one of the major differentiating factors that allows the clay bar to be stretched and smashed continually during the clay baring process.

How Do Clay Bars Work and What Can Detailing Clay Do For You!

The process of clay barring requires you to glide the detailing clay along the surface of your vehicle,

This allows the clay bar to remove any contaminants that protrude on the surface of your car, 

the particle will stick to the clay and therefore gets removed from the vehicle.

When initiating this process you want to ensure that you maintain a wet surface to prevent the removed debris from scratching the surface of your vehicle.

Following this process properly is highly recommended because is extremely efficient when compared to simply waxing and can be very safe when done right. 

We do highly recommend following the Complete Car Wash Guide before clay barring.

Who Needs To Clay Bar There Cars?

The Answer to this question is, EVERYONE! It doesnt matter if you drive a Honda or a Ferrari 488

Anytime you drive your vehicle the environment takes a huge tool on it, it is continuously being attacked by industrial fall out, acid rain, debris, bugs, bird faces and much more.

No matter where you are these contaminants can attach to your vehicle and make it their home, it doesn’t matter if your car stays parked outside or is daily driven.

Bag testing a cars paint has been done in the past to check whether your car needs clay barring, we do not generally recommend this because it can scratch the paint of your vehicle.

Next time you come to Drip Auto Pros for a detailing job be sure to ask us if your car need a clay barring session.

Maintaining a good wax on your car can help you have a good shiny surface on your car as well but do not let this mislead you form thinking you don’t have contaminants in your paint.

What Clay Bar Should You Buy

Generally speaking many people do not have the time to detail their cars but if your an enthusiast there are two main types of clay bars to choose from,

A fan favourite is an ultra fine clay that can be used monthly or just for spot cleans without causing any damage, 

It is a relatively new product and is called pinnacle ultra poly clay. If you are crazy about keeping your car clean this is the product for you!

Medium grade clays are the general product that most people buy, this clay is made to be used roughly once or twice within the year.

It will have no issue removing all the contaminants and a good quality clay will also remove the wax (This is something you want).

When you are using any type of clay you always want to maintain a wet surface and it can help to do a complete wash before beginning,

You would do this to remove any grime not stuck on the surface and to wet the surface to prevent debris from making any scratches,

Be very careful to ensure you maintain a wet surface throughout the entire clay bar experience.

How Can I Clay Bar Like A Professional

When purchasing clay it can generally be bought in packages enough to do several vehicles,

Typically when our customers buy clay we recommend purchasing a 2oz clay bar, this bar can last you about one to two years.

If you do purchase more clay then you need you can always store it with the liquids provided in the storage case.

Clay Barring Process

1. Do a through and complete wash of your vehicle, check our our wash guide.
2. Start with a small area, roughly one to two feet and spray the clay lubricant.

*it is very important for the quality of the process and the clays life span to use the lubricant provided. Using non recommended solutions and water can be damaging for both the clay and your car*

3. Begin rubbing the clay bar forward and backward across the wet surface, do not move in circular motions. If you feel some resistance at first that is normal, the clay is removing the contaminants from the paint. When it begins to move freely, the paint is clean.
4. Use a microfibre towel to wipe the area dry (Pro Tip: remove tags from microfibres as they can scratch your car), respray some more clay lubricant to remove any clay residue. Run your hand across the area you just worked on, it should feel like silk. If the area is still rough repeat the process. 
5. Be sure to reshape the clay in order to expose the surface and always keep the surface and clay wet.
6. Repeat all these steps until you’ve completed the process, this process can be done on chrome and glass areas as well.
7. Once you have finished be sure to store the clay in the original case, moisturize the bar and if your in Calgary do not allow the clay to freeze.
8. Clay Barring is not complete without a good wax. Clay bars remove any previous wax and leave microscopic hols where contaminants have been removed. To protect your vehicle they must be sealed to protect the paint from corrosion

Clay barring your car is a fool proof process. At Drip Detailing we always begin with a complete wash, ensure your vehicles remains wet during the process and finish off with a ultimate wax. We recommend you follow the exact same steps that we do, if you have any questions don’t hesitate to get in touch.

If our instructions are not thorough enough for you we would love to answer your questions if you shoot us an email or feel free to watch this video!