How to Clay a Car
A good paint job can make a car look good, but contaminants, pollutants, and paint swirls can affect the look of your car. A few specks and swirls may not be that big of a deal, but when you plan to sell your car or to exhibit it for a car show, you need to make your car look shiny and as good as brand-new. Here are the steps you need to clay a car.
What is Claying?
A clay bar is a tool used by auto detailing experts and enthusiasts to remove contamination and imperfections from the paint job. Some of these contaminants and imperfections include paint overspray, brake dust, tree sap, paint swirls, and airborne pollutants that get embedded into the painted surface.
Auto detailing clay is an abrasive that lifts off the contaminants, giving the painted surface a smooth, even surface. Clay bars with a high abrasive quality are often used by professional auto detailers to remedy overspray during the painting process. Consumer-grade clay bars are less abrasive, and are used more for maintenance purposes. It’s very important for you to find the right grade of clay to use for auto detailing tasks.
Tools
To clay your vehicle, you need the following tools:
Clay bar. Most consumer-grade clay bars have a comparatively lower abrasive grade than ones used by auto detailing experts. The clay bar looks like modeling clay, although it contains abrasive particles that lift off the contaminants from the paint. Make sure to buy a consumer-grade clay bar that has a comparatively lower grit to avoid damaging the clay.
Clay lubricant. Some auto detailers use window cleaning solution diluted in water as a lubricant for the auto detailing clay to glide on. You may also use special lubricants that are formulated exclusively for purposes of auto detailing.
Steps
Follow these steps to get a good claying job.
Divide the clay bar into four equal parts, and mold them into disk shapes.
Give the car a good hose-down to get rid of as much surface dirt as you can.
Apply lubricant on the surface that you plan to clay. It’s okay to use more lubricant than necessary to prevent the clay from completely abrading, scratching, or stripping the paint off the car body.
Glide the clay over the lubricated surface using very light pressure. The weight of the clay should be enough to remove surface contaminants. Too much pressure will cause scratches.
If you take a look at the underside of the clay, you may notice that some of the pollutants may already be embedded into the bar. You may opt to use another square, but you can save on the clay by simply folding the clay bar over to expose as much of the fresh clay surface as possible.
Pass the clay bar over the car surface until you get rid of all the contaminants and paint swirls on the paint.
To protect your car from further damage, apply a sealant or a layer of wax on top of the clayed surface.
Claying a car can help you achieve that showroom shine that you expect from any car worth showing off. With these tips and steps, you can remove surface contaminants from your vehicle to make it look brand-new.