by David W. Bynon
Copyright (c), 2003, Autopia Car Care -- All Rights Reserved
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Cleaning with Clay |
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"Clay is a surface preparation bar that smoothes the paint and exfoliates contaminants."
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Every car finish shares a common enemy: pollution. It relentlessly pursues your car from the second it leaves
the factory until your car meets its ultimate demise. It's in the air we breathe, it's on the roads we drive,
and it attaches to your car's paint, where it bonds and begins a process of oxidation.
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Surface contamination, as shown by this diagram, are difficult to clean or polish off, yet paint
cleaning clay removes it with ease.
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When contaminants get a solid grip on your car's paint, washing alone may not be enough to remove them.
Pre-wax cleaners also may not be able to exfoliate large particles. In this case, you have two choices:
use a polishing compound, which removes a lot of paint material, or use a clay bar. Clay isn't a polish
or a compound, it is a surface preparation bar that smoothes the paint and exfoliates contaminants.
USES FOR CLAY
Clay is not a cure-all or a replacement for polishing. It's a tool for removing surface contamination.
One of the many reasons for using clay is the removal of brake dust. Brake dust contamination, which
attaches to painted rear bumpers and adjoining surfaces, is a metallic surface contaminant that can be
removed safely and effectively by using clay.
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Holly is using a natural clay bar to remove heavy oxidation and paint contamination on the trunk
of her car. She's using a detailing spray as the lubricant. Soapy water works equally well. The
paint surface needs to be well lubricated or the clay will stick.
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Clay is also very effective on paint over-spray. If the over-spray is particularly heavy, you may want to
seek the assistance of a professional. Tree sap and tar specks can also be safely removed with a clay bar.
Recently, I have also started using clay on my windows (exterior) to remove heavy road film, bug deposits
and water spots. It works very well, and seems to outperform even the best window cleaners.
EVALUATING YOUR PAINT FOR CLAY
How do you know if you need to use a clay bar? After thoroughly hand washing your car, feel the surface of
your car's paint. Do you feel bumps and rough spots? These bumps are contaminants attacking the finish of
your car. Removing these surface contaminants (road tar, acid rain spots, bug residue, paint over-spray,
brake pad dust, hard water spots, etc.) will improve both the look and health of your car's paint. By the
way, you can magnify your sense of touch by inserting your fingertips into a sandwich bag or a piece of
cellophane.
No matter how well you hand-wash your car, many of the contaminants that have worked their way into your car's
paint finish will remain. Have you ever looked at your foam wax applicator pad after applying a coat of wax?
What do you think that black stuff is? It's dirt, and you're waxing over it, sealing it in.
CLAY SAFETY
Clay itself isn't new. In fact, it's one of the most common compounds on earth. However, it is fairly new
to the car detailing market. Clay bars are made of fine clay particles in a soft, malleable "clay" medium
that allows the bar to be formed and kneaded. Some clay makers add color to make the bar more attractive or
to identify bars of differing strength (coarseness).
Many clay products claim to contain no abrasives. This is stretching the truth. The reason many clay
manufacturers claim their products don't contain an abrasive is because the general public thinks the word
"abrasive" refers only to aggressive, paint removing materials. The fact is the abrasives in most automotive
clay products are so fine that you will not see any reduction in paint gloss. After several uses, paint
luster may even improve.
Still, I have heard some horror stories about people ruining a Ferrari paint job using a clay bar. I can see
how this might be true if an inappropriate product was used or if a clay bar was used incorrectly.
USING CLAY
Before using a clay bar on your car, you must thoroughly clean and dry your car to remove any loose dirt.
Direct sunlight should not fall on your car's surface, and it's best if the work area is relatively cool to
prevent rapid evaporation of the clay lubricant.
To use the clay bar, you spray a water-based lubricant on a small area of your car and rub the bar back and
forth with light to medium pressure. If the lubricant begins to dry, you'll need to spray more. Clay bars
are fairly sticky, and cannot be used dry. Try using it dry and you'll make a big mess.
After a few passes with the clay bar, rub your hand over the area to feel if the surface contamination was
removed. Keep rubbing until all contamination bumps are gone. Finally, wipe the clay residue off with a
soft terrycloth towel, and buff to a nice luster. Just like waxing, work in small areas.
Check the clay bar frequently for hard particles. When found, pick them off. Make it a habit to occasionally
knead and reform the bar so that a fresh portion of the bar contacts your car's paint. If you drop your bar
of clay on the ground, it's history. Toss it out. Don't take any chances, discard the clay bar if it becomes
impregnated with grit. Read the manufacturers' directions for the number of uses of their clay bar. Do not
overuse a clay bar.
When you're finished claying your car, you should wash it to remove the lubricant film, then go over it with
a pre-wax cleaner to finish cleaning the paint. Finally, seal your freshly cleaned paint with your choice of
wax or sealant.
SUMMARY
Automotive paint cleaning clay offers many advantages in the removal of surface contamination from paint.
Even in the hands of a first-time user, it is difficult to do any damage to your paint with clay. Sure, if
you use a dirty clay bar, scratches can result. However, compared to machine buffing, compounding, or using
harsh chemicals, clay is much safer and easier to use.
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