Clay Bars

Clay lifts what is still bonded to paint and glass after washing: overspray, tar specks and fallout that leave a clean panel feeling rough. We stock fine, medium and heavy grade bars from Maxshine, ChemicalWorkz and The Detail Kitchen, plus clay mitts, sponges, cloths and a DA clay pad.

How to choose

• Grade: fine clay suits most cars; medium and heavy grades cut faster on heavy contamination but are more likely to leave marring that needs polishing out.
• Bar or mitt: a bar is folded to a clean face as it loads up and thrown away if dropped; mitts, sponges and cloths cover big panels faster and rinse clean.
• By machine: the Maxshine DA Clay Pad fits a dual action polisher for claying a whole car faster.

Good to know

• Bag test: put your hand in a thin plastic bag and run it over the washed paint. If it feels gritty, it needs clay.
• Never clay dry: keep the panel wet with lube from Clay Lubricants and re-spray when the clay starts to grab.
• Clay after an iron remover, not instead of one, then protect the paint: claying strips old wax or sealant.

Related: Decontamination, Iron & Fallout Removers, Paint Correction. Popular brands here: Maxshine, ChemicalWorkz, Sam's Detailing, Shiny Garage.