There are few things as satisfying as claying a car. Paint is porous and slowly builds up contamination you cannot always see, but you can definitely feel it. Using clay bars removes that buildup, leaving the surface noticeably smoother. It is the kind of difference you can feel straight away, and sometimes even hear as you work. 

Claying with clay bars is much quicker and easier than most people expect. It is not just for paint either. You can also clay glass, windscreens, and clear plastics like headlights to remove bonded contamination and improve clarity.

How to clay your car

Claying is easier than it sounds. If you can wash a car, you can clay one. Here's how.

What you need

• A clay bar — Light or Medium for most cars, Heavy for serious contamination
• Clay lubricant — use plenty, more is always better than not enough
• A clean microfiber cloth for wiping down after each panel

Before you start

Wash the car thoroughly first to remove any loose dirt and grit. Clay works on bonded contamination — the stuff washing alone can't shift. You want the surface clean before you start so you're not dragging loose dirt across the paint.

Work in the shade on cool paint. Never clay in direct sun or on a hot panel.

How to do it

Tear off about a third of the bar and flatten it into a disc shape in your palm. Keep the rest sealed — it'll dry out if left open.

Spray the clay lube generously onto one panel. A 50 x 50cm area is a good working size. Don't be stingy with the lube — it's what keeps the clay gliding safely and protects your paint.

Glide the clay across the panel in straight lines using light pressure. Let the clay do the work. You'll feel and hear it grabbing at contamination as it goes — a slight roughness and a subtle sound. As the panel cleans up the clay will start to glide more freely and quietly. That's how you know it's working.

Fold the clay over on itself regularly as you work to bring a fresh, clean surface forward. When the whole face of the clay looks dirty, fold and reshape.

Wipe the panel down with a clean microfiber cloth, then move to the next section.

The one rule you cannot break

If you drop the clay on the ground, throw it away immediately. No exceptions. It will have picked up grit and will scratch your paint. A clay bar is cheap. A respray is not.

When you're done

Run your fingertips across a panel you've clayed — it should feel noticeably smoother, almost glassy. That's bare, clean paint.

Always apply a layer of protection after claying — wax, sealant or ceramic coating. Freshly clayed paint is clean and bare, which means it's also unprotected. Don't leave it that way.

That's it

Seriously, that's all there is to it. The first time you clay a car you'll wonder why you waited so long.