Using Meguiar's Smooth Surface Clay Bar Kit to clean your car's paint is the best way to keep the paintwork free of the harmful contamination that will pit and oxidize the finish.
Plus, if you clay your car prior to waxing, your wax will glide on fast and easy. Plus, tests have shown that using Meguiar's Smooth Surface Clay before waxing makes the wax job more effective.
This page offers straight information about the Meguiar's Smooth Surface Clay Bar kit and Meguiar's professional Mirror Glaze detailing clay products. You will learn what a clay bar can and cannot do, as well as how to correctly use detailing clay for an amazing finish.
The following short video offers an overview of the process. For more great information, plus all of the tips and tricks, the article that follows is a helpful resource.
Meguiar's Smooth Surface Clay Bar Video Tutorial
NOTE: Prior to starting the detailing clay cleaning procedure, you must wash your vehicle.
MEGUIAR'S CLAY BAR PRODUCTS
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Meguiar's Clay Bar Lubricants:[atag]B0009IQXAE[/atag][atag]B000RXNLK6[/atag]
Meguiar's Clay Bar is a Cleaner, not a Replacement for Polish
Until Meguiar's Smooth Surface detailing clay came into common use a few years ago, most people used a cleaner wax or paint polish to remove surface contamination and oxidation. Meguiar's Clay Bar replaces the pre-wax paint cleaning function of car polishes and cleaner waxes. If you need to remove scratches, swirls and other paint defects, use Meguiar's Ultimate Compound. To maintain a swirl-free finish, use Meguiar's SwirlX or Meguiar's ColorX.
As cleaning paint is the most frequent use of a car polish, Meguiar's detailing clay became important, because:
- Today's car paint finishes, with a clear coat top layer, are much thinner than paint systems from 10 years ago, and too much polishing causes premature wear;
- After UV radiation from the sun, the biggest cause of paint damage is bonded contamination; and
- Using Meguiar's clay to remove bonded contamination is faster and easier than polishing.
The brown grunge on this Meguiar's Smoother Surface Detail Clay is the bonded contamination that came off of the hood of the car.
While Meguiar's detailing clay is a great paint cleaning tool, it does not replace the other two important functions of a car polish:
- Meguiar's Detail clay removes contamination on the top layer of paint;
- Meguiar's clay will not fix scratches, etching and other damage in the top layer of paint; and
- A Meguiar's clay bar will not increase paint shine, although it will remove the grime so the natural, gloss finish will shine through.
For the best care of your car, use a Meguiar's Clay Bar 3-4 times a year. Use it before you wax your car.
If your car has any kind of paint damage, this includes scratches, water spot damage or swirl marks, clay your car first, then polish it with the appropriate Meguiar's polish.
Proper Clay Bar Lubrication is Essential
Detailing clay lubrication is very basic. You need to use a liquid that is slippery enough to allow the clay to glide over the clay surface without dragging. At the same time, the lubrication itself cannot harm the paint or the clay bar.
The Meguiar's Smooth Surface Clay Bar kit includes a full-size bottle of Meguiar's Quik Detailer, the original quick detail spray. Meguiar's Quik Detailer offers proper clay lubrication for cleaning your car in the garage. All Meguiar's detail sprays offer the necessary lubrication to safely clay your car.
If you prefer, you can clay your car outside immediately after you wash and rinse. Instead of using Meguiar's Quik Detailer, use a bucket of soapy water made with Meguiar's Gold Class Car Wash. Simply soap up the surface with a Meguiar's Wash Mitt and you have the best lubrication possible. As you will learn in the next topic, it's faster and easier to do it this way.
Proper Application of Meguiar's Smooth Surface Clay Bar
It's very important that you first wash your car before using detailing clay. Using a detailing clay car on a dirty or dusty car will scratch your paint. Remember the paint scratch myth?
After you thoroughly wash and dry your car, feel the paint. Do you feel small bumps and rough spots?
These little bumps are bits of bonded contamination that your regular washing did not remove. Detailing clay will remove it with little effort.
Bonded contamination (road tar, acid rain spots, bug residue, paint over-spray, brake pad dust, hard water spots, etc.) slowly attacks your car's paint finish. When you use detailing clay as a cleaner, you will improve the look, feel, and health of your car's paint.
Here's a good tip. You can easily magnify your sense of touch by inserting your fingertips into a sandwich bag or a piece of cellophane. You will be amazed how much more you can feel.
If you're not claying your car immediately after you wash (while still wet), clay inside a garage. Direct sunlight should not fall on your car's surface while claying.
Also, it's best if your work area is relatively cool to prevent rapid evaporation of the clay lubricant. If the temperature is below 85 degrees you will be okay. Detailing clay bars become soft when warm and may get mushy and fall apart.
Before using your clay, you must shape it. Each Meguiar's clay bar is 50 gram weight, the perfect size. Take a bar out of the cellophane and roll it into a ball in your hands, then flatten it out into a pancake that fit easily into your hand.
To use the Meguiar's clay bar, you spray Quik Detailer on a small area of your clean car. Now rub the clay back and forth with light pressure.
Meguiar's clay is sticky, so it can't be used dry. Be sure to lubricate the area well. Try using a Meguiar's clay bar without lubrication and, not only will you make a big mess, you are likely to scuff your car's paint.
When the clay becomes so dirty that you can no longer reshape it to reveal a clean surface, it's time to replace it.
After a few passes with the clay, rub your hand over the area you cleaned to check for remaining roughness. You should feel a distinct difference between the areas you have clayed and the areas you have not. Keep rubbing until the bumps and roughness are gone. The clay will glide effortlessly when the surface is clean.
Finally, wipe the Meguiar's Quik Detailer spray residue off with a soft microfiber towel, and buff to a nice luster. Just like polishing, it's best to work in small areas. Check your Meguiar's 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 face contacts your car's paint. The best method is to fold the clay bar pancake in half (dirty side in), then fold in half again. Now re-flatten into a pancake. This pulls the dirt into the middle of the clay so you can reveal a clean surface.
If you drop your Meguiar's Clay Bar on the ground, it's contaminated and you need to throw it away. Don't take any chances, it's not worth the risk. Discard the clay bar if it becomes impregnated with grit.
When you're finished claying your car, you may need to wash it to remove the lubricant film. If you plan to polish your car, polishing will remove clay residue. In this case there is no need to wash.
After cleaning with clay, seal your freshly cleaned paint with your choice of Meguiar's wax or paint sealant. The number one choice is Meguiar's NXT Generation Tech Wax.
An alternative to a spray detailing lubricant is good old soapy water. This is ideal if your paint is heavily contaminated (very dirty). Be sure to rinse your wash mitt thoroughly and use a fresh bucket of soapy water made using Meguiar's Gold Class car wash, not what’s left over from washing.