A car clay bar is an essential car detailing tool that targets the common enemy of every car finish: pollution that causes automotive paint contamination. 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.

Surface contamination, as shown by this diagram, is difficult to clean or polish off, yet paint cleaning clay removes it with ease.

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. A clay bar 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 quickly and easily removing surface contamination.

One of the many reasons for using a clay bar 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.

Sonus offers the most gentle detailing clay available on the market today. Sonus SFX Ultra-Fine Detailing Clay removes light to moderate contamination with very little effort. Its very low abrasive content reduce the chances of scuffing even the softest paint finishes. Customers report using this car clay as often as monthly with fantastic results.

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.



HOW DOES DETAILING CLAY WORK?
Detailing clay marketing information often reads something like this: “…clay pulls contamination off of your paint...” This sounds silly when you realize that you must lubricate the surface when you use a car clay bar. How in the world do you pull on something that’s wet and slippery?

This myth was born from a fear of telling people the truth. Clay is an abrasive paint care system. Yet used properly, detailing clay is not abrasive to your car’s paint; it is abrasive to paint contamination.


CAR CLAY BAR FORMULATIONS

Detailing clay formulation determines the optimal function of the clay and its potential to do damage when used improperly.
As an example, a professional grade clay bar that’s designed to remove paint overspray is very firm and contains abrasives equivalent to heavy rubbing compound. Used properly it will remove heavy overspray without damaging the paint. Used improperly, it can leave some pretty significant surface marring. That’s why it’s a professional product.

Most consumer grade detailing clays are designed to be used as an annual or semi-annual paint maintenance tool prior to polishing and waxing. At this frequency, these detailing clay products work great. Simply use the clay as part of your major detailing regimen.

The problem we were beginning to see is that many car enthusiasts wanted to clay their vehicles frequently; as often as monthly. At this rate of use, some consumer grade detailing clay can begin to dull clear coat finishes. After all, it is an abrasive!

Sonus SFX Ultra-Fine Detailing Clay is so fine that it's safe to use monthly to keep paint smooth and clean. The clay easily removes the dirt and makes the paint finish feel super slick.

DETAIL CLAY ALTERNATIVES
In 2007, the Ultima Finish Care company introduced an alternative to the traditional detailing clay bar called the Ultima Elastrofoam paint cleaning system. The product is a rubberized foam block that works like a rubber erasure. Like detail clay, it removes bonded contamination from paint, glass, chrome and plastic without the abrasive effects of harsh polishes. Plus, it overcomes some of the inconvenience of detailing clay, most notably the danger of dropping the clay bar and the inability to clean a clay bar when it becomes dirty.

Like clay, the Ultima Elastrofoam Paint Cleaning System quickly smoothes your paint to an ultra-slick and bright finish, preparing it for polishing and sealing. A single Ultima Elastrofoam foam block will clean you car up to twenty times, making Elastrofoam the most efficient paint cleaning tool available today.


Ultima Elastrofoam Paint Cleaning System is a detail clay bar alternative that lasts longer than detail clay and eliminates clay limitations.
A single Elastrofoam cleaning block will clean twenty or more cars. The Ultima Cleaning Lubricant Gel is a patented gel lubricant designed to prevent scuffing while at the same time allowing a thorough cleaning.

SUMMARY
At Autopia Car Care, we're fanatics about smooth, clean, glossy paint. With the advent of Sonus SFX Ultra-Fine Detailing Clay and the Ultima Elastrofoam Paint Cleaning System, you can now clean your paint regularly without concern for reducing clearcoat thickness or scratching. It's the perfect solution for crystal clear, super smooth paint.

ORIGINAL: RRUNNER

Paladin,

They sometimes do it at the dealer and you never know it. Most new cars pick up lots of contamination just getting to you, so rather than wax over it you need to get rid of it right away. If you clay properly there is no danger to the finish. With the way they paint cars now they are cured and ready for anything, not like the old days when they wanted you to wait x days before waxing so the paint could cure.

As I stated, my strirpes had this haze that would not come off with just a wash. I could feel the difference in the smoothness of the paint as I clayed, simply amazing. It looked great before and now it looks even better.

ORIGINAL: RRUNNER

Paladin,

I use Meguiars, just like Bootcamp, good stuff and easy to use. There's a good tutorial on the Mequiars website that you will find very helpful if you decide to use it.

Glad you got your car and are happy with it. Amazing the reaction I am getting on the street. I am sure you are experiencing the same.