Can I use car shampoo with a clay bar?

The Quick Answer. Car shampoo mixed with water, clay lubricant detailer sprays, and waterless wash products are the best options to use as a clay bar lubricant. Do not use dish soap, household products, IPA, or traffic film removers as they can damage the paint and the clay.

Can you use clay bar with shampoo?

Always use clay lubricants when you work with detailing clay. Water is not a clay lubricant! Don't try it, you'll scratch the finish. Car shampoo or soapy water is a decent clay lube and will work just fine for your daily driver.

What liquid can you use with a clay bar?

One can either use a quick detailer product or a water/automotive wash solution as a lubricant during the clay bar process. Here at AQS we fill a clean wash bucket with fresh water and automotive wash solution and use a fresh wash mitt to lubricate our surface and clay.

Do you have to wash your car after clay bar?

The most common process is to wash and dry the car, then after drying the car, clay the car section-by-section and after claying a section, while the surface is still wet with your clay lubricant, use a microfiber polishing cloth to wipe that section dry.

Can I use water with clay bar?

All clay bars require a lubricant. Some can be used with water, some work better with a quick detailer spray (liquid suspension of carnauba). Always follow the instructions as noted on the clay bar – if the instructions say to use water, then it has been formulated with this in mind.

How to Clay Bar Paint to Remove Contaminants

Does clay bar damage clear coat?

A clay bar is an engineered, clay-like product that pulls contaminants like water spots, brake dust, metal dust, industrial pollution and road grit from your clear coat. When used with a clay lubricant, these contaminants come loose from your car and get stuck safely in the clay so they don't damage your clear coat.

Will a clay bar remove scratches?

A clay bar does NOT remove any scratches from the surface of the paint because it contains no abrasives. A clay bar is useful for when a car's paint feels rough and is no longer smooth to the touch as it can help restore that nice smooth feeling you once knew and loved.

Should you wash your car before clay bar?

Timing is Key – When to Clay Bar

Claying should always come after a good wash. You want to get as much of the dirt out as possible, by scrubbing and brushing and scrubbing some more. Your choice of cleaning agent will also ensure that your vehicle is ready for the use of a clay bar.

Can I use dish soap as a clay bar lubricant?

The Quick Answer. Car shampoo mixed with water, clay lubricant detailer sprays, and waterless wash products are the best options to use as a clay bar lubricant. Do not use dish soap, household products, IPA, or traffic film removers as they can damage the paint and the clay.

How do you make soapy water for a clay bar?

take a spray bottle and add a few drops of car soap to water and use that for lube after you`ve washed and dried off the car, if you don`t want to runk the risk of micromarring while washing and claying... You must have posted this seconds before my post. I have Zaino`s and Mothers clay.

What can you use instead of clay Luber?

Water with a dash of car soap. Both these guys got the right idea, ONR is what I use as you get a gallon of it and it will last you years if your a hobby detailer. Car soap is another good alternative as well.

What do I use after clay bar on my car?

The detailer's rule of thumb is to always decontaminate the surface with a clay bar before putting on a new coat of wax, or polishing any exterior paintwork. Those foreign particles block wax from sticking to the paint, making it last for a shorter time and not shine as bright.

Can you clay bar glass?

It's perfectly safe to use a clay bar on your windshield. Clay bars are intended to be safely used on paint and glass is a surface that's much harder to scratch. There are times when a regular wash won't remove contaminants like bugs, overspray, and fallout. This is when a clay bar should be used.

Can you clay bar too much?

It's definitely possible to clay your car too much. Clay is an abrasive, which can damage the paint causing swirls and marring. You can minimise this by using a clay lubricant and a softer form of clay, however, you can't forget that clay is still an abrasive.

Does clay bar cause swirls?

Swirl marks can happen during a clay bar treatment if the detailer isn't attentive to keeping the bar clean and free of major debris, doesn't use enough lube, or chooses the wrong type of clay for the paint. Clay barring is the ultimate way to remove paint contamination, but must be done thoughtfully and with care.

Is clay bar lubricant necessary?

Clay is an abrasive and will cause some marring (even with lubrication), so it is always a good idea to follow claying with some polishing. However, you can limit the amount of this marring by making sure the clay has some adequate lubrication between it and the surface of the paintwork.

Can you use Quick Detailer as clay lube?

Synthetic Quick Detailer doubles as a slick and effective clay bar lube for unmatched versatility when detailing any car.

How many clay bars does a car need?

Take a 100g clay bar and divide it into two pieces. You'll only need about 50g to do the whole car. Knead the 1/2 clay bar in your hands until it softens. Spray your clay lubricant over the panel and begin to glide the clay bar in a back and forth motion across the surface.

Do I need to dry car before Claying?

Clay Bar Prep (Return to Top)

Before using a clay bar, your car should be washed and dried to remove a majority of contamination on your vehicle. The more contaminated the paint is the more likely imperfections can be added during the clay bar process.

How many times can you use a clay bar?

You can, therefore, clay bar it at least 2 to 3 times a year. But say you drive your car daily, maybe to work, or do groceries, then you can clay bar it as often as possible. Even if you do it at least thrice every six months, there's no problem.