Can you clay bar without polishing?

A fine grade clay bar on a soft clear coat can still leave plenty of marring that would require a light polish at the end. I guess if the marring doesn't stick out and bother you then you don't need to polish. You should always at least put down a coat wax after claying to protect the paint.

Can you claybar a car without polishing?

The fact is, you should never clay bar your car and stop there. Clay bars are abrasive and will mar your paint while they remove the contaminants. You need to polish the paint afterward in order to maintain a perfect finish.

Should you clay without polishing?

The clay bar is a very useful tool in terms of decontaminating a paint's finish. For us, we never introduce a clay bar unless we are polishing paint. No matter how careful you are, or how fine the clay, or how well lubricated, the ability to mar is there.

Should you polish or clay bar first?

First off, if you're going to polish, you should always clay first. If clay is not used before polishing, those embedded contaminants I mentioned can (and will) be dragged across the surface by a buffer or polishing pad – leaving you with swirl marks and holograms.

Do I have to wax after clay bar?

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.

Why you should NOT clay your car without polishing

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.

Is Clay bar same as polish?

The Quick Answer. Clay is a substance used to remove contaminants that have bonded to a car's paintwork, whilst polish, on the other hand, is used to remove a layer of paint to make the paint glossier. Polishing should be performed after claying to remove any marring inflicted by the clay.

Can you use soapy water with clay bar?

I have used Mother`s and Clay Magic with soapy water as a lube without any problems. These two clays, IMO, are more of the "plastic-y" type of clays whereas the Griot`s clay is a bit more "doughy" if you will and have broken down even with their Speedshine quick detailer as their recommended lube.

Does clay bar remove ceramic coating?

Many professional automotive detailers prefer to use surface clay bars over polishes, since clay bars do not remove any clear coating from your car's surface – as long as it is used with clay lubricant.

Does clay bar make car shine?

Washing and waxing your car is necessary if you wanted to look its best. However, for an outstanding finish, you will need to also apply what is known as clay bar detailing. Through the use of a special clay bar, car owners can make their vehicles really shine and create a flawless finish.

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 with just water?

All clay bars require a lubricant. Some can be used with water, some work better with a quick detailer spray (liquid suspension of carnauba).

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.

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.

Can you clay bar your car 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.

Will clay bar remove swirls?

Once again: A clay bar cannot remove paint imperfections such as swirl marks or scratches. It also won't improve the shine. What it will do is remove the grunge so you can see a bright, clear finish. A Clay Bar won't remove scratches and swirl marks because they are defects in the surface of the paint.

Do I need to compound or polish?

Rubbing compounds basically targets the uneven car's surfaces caused by scratches while on the other hand; polishing is preferably used for adding smoothness and shine to the car paint. Both will help in improving your car's quality but in a different way.

Do you have to polish after compound?

After compounding, polish is used to remove any remaining defects. A handheld polishing machine has a motorized spinning head that can spread polish on a car's surface to remove microscopic layers of paint and restore a vehicle's smooth surface. Polish acts like finer grit sandpaper than compound.

Is clay bar a wax?

Clay bars are made of a special detailing resin that allows you to grab and pull contaminants from the clear coat to deep clean your finish and prep your paintwork for polishing. Car detailing professionals use a clay bar any time they're going to perform a paint correction or apply a new layer of wax to their finish.

Will clay bar remove small 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.

Is Meguiars clay bar abrasive?

Meguiar's Smooth Surface Clay Kit

Our non-abrasive clay bar safely, easily and instantly removes paint overspray, fallout, environmental contaminants and more, making waxing easier and longer lasting.

Can I use water as lube for clay bar?

Not Really. The fact of the matter is that water on its own isn't enough to act as a lubricant for clay. As water is not “slick”, it will not allow the clay to glide over the paint with ease.