What Does A Clay Bar Treatment Do?
A clay bar treatment is used on vehicles that have contamination on the clear coat that does not come off with a contact wash. Examples of this could be tree sap, overspray, industrial fallout, railroad dust, and other contaminants. The process begins with an exterior detail to get as much dirt and debris off the paint as possible to prepare the paint for the clay bar. After the wash, a lubricant is added to the surface to make sure the clay bar does not heavily damage the surface of the vehicle. The clay bar is a super sticky block of clay like material that sticks to any contaminant and pulls if off the paint, leaving behind a smooth surface. Depending on the contaminant that is on the paint, you may be able to see more of a difference. Overspray or tree sap is one that can really have a difference in appearance after having a clay bar treatment. If you rub your hand across the paint surface before you get the treatment, you can often feel how rough the hood feels and hear a raspy sound as well. After a clay bar treatment, the surface will be smooth and have no sound of contamination. We follow the clay bar treatment with a wax to help protect the surface from getting the contamination as easily again. This is a step we take while preparing for a ceramic coating to be applied on a vehicle. A clay bar treatment is a good service to have once a year if you do not have a ceramic coating to keep the paint clean and prevent the contamination from getting worse. Some cases of contamination are bad enough to where it does take a paint correction to fix and this can be prevented with proper maintenance. The most common issue we have seen in Tuscaloosa where the clay bar did not help to remove the contamination is with bugs and water spots. If bugs are not taken off your car in a timely manner, the guts can etch into the paint and make it more difficult and costly to remove.
If you would like any additional information about clay bar treatments, visit our Details Page. To get in touch with us to schedule a clay bar and wax or for any other information, you can get all of our contact information on our Contact Page.
-Wyatt