The paint on your car never fully hardens. If it did, every chip, scratch, and dent would cause cracks in your paint. Unfortunately, the softness of the paint means that it is very easy for contaminants to get trapped in the clearcoat dulling your paint job. The best way to return the gloss to your paintwork is by using a clay bar treatment.

The luxury vehicle experts at Foreign Affairs Motorwerks explain why you should consider this treatment next time your car is due for regular factory maintenance.

Contaminants In A Car’s Clearcoat

Over the years, your car loses some of the shine it had when it was new. A large part of this is due to contaminants that get lodged in the clearcoat over time. Contaminants are a general term we use for dirt, dust, brake dust, sand, carbon molecules, and a number of other microscopic pieces of debris. The contaminants restrict the amount of light that can be reflected, leading to a dull appearance.

You may believe your car’s paint has no contaminants in it, as it’s smooth to the touch. If you want to find out how contaminated your paint is, put on a pair of latex gloves and rub your hand down your car. You’ll quickly notice how rough your paint suddenly feels.

How Does Clay Bar Treatment Work?

Clay bars are a special type of clay material that is designed to grip onto contaminants in the paint and pull them out. Clay bars are softer and stickier than the clearcoat of your car; so sticky that you have to use lubrication, such as soapy water or detailers spray, to keep the bar from damaging the paint.

Clay Bar Vs. Polish

We hear it all the time: “polishing my car restores my car’s paint.” While that is true, polish is actually an abrasive material. Think of it as a very fine form of sandpaper. When you polish your car, you are actually removing a fine layer of the car’s clearcoat, along with any contaminants that may be trapped in that layer.

With a clay bar treatment, you won’t thin your clearcoat. You get all the benefits of removing the contaminants without any of the damage.

Benefits Of Clay Barring

The obvious benefit to clay bar treatment is restoring your car’s paint to the silky, smooth, shiny condition it was when it was new. Removing contaminants makes the paint smoother, which makes it more difficult for dirt to stick to the car. This makes it easier for water to bead off the bodywork, which makes cleaning the car much easier.

Clay barring also improves the finish of polishing your car. When polishing, contaminants can get caught on the rotating pad and actually scratch the paint. By removing the contaminants first, you eliminate the risk of accidentally damaging your paint, leading to a far glossier finish.

Protect The Paint, Not The Dirt

Removing all the contaminants ensures that the protective measures you add to your car only protect the paint and not the dirt. By using a clay bar, the contaminants are removed completely, not trapped under the turtle wax, ceramic coating, or paint protection film. Trapped contaminants further embed themselves in the clear coat.

Clay Bar Treatment And More In Pompano Beach

Clay barring is an important part of detailing any car. A full automotive detail is the best way to restore your car to showroom condition. Foreign Affairs Motorwerks offers a full range of detailing services including clay barring and paint correction services. Treat your car to the best clean it will ever receive: call us today at (954) 746-0488.