What is a Clay Lubricant and Why Do I Need One?

Specialising in Car Detailing, Detail Artisan will be covering a series of articles focusing on decontamination and in this post, we will be discussing about Clay Lubricants and why they are crucial in for decontaminating your vehicle to achieve the best results.

You could read our previous article on how to about clay bars by clicking here.

Clay bar is what we called a physical (or mechanical by some detailers) decontamination. There is chemical and physical. Chemical is used to dissolve and remove contaminations via chemicals such as iron fallout remover, tar remover etc. It is best suited for cars that are already has been applied with Ceramic Quartz Coatings or brand new cars that does not have much contaminants. Clay bar removes contaminants physically by adhering the contaminants into the clay bar while you glide it across the surface.

Clay bar by itself is very sticky, it needs a lubricant to be able to glide across the surface, picking up all the contaminants in the paintwork. That is why a lubricant is crucial in physical decontamination, by using the wrong technique or clay lubricant can leave minor scratches and marring on the paintwork, especially on a softer paint.

Misconception

Soapy water, quick detailer and spray waxes are the most common “lubricant” car owners and amateur detailers use as a clay lube. While they might work fine, but those chemicals are not designed to use as a clay lube. Therefore the clay bar itself might not be performing as well as using a proper clay lubricant. Worst case, it might cause marring or even scratches that requires paint correction to properly remove them.

Clay lubricant – The Correct way

Using a dedicated clay lubricant is crucial when comes to clay barring your car. Without a proper lubricant, your car might risk getting marring or getting scratched. After a bucket wash and rinse, spray plenty of clay lube and start claying. Small sections at a time to avoid claying over a dry area.

Some companies recently came up with a cutting edge clay lubrication by adding iron remover into their clay lube, it removes 20% to 40% more contaminants.

We hope this article helped you gained more understanding on decontamination. Feel free to get in touch with us if you have any questions in regards to car detailing by clicking here.