^^ Title says it all.

How often is too often?

 

you should never have to clay bar a car. NEVER.

 

Never? Really? o_O

Even after waxing and polishing, if your paint's still bumpy, then you should probably claybar it.

 

clay bar is like sand paper. polish is too. rubbing compound as well. wax builds up over the surface, the others break down the layers of wax/clear/paint/metal :P.

 

You should clay bar when you can rub your hand on the surface of your car and your hand drags and you can feel
roughness in the paint. If your surface is really bad you can even hear the sound your hand will make rubbing the rough surface.

Clay baring will make the surface smooth and glass like feeling. It really removes the contaminates out of the finish. Just remember to put a good coat of wax on after you clay bar. Meguiars has a detailed video on line to show you what to look for if your car needs claying.

Cat :x

 

^ Pretty much spot on.

To this day, i've only clay barred my Fit once. Never really had to do it again as weekly car washes help keep things smooth and clean

 

>.< i would never do it my self defently my SSM becouse of the metallic paint, my whole pas side is like sand paper it was liek that when i got it im still under warrenty and i told the dealer the day after i bought the BRAND NEW car and iv never had time to go back down there, so im going to have there asses do it so thay mess it up thay have to fix it

 

Claybar comes in different grades of abrasives just like sandpaper. Get a really mild clay and you can claybar when you need. I'd do it once a year or every other year unless I lived near a railroad or other industrial site that produced a lot of metallic or ceramic dust. Then I'd do it twice a year. Rail dust is a problem because it will leave little rust spots on your paint unless you remove it.

Driving around you'll pick up brake dust which won't rust but will become embedded in the surface of your paint. Washing won't get out the embedded stuff so you'll have to clay eventually if you want a truly smooth finish.

I claybar before I do a big orbital polish because clay can leave slight scratches in the surface.

 

Claybars are abrasives and you shouldn't do it frivolously but I disagree with the never bit! I did it after 6 months and was amazed at the amount of crap my paint had on it. You can feel when the claybar is removing matter as it resists forward motion. The front air dam and behind the wheels had more stuff then I would have expected. After washing with blue dawn twice the next step in my six month detail is claybaring. I want my paint impeccable before I apply the polymer sealant. If done carefully claybaring shouldn't induce too many scratches. By the way ANYTHING you do to your car, ANYTHING PERIOD where you are TOUCHING your car will induce some scratches.

 

I plan on doing mine every 15,000 miles or 2 years, whichever comes first.

 

when needed. me once or 2x a year, if you live in cali and park outside,, I would say 2x a day.. not really but clay does not scratch or abrade the surface of your car. Use it to pull things like dirt some bugs or set in tar pine tar ect out. it also removes deposits from acid rain and pollutants than can slip by when you didnt wax your car. Look up mothers or something.. maybe even see if zaino has something.. heres a link.. I use mothers but zaino is know to be some good stuff,, have not used their clay.. Z-18 ClayBar: Zaino Store

 

to the op- really depends on how your car's used and your environment...and
how well you wax and maintain your car.

i typically clay before applying polymer every 6months. and i dont do the
entire car, only the areas that need clay.

 

I heard twice a year is good enough.

 

Clay bar wont scratch the car unless you clean it good before hand. If you just go straight to the car and hose it down and clay it just like that youll be dragging all that dirt and crap across your paint. Always wash your car thoroughly before claying and make sure you have a quality quick detailer as lube.

 

GOD what a senseless post. Claybar your car when it needs it! It depends on the environment in which you live. Every six months on average, The more dirt and everyday filth your car encounters will dictate how often general paint maintenance, including claybarring, the car will require.

 

Why is my post senseless? I didnt mention a thing aboutvhow often you should clay.

 

Wow, such ideas being thrown around in here. To the OP, read this article: Using Detail Clay To Clean Your Car's Paint

 

Honestly, i'd say about every 6 months. I live 10 miles from the beach, so we still get some "salt" in the air. I just claybar'd my silver fit two months ago. Basically, if you pass your hand and you feel build up from dirt, etc... its time to use the claybar.

When using the claybar, this is how I do it, everyone has a different technique to it.

1. Wash the car
2. Dry the car
3. spray the area that you are going to clay with a water bottle, maintaining constant lubrication.
*if it goes dry, the clay will get stuck to the paint, and then you'll have to rub some extra clay on their to get it off.
4. when done with the car, wash it again.
5. While the car is wet, its going to look shinny, when dry, its going to be scratched up.
6. I use the meguiars 3 step polishes... works perfect. Apply a thin film and it'll work best.
7. Use microfiber towels, you'll see the difference between microfiber and cloth.

Hope this helps man... P.S. In los angeles, there is a place called ebony wax that sells a soap sized claybar for $22 bucks... way thicker than any claybar out there...

 

I use spray detailer while claying my car. It leaves a nice shine if I don't have time to wax.

 

rule of thumb when opening a pore you must always seal a pore