Auto-clay Regular &
Auto-clay Soft NEW

Auto-clay Regular

Auto-clay provides a method of removing harmful contamination from vehicle paint finishes, improving its durability and increasing the gloss level of subsequent waxes.

Contamination can consist of tiny metallic particles from rail dust, brake dust and industrial fallout; or non-metallic substances such as tree sap, bird droppings or insect residue. It affects all paint finishes and can cause serious damage when left untreated. Surprisingly, even brand-new cars and trucks can suffer from paint contamination.

Metallic contamination is perhaps the worst offender; whilst stuck into the paint surface it corrodes and expands leading to the onset of paint film destruction. Paint contamination can be felt as a rough or gritty texture on the freshly cleaned paint's surface. To assess the degree of contamination on you car's finish simply rub your fingers gently over the freshly washed paint - to magnify the sensation place a piece of cellophane beneath your finger tips and gently rub back and forth - if your paint needs to be clayed you will feel the gritty texture. It is usual to find that horizontal panels such as bonnet roof and boot lid are the most affected.

Clay bar removes these particles effortlessly from contaminated surfaces leaving a glass smooth ultra clean finish perfectly prepared for the application of autobalm gloss protection system. A clay prepared paint surface is not only free of damaging particles but will provide better shine and durability when treated with Auto-balm.

A Comparison

Competing clays require the use of special lubricants. Bilt-Hamber Laboratories Auto-clay differs as its formulation enables normal tap water to provide the necessary lubrication. Some clay bars contain surfactants such as powdered detergents or soaps. Long-term use of surfactants can have adverse effects on paint systems - Auto-clay contains no surfactants detergents soaps or other soluble materials.

Grit contamination cannot be removed by washing, waxing and/or polishing. Cutting compounds remove a thin layer of paint but still leave the grit behind.

Auto-clay soft is formulated to compliment our existing regular bar. It is designed to be ideally suited to the more frequent user - the softer easy to mould formulation will makes the claying of intricate areas of modern panel folds a cinch, and folding the bar to reveal clean clay is going to make the whole process quicker too. While we would suggest that our original bar is still preferred for the super-smoothing of not previously clayed paint or removing overspray, the soft bar is the perfect more routine compliment, allowing the more regular detailer to keep silky smooth paintwork with the absolute minimum of effort and fuss.

Both of the Bilt-Hamber auto-clay bars are formulated with finely divided low hardness minerals so that the abrasive effect is reduced when compared to other brands. Both still use just water as a lube (so you can now save money by not needing lube for 2 different consistencies of clay) and both continue to rely on their shear effect to remove contamination rather than wearing away the embedded matter. Clay bars that rely on abrasion abrade paint, and yes.. Auto-clay soft is gentler too.

Even more user friendly from the pack - beautifully soft and pliable.

• Perfect for more regular work without damage.
• Gentler formulation.
• Still water compatible.
• Still a massive 200g - twice what you get with many other bars! >>

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Auto-clay Quick Guide

How to use Auto-clay

Purchase Auto-clay

"...looks more like a large square of plasticine but it makes an excellent job of removing surface debris, without resorting to harsh abrasives that actually eat into the paintwork.

Auto-clay is the first one we’ve tried that can be used with water.  Most need a special lubricant.  We were surprised to find it more effective than the others too, as it looks and fells almost identical."
Car Mechanics, July 2005