Can You Use Clay Bar On Car Glass? – THE GUIDE

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Using a clay bar is beneficial for car paint since it removes contamination and leaves a nice smooth finish. But, many people wonder if they can do the same on car glass surfaces such as a windshield.

You can use a clay bar on all glass surfaces of your vehicle. It is entirely safe, as long as you’ll follow the proper steps of claying your car.

As you can see, it’s safe to use a clay bar on all glass surfaces. However, I want to dive deeper into this topic and show you all the details you need to know.

Most people wonder about the windshield only. However, there are many other glass surfaces, such as headlights, windows, panoramic roofs, etc. And they all can be and have to be clayed sometimes. 

What Claying Does To The Glass?

Claying the glass does exactly the same thing as with paint. It removes all the contaminants, water spots, bugs, tree saps, and more, leaving a spotless and smooth surface. 

When you’re cleaning the glass on your vehicle, especially the windshield, there’s a big chance that you won’t be able to remove all the dirt, grime, and other contaminants. Claying will remove them altogether. 

Claying the glass surfaces on your vehicles will:

• Increase the visibility and clarity of the windshield and other windows
• Make it smooth again
• The glass will be easier to clean next time
• Water will easily slip off from the windshield since it’s smooth
• Wipers will be more effective during rain and snow
• It can help to remove paint overspray from windows

As you can see, there are plenty of reasons why you should use a clay bar on the glass surfaces of your vehicle.

I mostly only use a clay bar on the windshield because I want perfect clarity and visibility during night and rain. When I clay it, the windscreen repels water much better, even without water repellent coatings. 

Is Claying Glass Surfaces On Your Car Safe?

Claying glass surfaces on your car is completely safe as long as you follow proper guidelines. Glass is harder to scratch than a clear coat, making it even safer to clay than paint. 

I never had any issues claying windshield and other glass surfaces, so you shouldn’t either. Just check my guide for claying glass surfaces below.

The only thing you could ruin is if you use a dirty clay bar. So, if a clay bar is dirty or falls to the floor, immediately throw it away and take a new piece of clay bar. 

How To Clay Bar Windshield and Other Glass Surfaces On Your Vehicle

Now I’ll show you my method of claying glass surfaces on the vehicle. 

You should do it like this:

1. Thoroughly wash all the glass on your car
2. Dry everything
3. Pour some warm water into the sprayer
4. Use that warm water as a lubricant
5. Take a piece of clay: use medium or fine clay. You don’t need heavy-duty clay for glass surfaces.
6. Profusely spray warm water on the surface
7. Start claying the surface in straight motions (left-right, up-down)
8. Keep the surface lubricated all the time
9. When you’re finished, rinse and dry the car.

The most important thing is to make straight motions and to keep the surface lubricated all the time. I always have a sprayer in my left hand and a clay bar in my right hand. That way, I can spray the water all the time and keep the surface as lubricated as possible. 

If you want, you can use clay bar lubricant too. However, from my experience, only warm water is enough to lubricate glass surfaces.

How To Know If Glass Needs Claying?

Checking if a car’s windshield and windows need claying is straightforward. It only takes 10 seconds to check it after washing your vehicle, and you should check it every few weeks, especially if you live in areas with bad weather. 

Do these steps to check if the vehicle’s glass needs claying:

1. Thoroughly wash and dry the car
2. Slide your finger over the glass surfaces
3. If it feels smooth, everything’s fine
4. If it feels rough, you should clay it

As you can see, it couldn’t be easier.

How Often To Clay Windshield And Car Windows?

There’s no definitive answer to this question. However, I like to use clay glass surfaces on my car every two months, depending on its condition.

The golden rule is this: whenever you slide your finger on the glass, and it feels rough, you should clay it. 

By following the advice above, you’ll never make a mistake. Even if you clay it too often, there won’t be any problems, except that you’ll need more time to wash your vehicle. 

Do This After Claying The Glass On Your Car

Many people wonder what to do after claying the glass surfaces on their vehicles. You don’t have to do anything, and it’s totally ok. However, I do it this way.

Whenever I clay my glass, especially the windshield, I always apply water repellent coating on it. I like to use this RainX Water Repellent Coating (check the price on Amazon now).

RainX makes the glass even smoother, so the water can slip off of the glass quickly. That makes driving during the rain extremely easy. Sometimes, I don’t even need my wipers. 

Also, RainX will make the glass surfaces easier to clean since the dirt and grime won’t stick to them so quickly. 

Final Verdict

As you can see, it is perfectly safe to clay the glass surfaces on your vehicle – panoramic roofs, headlights, windshields, windows, all that is safe to clay. 

Even better, not only it’s safe to clay it, I’d say that it’s a must if you want to have a perfectly clean vehicle all the time. 

Automotive clay bars are a fantastic invention, and it would be a shame if we don’t use them to improve the appearance and cleanliness of our cars. We’re detailers, and we should pay attention to details – and the glass is one of those details.  

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