The windshield is just like any other part of your car. Similar to the paintwork, overtime you’ll find that your windscreen collects bugs, tar, and other types of road grime.
There are numerous ways of dealing with the buildup, but first you should simply wash your car.
If you find that washing your car is not enough, you should then buy a Bug & Tar Remover and try that.
Finally, if all else fails, it’s time to get the clay bar out. Because you’ve already washed the car and used tar remover, you will end up using less clay, since there are fewer contaminants on the car.
Claying your windshield will allow you to remove contaminants that you didn’t even know were there.
I’ve cleaned my windshield with some of the strongest degreaser solutions and still managed to find a lot of dirt with my clay bar.
Cleaning Your Windshield With A Clay Bar
Before you even think about bringing out the clay to play, make sure that you’ve cleaned the glass thoroughly and removed as much dirt as you can.
Doing this will not only prep the area for claying, it will also help you to use less clay.
Once you’ve thoroughly cleaned the windshield, follow the steps below:
- Apply Clay Bar Lubricant To The Working Area – When clay barring, you first need to select an area to focus on.
Try to keep the area small, splitting the glass into many separate parts. We do this to avoid the lubrication from drying before we finish claying the car.
After designating an area, apply clay bar lubricant to the area. - Clay Bar The Area – Slowly rub the clay bar back and forward over the area in straight lines.
You will know the area is clean if the clay bar glides seamlessly. The clay bar will require a slight force if there is still contamination. - Wipe The Lubricant Away – Once you’re satisfied that you’ve removed all of the contaminants from your working area, wipe away any lubricant with a clean microfiber towel.
- Inspect Your Clay – After completing every small partition, you should always check your clay. As the contamination builds, your clay will become a threat to your vehicle.
Always make sure the clay is clean by folding it. Folding the clay will hide contamination and gives you a clean bit of clay to use.
Once you’re certain that the clay is safe to use on your car, repeat the steps 1-4 until you’ve completely clay barred the glass on your car.
Clay Bar Kit For Windshields
The Mothers California Gold Clay Bar Kit will allow you to clay bar your windshield with ease. If you’re easily confused this all in one kit is all that you need:
- 2 x 100 Gram Clay Bars
- 1 x 16oz Mothers California Gold Instant Detailer
- 1 x 16″x16″ Microfiber Cloth
While it’s not named as a lubricant, the Mothers Gold Instant Detailer is the perfect lubricant for claying your car. It will lubricate the panel and add an extra level of shine at the same time.
Mothers claim that this kit is much more pliable and safer to use than other kits and is completely safe to use on paint and glass surfaces.
Just remember that if you clay your car incorrectly, it’s not the fault of the product, it’s yours.
Buy Mothers California Gold Clay Kit from Amazon.com
Best clay bar for Glass
When it comes to buying individual clay, I suggest that you buy Griots Garage Paint Cleaning Clay. They’re a leading detailing brand and it’s certain that you’re getting quality every time you buy Griots.
The clay is super easy to use, it comes in a tub that allows you to keep it clean and will remove contaminants from your car in seconds.
200 grams is a lot of clay, just make sure that you store it right and only use as much as you need. Remember it’s an expensive product and once you make clay dirty, it needs to be discarded.
Buy Griots Garage Paint Cleaning Clay from Amazon.com
windshield clay bar lubricant
When it comes to lubricant, you have an abundance of choices.
It’s not really about choosing something the best product, more so about choosing one that gets the job done.
For lubricant, you can use any quick detailer, clay lubricant, or even hot soap water.
Personally I use the “Chemical Guys Clay Luber”. It’s a cheap product, and is synthetic allowing it to work on any surface.
Everyone trusts the chemical guys and their Clay Luber doesn’t disappoint.
Will A Clay Bar Scratch Glass?
If you use a clay bar incorrectly, there’s always a chance that you will scratch your vehicle. It doesn’t matter whether you’re claying the paintwork or the glass.
Always make sure that you have enough lubrication and that the clay is relatively clean at all times.
If you manage to do this, you shouldn’t have an issue with scratching your car.
Will Clay Bar Remove Water Spots On Glass?
A clay bar is designed to pick up even the most stubborn contaminants.
If you have a good clay bar, it will pick up bugs, tar, tree sap, bird bombs, and even water spots. Anything that is etched onto your windshield should come off when using clay.
In some cases, where the dirt is more stubborn, you may need to use a little bit of pressure. Just make sure that the clay is clean before doing this, we don’t want to scratch your glass.
Can You Clay Bar The Inside Of A Windshield?
Unless you’ve let a child go wild in your front seat, dragging their sticky hands across the windshield there’s no reason to clay bar it.
Clay bars are used for stubborn contamination such as bug splatters, road tar, and bird bomb etchings. Your windshield is not subject to anything like that.
To clean the inside of your windshield I would recommend a strong glass cleaner such as “Adams Glass Cleaner“. You could also use an all-purpose cleaner or even a diluted degreaser if that’s all you have around the house.