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How often to clay bar my car?

Tiltingthomas

New member
Joined
Jul 26, 2025
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2
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Tennessee
I have the conditions to do my own detailing and I plan to start with clay bar which I'm find with, but one thing I can't decide is how often to do this? Once a month or is it too much?
 
Yeah, once a month is way too much for claying, clay bars are mildly abrasive and doing it that often can actually dull your clear coat over time, if your paint feels rough or you're seeing stubborn stuff that washing doesn't remove, then it's time, for most cars that are regularly washed and protected, claying 1 to 2 times a year is more than enough
 
I'd say it depends on how much you drive, where you park and stuff like that. @Big brother is right and I would maybe extend that to 3 or 4 times in extreme conditions where you drive a lot and your car is parked outside where all the grime sticks to it.

It's not like you cannot do it monthly, you can, buy you can expect your clearcoat to pack up and leave, so you'll need to visit a paintshop.
 
I have the conditions to do my own detailing and I plan to start with clay bar which I'm find with, but one thing I can't decide is how often to do this? Once a month or is it too much?
I agree with what the others are saying, once a month is definitely too much for a clay bar treatment.
You'd be stripping away any protection and potentially marring the paint every single time, so you should only clay when it's necessary.
A good rule of thumb is to feel the paint after a wash.
If it's not perfectly smooth like glass, and you feel that grittiness or bumps, then it's time to clay.
For a daily driver that's garaged and well-maintained, that might be once or twice a year, maybe more if it's exposed to harsh conditions or industrial fallout, like @Big brother and @merryman suggested.
You don't really need to regularly clay if you do regular washing and apply a good sealant or wax.
Save the clay for when you really need it, not on a set schedule!
 
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