Bilt HamberAuto Clay Bar Soft 200g

I've read more than I care to admit on lots of forums and reviews about the benefits of clay bars. My first foray was using a Farecla G3 clay mitt which did indeed remove contaminants but also marred the paint finish despite my following the instructions to the letter. I purchased the Bilt Hamber clay bar out of curiosity as much as anything, could so many reviews be wrong?To the point. I came to wash my Discovery (Santorini metallic black) only to find that some personage had covered it with paint spatter, you know the sort of spatter you get from paint rollers when applying emulsion. I tried T-cutting, which did remove it eventually but took ages, then I tried more aggressive mechanical means but also they took ages and marred the finish. I then tried the clay bar having convinced myself that there was no way that this would remove what appeared to be dried on magnolia emulsion or masonry paint.Initially I tried the clay bar (about a tenth of the bar) on a less visible side panel and then the bonnet using a speed detailer as a lubricant. I wanted to minimise the risk of stuffing the finish up and having to look at it every second that I drove the car! I needn't have worried. It took the spatter off with very little effort leaving a glass like finish that demanded to be touched and absolutely no signs of marring. I then went over the treated areas with a cheaper carnauba wax ( a Carplan product from Wilkos). The depth of shine is amazing and really brought out the metallic flecks.I then tried it on the rest of the car including the lower areas of the car doors which were heavily contaminated with tar - contamination that bad that Auto Glym tar remover had barely touched it. Again the clay bar lifted the tar off with very little effort leaving glassy smooth finish. I then tried the clay bar using a fairly strong solution of Bilt Hamber shampoo (5 mls in maybe a quarter of a bucket of water) and the results were equally impressive. I'm not quite brave enough just to try plain water and for the cost of a bit of shampoo, why would you risk it?Long story short, I'm delighted with the clay bar and the results achieved using it. I can certainly attest that it easily removes dried on emulsion/masonry paint and tar using both a quick detailer or just soapy water as a lubricant. The results are spectacular. I wonder if it is just as effective at removing the idiot that got paint all over my car in the first place!

These clay bars are great. My car had lots of tar and stubborn dirt that did not wash off. The clay bar lifts it off effortlessly (no pressure required as it is the side to side movement that lifts tar and dirt off). You can really see and feel the difference, working one panel at a time.I pre-washed the car and washed/ polished afterwards (the bar does leave some streaks).You can actually hear it as tar and bits are lifted off the body work. It's very easy and satisfying.I used a quarter piece so I think you would get four uses on an average car. Just kneedIt's a product that really deserves a 5 star rating, it just works so well and is actually worthy of the hype. The paintwork looks and feels almost brand new now.

Instructions ok but need a little more advice for first timers.Soft seems good, you can easily slice into small blocks at a time and for one or twocar panels you can fold over and kneed in to keep 'fresh' and not introduce particles to scratch.Will quickly look 'brown' even if car is new/clean if there is a any suggestion surface of paint isless than smooth/little "goose bumpy". This is as expected.Keep checking no scratching, change to new piece if in doubt.End result - excellent. Super slippy smooth even before you start to wax for protection.Note - my car was just one year old. Ford special red paint but had probably only beencleaned with wash and go products. This product bought back to showroom smoothness.I do not know how older paints would be.Note:Only 4 stars because instructions could be better especially if not used before. Some helpfrom You Tube videos but a good one needed for real help.

Easy to use only needs water, easily picks contamination out of paintwork with great effectiveness. This product significantly increases the depth of shine achieved with waxing leaving a glass-like finish.

I'd not used a clay bar before, so opted for the 'soft' version as a precaution, and the results were very good indeed on my four-year old car which had not been treated before. Simply follow the numerous videos on its use and you'll find that contaminants are removed with very little effort and a light polish is all that is needed thereafter. Because there's no need to use the polish as an abrasive medium to remove imperfections, I sense that one is actually saving time overall. Thoroughly recommended.

Great value for money. The plastic storage box is nice and sturdy. Inside, the clay has a couple of pieces of slightly shine paper to stop it from sticking to the inside. After cutting off about a quarter of the bar with scissors and using it for the first time (It did a great job) the pice I used was only lightly used on the front and rear windows and it was easy to roll it into a ball and then roll out a bit longer and put back in the box using one of the paper sheets to seperate it from the unused portion. I can see why this one is recommended for winter as it is possible to hold it with a little work outside even when it is about 5 degrees celius. Warm it in your hand or mould it in the house at room temperature before you go outside and use it. Great product. Recommended. (I'm not a car detailer and this was my first time using clay bar)

Very easy to use and does a very good job. If anything I would go for the softest you can as this was still fairly solid to mould and use but the weather was pretty cold when I used it so maybe better in the warmer weather. Used something like a third of the block to do every panel of a large car. Left a very smooth finish.