Your car is probably the second most expensive thing you own after your house, so you need to take some care of it to keep ageing effects at bay. Also if you ever want to sell your car, you will get a better price for it if its nice and clean.

Most of us are aware of polishing or waxing the paintwork of a car, to remove dirt, some scratches and produce a nice shine, there are many polishes and waxes around to do just this.

What professional car cleaners or valeters do, is cleanse the paintwork before polishing, to remove bonded contaminants such as tree sap, tar, insects, and other chemicals. These contaminants are often felt as you rub your hand over the paintwork, it doesnt feel smooth, its rough.

Meguiar's Quik clay is one of the first clay paintwork cleansing kits available to the public. Its is a bar of special clay, which you cut a piece off and knead into a hand sized pad. The bar usually provides enough for around 4-5 pieces. It must only be used on a clean car, so wash it first. Then with the included bottle of clay lubricant, carefully work you way over each panel spraying with lubricant and then gently passing the clay over the surface, you will feel the rough particles being lifted off. Also you will see the dirt on the clay, so regularly knead it and rotate to use a clean part.

If you've done it correctly, you will be left with clean paintwork that feels lovely and smooth, its quite a revelation, like having a new car all over again. Next its best to give the car a wash off and dry and then protect your newly cleansed paintwork with a layer of polish to stop these contaminants bonding to it again. Meguiar's also make great polishes, see my other review...

If you run out of the special lubricant, clean water with car shampoo mixed will do the same job. I've used this system on several cars now, and it really does make the paintwork shine, and consequently should make the car easier to sell.

I recommend only using clay when you will also polish your car, ideally a car should be polished at least once a year to keep it looking its best.