Autoglym Surface Detailing Clay Kit

When is a clean car not a clean car? When it hasn’t been clayed!

Once the preserve of auto care specialists, clay bars shift the tree sap, tar, brake dust and bird muck that soap and water on their own simply can’t. And now, Autoglym has introduced its own kit.

For £24.99, you get a polish, spray and two cloths, on top of the clay bar – very impressive stuff. Plus, the usual clear Autoglym instructions helped us get started with the set.

First we sprayed the trigger-action liquid over our bonnet, then we ran a chunk of the clay bar over the same area.

The product is like a sticky putty in consistency, and bonds with any dirt left on the car’s bodywork.

We soon found that panels we thought were clean really weren’t; the clay revealed the tar flecks and road grime of hundreds of motorway miles. As with a chamois, you can fold over the soft bar and re-use it, and a supplied tin ensures that the specialist tool doesn’t become too dirty in storage.

You also get a cloth to dry off the spray, as well as a small tub of Super Resin Polish and a microfibre cloth with which to apply it. In all, it means you can get a factory finish on a budget.

 * Contact: 01462 677766, www.autoglym.co.uk

 * Problems: It’s not clear how much spray to apply, plus if you drop the bar on the ground it’s useless.

 * So why buy? Picks up much more dirt than regular washing, easy-use pack has all you need, good value.