As winter begins to take a grip, now is the time to guard your car’s bodywork against the bad weather with a decent coat of wax. However, to get the ultimate professional ‘limo’ look and protection, you need to clean the paint first.

That means removing contaminants such as baked-on brake dust, tree sap, bird droppings and oxidisation. And that takes more than a sponge and some soapy water – which is where clay bars come in.

While one of these bars might look like a block of putty or Blu-Tack, the fine compound clay will gently bond with any grime on the paint and remove it, leaving a clean surface for that protective coat of wax.

This is not a something you would do every week or even every month, but it is no coincidence that professional valeters use a clay bar when applying long-lasting paint protection.