Clay Bar, I ruined my car!

L

Labshark

New member
I think at least,



I clayed my girlfriends 10 month old Burgandy / aka. the color from hell, Hyundai Santa Fe. The paint was really rough, before I started. (via the plastic bag test)



When I was finished with the claying I washed the car with dawn to remove the clay residue, as I couldnt wipe it all off with the viper towels.



Then I pulled it into the garage and the finish was covered with swirl marks, I mean really covered!



Was this caused by the removal of all the wax?



I applied black fire polish and sealant and it looked "OK", But I am wondering if I did something wrong?



I just bought a Nissan 350z, dark silver, and am having a clear bra put on Wednesday, so I need to clay the finish prior to the application, now I am afraid to do so for fear of damage?



Process used:

1) Dawn

2) Black Fire Clay Kit

3) Dawn

4) 3m SMR (dark colored cars)

5) Black Fire Polish

6) Black Fire Protectant



7) Only used brand new microfiber towels and brand new foam pads throughout the process.



8)Dried car with Made in the USA white cotton bath towels with seams cut off.



Help!!!!!!!!!! :-)

Eric
 
Chances are the swirls were introduced by the dealership when they detailed your car at delivery.



As long as the clay bar wasn't grinding around all over the surface and you kept it clean, the clay should not have swirled the car at all.
 
are the marks in the same direction as the clay? if it's truly in a "swirl" then it was there already. Dunno if Hyundais are prepped with a glaze before delivery...maybe.



did you wash the MF and cotton towels to remove "new" lint?
 
Okay,



Well my GF freaked out! Maybe they were there already and the glaze has been covering them for so many months.



I have only washed it about 5 times, and never noticed it, but I never stripped off the wax with dawn and the clay kit before.



Did not wash the MF towels, I should have! I will do so before I clay my car.





So you guys are saying that removing the wax and using the clay bar will reveal all the surface flaws?



They are swirl marks, they do not follow the up down, side to side motion I was using with the clay (depending on the body panel).



They are hard to see now, that the surface is protected again, but I know they are there, and am dreading the first gas station at night, mercury lamp combination...arghhh...It will be scary!



Guess its time to go at it with a PC and SMR.



Eric
 
If you clayed properly ( copious lube and movement in a straight line) the newly noticed surface swirls are circular, they were present most likely prior to your activities. They were either hidden by some type of protectant ( removed by claying) before delivery from dealer or you have introduced them over the last few months via washing.



Swirls straight or circular?



Re-hide with 3M IHG or Mother's Sealer Glaze or eliminate with a SMR ( 3M Perfect-it III is fantastic) followed by paint cleanser ( P21S GEPC, VM, Poorboy's polish, etc).
 
Question:



How do I know what copious lube is? That is, I sprayed on, very lightly and the clay glided on the surface and didnt feel like it was picking up anything at all?





I confirmed this with the plastic bag, it felt the same- very little removal, so I used less and less lube, confirming the removal of deposits with the plastic bag, untill the surface was smooth.



How do I know how much lube to use? I have read when the clay stops grabbing at a particular spot, its time to move on.



However, no matter how much or how little lube I used the glay still glided over the surface.



I would rate this car a scale of 1-10 a 7.5 on contamination, its outside 9 hours per day, and garaged at night.



Eric
 
I never let the lube completely disappear. Normally the vehicles I do are on , your scale, a 2. Therefore, claying is a breeze for me and I rarely need to wash after this step ( no clay residue).
 
I have had the most luck with Mother's clay bar. It seems to do a very good job. If the damage was done from the clay bar...it isn't minor. I still have 99% of a Wizards bar...put two big scratches in the hood. I have no idea...it was rock hard compared to the mother's bar.



You need to load the bar up with lube...otherwise REALLY bad thing happen.



I would say that if the swirls are not in the direction you were claying...then it was done by something else. Dealer or maybe you. Good luck man.



Peter Hsu
 
As others have said, swirls are not introduced by a claying session UNLESS you have a severe twitch in your arm and shoulders.



Claying can actually "level" the high spots in a paint finish and can leave marks that resemble sanding marks. Using then a rotary with a cutting or polishing pad will finish out closing the paint.



As for the swirls, there is tons of info on this site for removing and hiding swirls. Lastly, if there was a glaze on the car from the dealer it would not have lasted through 5 washes.



Hope that helps,

Anthony
 
Okay, I see a few problems here. First of all, you say the paint was really contaminated and really gritty. Second, you're supposed to keep the clay well lubricated at all times. If the clay isn't picking up the contamination fast enough, reducing the amount of lube you use is NOT the solution. You just have to keep swiping at it until you're done. Don't try to increase friction or "bite" by using less lube or pressing harder (not saying you did this) or anything else. How often you fold over the clay can be another factor if you're picking up a ton of grit but keep going.



I don't know what exactly what the tip you heard about "grabbing" was about, but to me it's a combination of feel and sound to tell when a spot is done. It shouldn't "grab" anywhere but you should be able to tell when you're running over a bump. I'm not saying that they claying process caused the damage, but it's certainly possible... :nixweiss
 
Okay,



Well my GF freaked out! Maybe they were there already and the glaze has been covering them for so many months.



I have only washed it about 5 times, and never noticed it, but I never stripped off the wax with dawn and the clay kit before.



Did not wash the MF towels, I should have! I will do so before I clay my car.





So you guys are saying that removing the wax and using the clay bar will reveal all the surface flaws?



They are swirl marks, they do not follow the up down, side to side motion I was using with the clay (depending on the body panel).



They are hard to see now, that the surface is protected again, but I know they are there, and am dreading the first gas station at night, mercury lamp combination...arghhh...It will be scary!



Guess its time to go at it with a PC and SMR.



Eric
Click to expand...



He said so.
 
I frequently use new, unwashed MF towels, and have never had a problem.



"They are swirl marks, they do not follow the up down, side to side motion I was using with the clay (depending on the body panel)."



From this comment I would say the marring was there before, and just masked.
 
jgv said:
He said so.
Click to expand...
:doh



Okay, I must have missed that part and just re-read the first post over again. Sorry. :o





Unrelated to my mistake though, I'm personally not sure new MFs could cause so much damage unless they were obviously dirty and contaminated looking? I suppose it's totally possible if the dirt was really fine or hard to see.... Where did these MFs come from? Off the shelf of a store? Then I'd be more worried....
 
I got the MF towels from classic-motoring, so they are high quality, viper material.



However, I have learned a lot from everyone.



1) Use lots of lube



2) Use a small piece of clay for each body panel then discard, if you want to be 100% safe.



3) make sure MF towels are clean.



4) Do not use more pressure or less lube to remove contamination, keep the lube level high and simply go over the area multiple times.



5) Never let dealers prep your car



6) Always make sure to practice on your GF's car first, before attempting ...........I mean....hehehe



Eric:D
 
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