So your going to detail a really abused, contaminated car...

N

Neo62381

New member
where there is so much contamination on the lower panels, nose, and rear of the vehicle, that claying would be both a waste of time, and would do more harm then good. Other than a thorough washing what more can be done for polish prep work. I've been encountering some really contaminated paint here lately, and if some of you were to see it, I'm sure you would agree clay would be pointless. Any suggestions? TIA

:buffing:
 
good question .. hope someone can answer



err .. i'm a realy noob at this, but would 'wet sanding' be an option with this sort of paint
 
IMO, I've never found clay to be a waste of time. Clay will always remove contaminants that could potentially get into the foam pads and really scratch the hell out of the surface your are perfecting. Even on the most contaminated surfaces, I would always find a contaminated spot and run throught the entire detail process on it wash --> clay --> compound --> polish (no LSP). In this way, you can really define what works and what doesn't. This will guide you as you detail the rest of the car. That's just MO.



As for wet-sanding, I would never suggest anyone go directly to wet-sanding.



As for the clay, if you can rub your hand across the paint and feel contaminants, morte than likely clay can remove those contaminants. Don't skip a very important step on a really contaminated panel. If you are really unsure how effective the clay is, do a panel and inspect the clay. If it is dirty, your are making progress.



PREP IS EVERYTHING



JJ
 
I would use a strong slovent (3M tar and wax remover comes to mind) with a MF or bug scrubber to preclean the area--then clay, etc.
 
ebpcivicsi said:
I would use a strong slovent (3M tar and wax remover comes to mind) with a MF or bug scrubber to preclean the area--then clay, etc.
Click to expand...



I agree. I detailed a truck last year that had road paint and all sorts of grime on the rocker panels and no soap or clay was going to touch it so I used some mineral spirits to break it down and remove the majority of it. I then went over it with clay before polishing and waxing. My dad was very impressed when he picked up his truck. :waxing:
 
Solvents, a decontamination system like ABC, and clay (I'd clay, or even use a bug sponge, while the acidic step of the decontam. system is dwelling).



I sure wouldn't wetsand a contaminated surface, too likely that you'll grind the contamination into the paint.



Oh, and I agree, claying isn't a waste of time- at worst you'll go through a lot of clay. And it won't make anything worse unless you do something very wrong.
 
Try using a good solvent (Tarminator works for me), wipe off with a bug sponge, then go to an agressive (Meg's red comes to mind) clay bar. You'll need to compound after red clay, but you probably would have anyways.
 
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