When clay fails ... what is your next best step?

J

JagXJR

New member
Hi, all.

The conventional wisdom is that if the paint isn't smooth, then you begin your prep by using clay/lube. Is that right?

Well ...

What happens if, try as you might, you can't get the paint smooth with clay. I must have some really embedded contaminants in my paint. :( The problem area is the rocker panels just behind each wheel.

Is this the time to use an abrasive product with a PC? :bigscream
 
Can you see the contaminates? Is it tar? Are you sure it's not tiny paint chips?
 
Boss_429 said:
Can you see the contaminates? Is it tar? Are you sure it's not tiny paint chips?
Click to expand...

Yeah, I can see them. Unfortunately they are too faint to get a good photo of to show.

Clay removed a lot of them, but not all of them. I'm reasonably certain that they are not paint chips as they feel like raised irregularities in the finish.

Admittedly, it's not always easy to tell.
 
Well, without being able to see them, or knowing what they are, I would try a good paint cleaner like Medallion Paint cleaner or paint cleaner/light polish like Poorboy's Pro Polish next. :dunno
 
Really examine the area thoroughly. I seem to remember seeing a vehicle that actually had some type of pebbled finish behind the wheelwells and on the rocker panels. It was that way from the factory.
:dunno
Charles
 
My wife's mini-van has "chipstop" behind the wheels - it's a textured finish to prevent rock chips. Had it on a Volvo I had before, too. Any chance this is what you're seeing/feeling?
 
forrest said:
My wife's mini-van has "chipstop" behind the wheels - it's a textured finish to prevent rock chips. Had it on a Volvo I had before, too. Any chance this is what you're seeing/feeling?
Click to expand...
That's the stuff I was trying to describe in my earlier post. The question in my mind was if clay would have removed any of that finish, though. I would think it might be tougher than that.

Forrest: Welcome or welcome back to DC as the case may be. Your knowledge of detailing is well known.

Charles
 
I don't think clay would remove any of it, but it wold remove some of the stuff embedded in it. Chip stop is really soft, so stuff embeds in it quite easily.
 
I use Nylon spotter by Kar Kraft. It will remove foreign matter and even do a job on overspray. It is safe for the paint as long as it is wiped clean of the surface after use.

Also try buffing an area with a high speed and some compound. Followed by a good polish.
 
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