I've gone and done it this time. This past weekend I meticulously washed, used Meg's clay bar, washed again, then applied Tech Wax. When I pulled her out of the garage, into the sun, I noticed scratches from the clay bar! I thought I was careful and kneaded the clay to prevent such things. There is also a filmy residue in some areas from the clay that stuck to the car - ARGH! All of which are highlighted by the shiny wet look of the Tech wax.

I think I have to go to a professional to have the scratches buffed out. I wish I never would have used clay bar. Any advice and/or tips would be helpful.

Sad is me:(

 

I am sorry for you woes. I have always found clay (especially Meg's) very easy to use (well except for the Sonus clay nightmare but it was just a PITA & left no damage) If the clay left residue then you probably weren't using enough QD lube but you should have been able to feel that the clay was not sliding well. Plus were you using a good quality MF to wipe off the lube after you clayed? Scratchwise... there must have been something major embedded in your clay &/or the lack of lube could have effected things. Did you ever drop the clay on the ground & keep using it? I think you should try to use some quick detailer with a good MF & the residue should buff right off. I dunno how bad your scratches are but you may be able to get rid of them using some polishes. I suggest that you call Detailer's Paradise & describe your woes to them over the phone. They should be able to recommend some polishing products to remedy your situation

 

Thanks Bamatt, I'll give them a call tomorrow.

 

Yeah I would agree that there had to have been something embedded in the clay, or microfibers, or something. I don't think there's any other way for it to cause scratches. Clay itself is such a fine abrasive.

Can you post some pics so we can see what you're talking about?

 

I will post some pix tomorrow. I used a brand new micro fiber towel so it had to be something in the clay. Maybe I'll use my own tears as a lubricant:(

 

Sorry to hear about your problems! But before you put the blame on the clay, looks look at some other possibilities.

How do you define "meticulously washed"??

I would define it as 2 or 3 wash and rinse buckets with a thoroughly inspected and clean lambswool wash mitt. Exactly measured out car wash soap to water solution, i.e. if it's 1oz per gallon, then 5oz for 5 gallons of water.

Did you put the soap in before you added water to the bucket so it foamed all over, or after the bucket was filled with water ensuring you had a full 5 gallons of water?

Were your buckets thoroughly clean and washed before you filled them? Do you have Grit Guards or Dirt Guards???

What did you use to dry the paint with? Did you inspect the paint after you washed it for any scratches???

I'm asking these questions because who knows when the scratches happened. Maybe they aren't even scratches.

If you washed the car, then clayed it, then washed again, and still had clay residue, it makes me wonder how you are washing your car?? It doesn't sound very thorough. There is no need to wash the car after doing clay--but like I said earlier. Maybe the scratches occurred during the second wash??

Let me ask one question--did you by chance buy my DVD which shows how to use Meguiar's clay bar???

Richard

 

Don't cry. I feel for you and your MINI.

 

huh? I'm assuming the Clay Bar comes with instructions, no?

There are also lots of free resources on the Web for how to use a Clay Bar, detail your car, etc.
Try this http://tinyurl.com/2894zp


Anyway, besides the plug for merchandise, Richard has a valid point in asking how your car was washed to determine the source of the scratches.

If your car is dirty enough (or depending on the kind of dirt on it) you can easily scratch your finish during washing with the dirt your trying to get off.

Also, I've had mixed success with some of the cheaper Microfiber that's out there. A lot of it is crap, so be careful and by the good stuff.

But since you came here for a solution and not to be spanked--

a good cleaner wax may be in order and/or a polish by a professional.

Good luck. Let us know how you make out. Post some pics of the "scratches" so we can help you find out what's going on.

 

Clay, if used properly, never actually touches the surface of the paint - it hydroplanes across the surface, riding on a layer of detail spray or soapy water, and only grinds off the surface contaminents.



From: http://autopia.org/forum/guide-detai...-cleaning.html

When you clayed, did the material glide effortlessly across the surface, or did you feel it "hitch" or "catch" against the paint? Ideally, the clay should slide so smoothly that you may think it's not actually doing anything, but in fact, it is. If you were feeling it catching against the paint, then it's possible that you added scratches to the clearcoat surface, but even then they'd be VERY fine - my money is on the scratches being introduced by cheap microfibers and/or your wash technique, assuming that they weren't there in the first place. Seems like 99% of even brand new MINIs seem to come with the dealer-installed "Mega Swirl Package" as a result of their sloppy washing, so it might not be anything YOU did at all! I know my car had them right from day one, before I even had the chance to wash or clay it.

The good news though is that all of those can easily be polished out either by hand or with a machine polisher if you really want to, and this is dfinitely the place to learn how if you decide to go that route.

 

dminiq- you didn't claybar from the tail of the car did you? lots of sand
back there unless you thoroughly rinsed.

 

So does ScratchX and most people use it wrong.
Even with all the free information out there on the PC, people still don't get the results they expect because this "free" information doesn't provide the type of info that teaches you how to make the most out of the tool or products.

Seems awfully strange that you would put me down for recommending products that I either use or make.

Richard

 

I would agree with ImagoX.

Clay, when used with enough lube spray (or soapy water or QD) and no more than a moderate amount of pressure, won't scratch your paint. If it does (no one is perfect... it does happen!), it is very easy to fix.

If clay scratches (we usually call it "clay scuffing"), it only does so at a very fine level, even in the worst cases. Almost always, it can be easily fixed by hand with a medium abrasive (Swirl, Scratch-X, etc).


I would also lean towards reasons for your scratches other than clay itself...

Poor quality microfiber (even a fresh new one can have burrs in it or not be thick enough... only buy from reputable sources and only use long-pile, plush MF on your paint)

Pre-existing scratches (you may not have seen them there before because they were previously covered/concealed by a chemical filler)

Washing-induced scratches (it's actually very easy to scratch while washing... we've all done it! PM me and I can send you an info sheet on Washing and Drying Techniques that may help)

Dirty clay (remember to always throw out clay that has touched the ground or any potentially dirty surface like a workbench, even if for only a moment!)

Is it possible for you to photograph your scratches? I know it can be hard to capture what you're seeing with a camera, but we can probably help assess what happened better if you give it a try.

Don't worry... we can help! That's what this forum is for.

-Heather

 

Even a contaminated microfiber could be the reason. Was this MF previously washed? Was it inspected before using? MF towels in the store are often sold exposed--not sealed inside of a bag unless you're buying them in a quantity. If they were dropped in the store floor, then put back on the shelf, and you bought it--the "new" towel may seem like it should be clean, but really wasn't---you get the idea?

Some MF towels are great at holding crud, but horrible at releasing them! Even when washed.

Richard

 

It's difficult to take a decent photo of scratches. But with an extra light I think I managed. Have a look...

 

Yowtch! I'm no expert, but those look way to severe for clay hazing... But they look too deep for microfiber scratching either. Your sure the clay bar was new, not dropped, even for a moment?

 

I opened the brand new claybar (fresh from the sealed wrapper in the box). I'm not an idiot, I swear, and I didn't drop it on the floor. Nor did I clay the back end. I worked on the hood, in a slow back and forth motion. This is how I know the scratches came from the clay bar. They were not there before. My Mini used to be scratch free. I should have used more lubricant though, and it was hard for me to type that - believe me

 

I'm no expert, but it looks like the scratches might've been caused by the washing process. It might've been during the wash after you clayed and that's why you think the clay did it???

I really feel for you. Hope you get it fixed soon...pls, keep us posted!!!!

 

Hmm I'm not seeing anything extraordinary here. I just see lots of swirls, typical of most MINIs that aren't polished. I was expecting to see long scratches in long lines to and fro, or maybe a long scratch with a hook or something. For example, this picture is just showing lots of swirls. Are you thinking your clay process did this because I can assure you these existed before you clayed your paint.

 

^^ +1

i too question if it was from claying... the clay stroke is not consistent
with the swirl lines. those swirls look like just toweling/mitt swirls and improper
wash methods. they may have popped out cause the watever
wax that was on there was removed during the clensing process.

My car was about that or worse when i got it from the dealer as it was
a floor model. tons of deep swirls.

 

+2 - Those aren't straight scratches - those are cobwebs. You got them from washing/drying, or they might have been "dealer installed" when they washed the car using God-only-knows what kind of process. It's possible that you're only noting them now because you're looking close, or because you cleaned the car well enough for them to really pop out - the same thing actually happened to me the first time I clayed my car (it was 2 weeks old and only had like 400 miles on it at the time). I think that simply removing all the surface contaminents that had built up in shipping made me more aware of them or something. They all polished out to a mirror shine after a single session with a Porter Cable polisher - yay!

Seeing as how you said that you used a back-and-forth motion when you clayed, I'm not thinking that the clay was the culprit here.

 

Just taking a stab at this one.

Did you use Dawn or a Car wash soap? If there was a wax on the vehicle the car wash soap may not have removed all of it before you started claying. Then when you clayed it removed the wax and revealed the scratches.

 

I was just thinking the same thing. It's entirely possible that you just had swirls that were concealed by whatever wax/sealant was on the car, and when you removed that wax (clay will remove some of it), the swirls/cobwebbing were revealed. My MINI came with "dealer installed swirls" as well

No biggie! You can remove these with a PC and some Finish, probably.

 

jug and ML- i already mentioned that.

jk

 

Ken - just adding a little more detail to your analysis

 

detail is always welcome.