I was detailing my MINI over the weekend. I completed the interior and under the bonnet and decided to do a good wax job. I noticed that I have some overspray on the hood and on the roof from when the body shop did repairs to the key job that was done a month ago. The spots are about 2 to 3". What is the best way to remove the overspray without damaging the paint job?

 

I suggest stopping by the body shop that did the repair, they most likely can remove it while you wait.

 

I've read that clay bar will pull overspray off. You might try that before you take it back to the body shop.

 

Clay bar is exactly what the shop will use first to try and remove the overspray. Unfortunately, since it happened 2-3 months ago, it's gonna be difficult. The fresh, uncured paint would have clayed right off.

If you have some clay handy, I'd try it yourself, first.

 

Thanks guys,,,will try clay first. If it does not work...well...I can have the shop buff out the whole car before I do my spring body treatment.

 

So my neighbor decides to paint his roof on Christmas morning, leaving my MINI with tiny red dots due to overspray. Any tips on using clay bars?

 

Just follow the directions. It's very easy. Spray the area you're working (maybe an 18-inch-square area at a time is what I do), keep both the surface and the clay wet, and knead the clay often to keep a clean surface on the paint.

 

How I would do it on the whole car. If you are just spot treating a couple areas, the spray method is probably easier.

1. Wash the car first... you don't want to be grinding the dirt into the paint.

2. wash out your sponge/wash mit carefully and rinse out the bucket well.

3. Mix up a bucket of clean wash water with twice as much soap as you would normally use

4. Slop this wash water on a section of the car (about the size of 1/4 of the roof) and rub clay along the lines of the car... on the bonnet/roof, go back and forth along the air flow of the car...on the sides, go up and down.

5. After you clay a section and you can see that the paint overspray is gone, wash with the sponge/mit and rinse. Knead the clay a bit to get a fresh area exposed... you will see the paint and adhered grit on the car on the clay when you are done.

6. Repeat. If you drop the clay, throw it away. I generally break a bar of clay into 5-6 pieces so I won't cry when I drop a fresh $5 bar of clay on my gravel driveway.

7. When done with whole car, rinse well, dry and wax/seal car. The claybar will have removed any protectant you had on there before.

8. Kick neighbor's ****!

 

PS: Clean off the paint sooner rather than later. In a few days it will be much harder to remove. If you had a good coat of wax or sealant on there, it will be much easier to do.

 

Thanks for the tips! Should go fairly quick, as I don't have a roof to worry about!

 

I have seen (and felt) the power of the Clay Bar...and it is GOOD!