Ok, I need to do the clay bar thing on my '04 CR MCS, I think. Being new to something other than a monthly car wash and a yearly wax, my thought process was to try it first on one of my motorcycles since A) it is a smaller area, B) it already has paint swirls in it, C) needed some attention anyway. (The paint on the bike is a base coat / clear coat, so maybe the swirls are in the base coat?)

I used the Meguires clay bar system and did it according to the instructions. When I finished with the clay, I noticed that the swirls were still there. After I applied a good coat of wax, the paint appeared wet, was very smooth, but still had the swirls when you looked at it in direct sunlight.

I need to do this to my Mini because I have several places with scratches in the clear coat and just because I believe it will make the overall appearance of the paint better, etc, etc.

My concern is that since the swirls are still in paint on my motorcycle, doing this to the Mini won't solve my problem. Any feedback on brands used, process of application, etc. would be greatly appreciated.

 

Clay bar does not remove swirls - it's a very good CLEANER that removes contaminates, and as such it's a great idea to do a claying a few times a year - it really helps the overall shine!

Swirls, however, are not caused by contaminents, but rather are scratches in the paint. Try Meguiar's ColorX - it's working great on my bright red Suburban (but, Lordy, is that beast HUGE)... Just remember to start with a tiny test patch somewhere unobtrusive first, and if it helps (it should be a noticible improvement), then work in small patches and take your time. If you have access to a Porter Cable or other random orbital polisher, it will make short work of the scratches - there are several threads on here about how to use them. Hand-polishing something as small as a MINI however, isn't TOO huge a chore, and the paint will look worlds better without the scratches.

If you're getting scratches like this, you may want to go over to ShowCargarage.com and watch their vey good viceo on "2 bucket washing" - it will show you why you're probably getting them in the wash stage. That site is GREAT for things like that, and Octaneguy (one of the gurus here) is always o the lookout for people that need help - he really assisted me!

 

Here is a really good article I found (that doesn't require the use of power tools )
http://www.autopia-carcare.com/inf-perfect.html


I am going to try their "Perfect Shine" kit next time I wax
http://www.autopia-carcare.com/son-pershine-kit.html

 

Autopia's how-to's really helped me as well - their clay bar FAQ is one of the best I've seen. Doing it without power tools is VERY doable on a car as small as the Mini - just go one panel at a time and don't try to rush. Personally, I'd save the bonnet for last if it's your first time, so you can get a feel for how much effort is required to polish out the scratches - you WILL have to rub "with authority" to activate the fine grit in the polish.

Good luck and post up before and after pices - we love them around here, detail geeks that we are.

 

I am going to get the Autopia kit very soon & I will def take before & after pics for the detail geeks

My Mini is in really good shape but I do have swirl marks from washing so hopefully I can get a good, in-full-sunlight shot of them before & after.

p.s...I have a convertible so I have much less elbow work to do than some of you guys

 

Thank you all for the input. It's greatly appreciated !

I'll try to take some pics this weekend and post them to show what I'm dealing with... providing I can get the wife out of the car long enough to do it .

Mike

 

Just keep the clay well-lubed and don't press hard... just a few passes per spot should suffice. the hardest parts are in the rear bumper because of all the cuts there.

OH, and do yourself a favor and dismount the front and rear license plate brackets - I had a really SCARY ammount of black, sticky gunk under them, even after just a few weeks or ownership.

I think when I next clay, I'll put down sheets of newspaper all aournd my car, so that if I do fumble-finger the clay (it get's slippery), it will almost certaily land on clean paper and not on gritty garage floor (which instantly ruins it). If it hits the garage floor DISCARD IT or even better, put it in a special container labeled "glass clay" - material that's no longer good for the paint is still very good to clean windows with. You can put your dirty clay in there, too, after it becomes all-over grimy (should take a few clayings to get to that point of you don't drop it).

Have fun and enjoy the shine the clay will bring out!

 

This isn't a bad idea, but you might want to try a drop cloth (plastic or cloth) or something that won't stick to the clay. Also walking on newspaper as you work on the car can rip or move the paper around. Don't forget to take off your shoes so you aren't tracking dirt on the paper that the clay will pick up. LOL.

Although I still do occasionally drop clay, I find that it's usually by being careless and not practicing some of the things I teach! Most of all, when claying the side of the MINI like a door, don't stand or sit in front of the door and clay. If you are directly in front of the panel, that means your hand/wrist is bent at 90 degrees and the chance for dropping it is high.

Instead stand to the side of the MINI and see that the angle of your arm to your wrist is more like 30 - 45 degrees. This allows your hand to cup the clay and prevent more frequent dropping of it.

The other way I frequently drop the clay is when I'm claying an area and I expect it to glide, but instead it catches, and I end up flinging the clay as it surprises me. Just pay attention to how you are holding the clay and work in smaller areas at a time, and you should be fine.

As for labeling it as glass clay, good idea, but it can also be used as a wheel clay too.

 

Exactly... this is how I dropped Sean's clay when I was working - at first I did not know how much liquid lubricant to use, and I wandered onto dry paint and it hitched up. Instant dirt.

Excellent idea. Is the wheel paint thicker or more hard or something? The brushes I use on rims are SO coarse compared to what I use on the body, and now this suggestion is made. Thanks as always, Octane!

 

Well, wheels are usually powdercoated, and this paint is much harder than the multistage paint on your MINI. But also, rarely do people look at wheels close enough to inspect for swirls! For most people, if it's not caked with brake dust, it's looking pretty good.

Note, I don't use wheel brushes on my wheels. I use the same soft body brushes. Actually there are some very soft brushes sold for washing the body and to me, these are still too rough, and I prefer to use them on my wheels.

 

I use the Meguiar's brush (cone-shaped like a Xmas tree with a rubber tip on the end). It was recommendeed to me by a guy that used to detail the really high-end Ferarris and such at the local import dealer. I love that it getsa back into the wheel and actually cleans the part of the rim BEHIND where the eye sees (should save me some effort when I swap rims and tires in the fall). After I rinse, I dry with a cotton towel then put on a coat of wax, and I gotta admit they look great.

Haven't really chcked for swirls though, true...

 

Don't forget that if your swirl marks are minor, Zaino Z5 does a GREAT job of hiding them....and it's a lot less work.

When they get bad enough that Z5 won't hide them, then try polishing your paint.

 

Well I just ordered the "Perfect Shine" kit from Autopia plus some Sonus Gloss Shampoo, Final Finish, & Rim Brite. I also ordered some "Wheel Wax' from the wheelwax site. I doubt it will get to me in time to use this weekend so next weekend I will plan for a mega detail day I will take before & after pics. I just don't know how much different they will look since my Mini is in pretty good shape

I gotta give Autopia a . Within 2 hours of placing my online order they emailed me a tracking number saying it had shipped.

 

Let us know how it works... I've had my eye on their stuff for a while, but I keep getting Meguiar's because I can get it locally and it seems to work pretty well... Good luck!

 

about using dropped clay on your glass......I've been afraid to use dropped clay on the windshield or other glass as I figure if the clay has picked up grit that would scratch or swirl the paint it might scratch the glass, but I use the dropped clay for my wheels.....sounds reasonable?

So I do clay the glass sometimes but I use new clay, but I never go too crazy and clay side mirrors as I do think they really are plastic/polycarbonate and not real glass mirrors

 

I don't used DROPPED clay on the glass... That goes to the trash can.

You can, however, use USED clay... the stuff that you already cleaned several body panels with... to clean the glass.

 

i dropped a fairly large clump of new clay once. was only able to do one
panel with it before it slipped out of my hand. i was pretty ticked
off but was not worth risking scratches. it's like using a bandaid
that you dropped on the garage floor with the pad side down.

before i even thought about reusing the clay, i smashed it with my shoe to
make it FUBAR so that there was no way my cheap side would call out
a 'mist wash it and reuse.'

 

I finally tried the Perfect Shine Kit & posted my review here:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=78159

Pics are coming soon.....

 

I took BradB's recommendation. I cut the clay bar up in to 6-8 pieces with a pair of scissors and use the small bits... that way, if I drop one, I don't feel too bad.

 

KENCHAN....these forums are very enlightening.....I googled FUBAR.......now I know what it means