I love clay
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 7,746
Likes: 10
From: Terre Haute, IN
I love clay
Ever since I brought Clara home, the finish on the roof had this funky feel to it - rough, like sandpaper to the touch. But nothing was visibly wrong with it and I never had time to do a full-on detail til this week So I just Epic'd over it and figured at least everything was protected til spring and I could deal with it then. I figured it was just a clear coat issue or something from the factory.
So yesterday I dug out the clay, did a Dawn wash to get everything off of it and clayed the roof - and it completely fixed whatever was wrong with the roof. I'm now mildly concerned that I may have no clearcoat left
but it's now smooth like it should be. The odd thing is no visible contaminants came off into the clay, so I don't know WHAT the heck was wrong with it.
Any ideas?
So yesterday I dug out the clay, did a Dawn wash to get everything off of it and clayed the roof - and it completely fixed whatever was wrong with the roof. I'm now mildly concerned that I may have no clearcoat left
but it's now smooth like it should be. The odd thing is no visible contaminants came off into the clay, so I don't know WHAT the heck was wrong with it.Any ideas?
I really don't think you have removed any clearcoat. I would say that over most of my car (the boot area being the exception) the clay comes off looking rather clean. Yet it is doing something because there is a significant increase of smoothness. The boot on the other hand always leaves my clay with black flecks. :impatient
So I guess what you don't feel any more could be the very fine particles that are hard to see once in the clay or that are mostly clear (not dark). Could also be some aphid poop
which is very fine but is like sap and why I am thinking about cutting down the Aspen tree in front of our house. 
So I guess what you don't feel any more could be the very fine particles that are hard to see once in the clay or that are mostly clear (not dark). Could also be some aphid poop
which is very fine but is like sap and why I am thinking about cutting down the Aspen tree in front of our house.
otherwise, i dont see what the fuss is.
Vendor & Moderator :: MINI Camera and Video & c3 club forum
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You've discovered the power of clay. The reason the finish is rough is due to bonded contaminants. This could be from any number of things, some people describe it as industrial fallout, pollution, things in the air that settle on your paint--mostly the horizontal surfaces, and bond to the paint.
When you wax over this, you have a thin barrier of contamination between the wax and the paint, so the wax won't last as long, because essentially you've waxed the contaminants, and not the paint.
The Dawn wash was really unnecessary, but I digress. Anyways, as you've discovered the clay sheared the contaminants right off and now it's smooth as glass. However you need to wax this immediately.
Don't worry about the clearcoat. You can't clay this off! The clearcoat is simply clear paint over the colored basecoat of paint.
As for why the clay didn't change color, maybe you had paint overspray? Do you have a white roof? (edit: oops body color pepper white--yeah that still makes sense) Maybe the contaminants were light colored and you couldn't see them. Regardless you could feel the difference and that's what matters most.
Note that if your car sits outside instead of being garaged, it will need to be clayed more often. Claying is needed only when the surface feels rough. It won't hurt the paint, so you could do it as often as you want. But with my blue MINI, I didn't clay for 2 years because I maintained it daily.
My DVD in the NAM store covers claying in depth.
Richard
When you wax over this, you have a thin barrier of contamination between the wax and the paint, so the wax won't last as long, because essentially you've waxed the contaminants, and not the paint.
The Dawn wash was really unnecessary, but I digress. Anyways, as you've discovered the clay sheared the contaminants right off and now it's smooth as glass. However you need to wax this immediately.
Don't worry about the clearcoat. You can't clay this off! The clearcoat is simply clear paint over the colored basecoat of paint.
As for why the clay didn't change color, maybe you had paint overspray? Do you have a white roof? (edit: oops body color pepper white--yeah that still makes sense) Maybe the contaminants were light colored and you couldn't see them. Regardless you could feel the difference and that's what matters most.
Note that if your car sits outside instead of being garaged, it will need to be clayed more often. Claying is needed only when the surface feels rough. It won't hurt the paint, so you could do it as often as you want. But with my blue MINI, I didn't clay for 2 years because I maintained it daily.
My DVD in the NAM store covers claying in depth.
Richard
Ever since I brought Clara home, the finish on the roof had this funky feel to it - rough, like sandpaper to the touch. But nothing was visibly wrong with it and I never had time to do a full-on detail til this week So I just Epic'd over it and figured at least everything was protected til spring and I could deal with it then. I figured it was just a clear coat issue or something from the factory.
So yesterday I dug out the clay, did a Dawn wash to get everything off of it and clayed the roof - and it completely fixed whatever was wrong with the roof. I'm now mildly concerned that I may have no clearcoat left but it's now smooth like it should be. The odd thing is no visible contaminants came off into the clay, so I don't know WHAT the heck was wrong with it.
Any ideas?
So yesterday I dug out the clay, did a Dawn wash to get everything off of it and clayed the roof - and it completely fixed whatever was wrong with the roof. I'm now mildly concerned that I may have no clearcoat left
but it's now smooth like it should be. The odd thing is no visible contaminants came off into the clay, so I don't know WHAT the heck was wrong with it.Any ideas?
5th Gear
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 942
Likes: 4
I've noticed that if there are any pine trees upwind, in any season, they put out a very fine sap particle that sticks to everything very quickly. I agree with OG, the stuff that falls out of the sky is pretty bad. I think what I like about claying is that you get such nice instant feedback of your results... nice and smoooooooooth.
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,759
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From: Denver, CO
The reason the finish is rough is due to bonded contaminants. This could be from any number of things, some people describe it as industrial fallout, pollution, things in the air that settle on your paint--mostly the horizontal surfaces, and bond to the paint.
When you wax over this, you have a thin barrier of contamination between the wax and the paint, so the wax won't last as long, because essentially you've waxed the contaminants, and not the paint.
However you need to wax this immediately.
Don't worry about the clearcoat. You can't clay this off! The clearcoat is simply clear paint over the colored basecoat of paint.
Note that if your car sits outside instead of being garaged, it will need to be clayed more often. Claying is needed only when the surface feels rough. It won't hurt the paint, so you could do it as often as you want.
Richard
When you wax over this, you have a thin barrier of contamination between the wax and the paint, so the wax won't last as long, because essentially you've waxed the contaminants, and not the paint.
However you need to wax this immediately.
Don't worry about the clearcoat. You can't clay this off! The clearcoat is simply clear paint over the colored basecoat of paint.
Note that if your car sits outside instead of being garaged, it will need to be clayed more often. Claying is needed only when the surface feels rough. It won't hurt the paint, so you could do it as often as you want.
Richard
Ditto
Ditto
Ditto
Ditto
(one for each paragraph)
Just my 2-cents... I agree with everything OctaneGuy pointed out and thus wanted to "second that". In particular, it is important to know that claying cannot and will not remove your clearcoat. So don't worry... clay away to your heart's content!
-Heather
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 7,746
Likes: 10
From: Terre Haute, IN
It was just so odd...because the hair spray comment is honestly probably the most accurate to what it felt like! It reminds me of the back of the bathroom door at my mom's house - covered in hair spray and clear, yet all crazy bumpy. It was nothing like what my old car felt like when it needed to be clayed, it was like an entire coat of it on the roof. And it came to me at delivery that way.
So I only did the roof, I want to do the rest of the car, now that that experience totally grossed me out. Maybe I'll dig the halogens out tonight and do it. Bleh. It was so nasty.
So I only did the roof, I want to do the rest of the car, now that that experience totally grossed me out. Maybe I'll dig the halogens out tonight and do it. Bleh. It was so nasty.
It was just so odd...because the hair spray comment is honestly probably the most accurate to what it felt like! It reminds me of the back of the bathroom door at my mom's house - covered in hair spray and clear, yet all crazy bumpy. It was nothing like what my old car felt like when it needed to be clayed, it was like an entire coat of it on the roof. And it came to me at delivery that way.
So I only did the roof, I want to do the rest of the car, now that that experience totally grossed me out. Maybe I'll dig the halogens out tonight and do it. Bleh. It was so nasty.
So I only did the roof, I want to do the rest of the car, now that that experience totally grossed me out. Maybe I'll dig the halogens out tonight and do it. Bleh. It was so nasty.
waxes, maybe even detailers spray, spray type tire sauce, etc.
or even your hubby power washing the garage and the gunk landed in
a mist form on your car's roof and dried....
but glad to hear you got rid of it.
I love clay, too!
So, in the category of "unintended uses for clay"...
I wear contacts - have for 20+ years. I keep a pair of glasses that I only wear for about 5 minutes a month (between the bathroom and the bed the one or two nights a month I take the lenses out). Otherwise the glasses only see action if I'm having some eye irritation (very infrequent) and leave the lenses out for a few hours or a day.
I design and build copper wind sculptures. One such day about a year ago when I had the glasses on, I was spraying clearcoat (not the automotive kind) on a sculpture. I do this pretty frequently and didn't even think about the fact that - unlike every other time - I had my glasses on. Anyway, I was doing it outside and it was a little breezy and... yep, you guessed it... overspray on my glasses. Didn't notice until later that day. Lots of little specks. Not enough to make the glasses unusable, but certainly enough to bug the heck out of me once I knew it was there.
I think I read about someone else claying their lenses for a similar problem. So today, I figured I'd give it a shot. Ten minutes later, ZERO overspray on the lenses. They look like new.
Of course, this is EXACTLY what clay was designed to do (except on a car's finish) so I shouldn't be surprised. But it was still nice that it worked (unlike so many things that, in theory, should work, but, in practice, just don't).
Clay. It isn't just for breakfast anymore.
I wear contacts - have for 20+ years. I keep a pair of glasses that I only wear for about 5 minutes a month (between the bathroom and the bed the one or two nights a month I take the lenses out). Otherwise the glasses only see action if I'm having some eye irritation (very infrequent) and leave the lenses out for a few hours or a day.
I design and build copper wind sculptures. One such day about a year ago when I had the glasses on, I was spraying clearcoat (not the automotive kind) on a sculpture. I do this pretty frequently and didn't even think about the fact that - unlike every other time - I had my glasses on. Anyway, I was doing it outside and it was a little breezy and... yep, you guessed it... overspray on my glasses. Didn't notice until later that day. Lots of little specks. Not enough to make the glasses unusable, but certainly enough to bug the heck out of me once I knew it was there.
I think I read about someone else claying their lenses for a similar problem. So today, I figured I'd give it a shot. Ten minutes later, ZERO overspray on the lenses. They look like new.
Of course, this is EXACTLY what clay was designed to do (except on a car's finish) so I shouldn't be surprised. But it was still nice that it worked (unlike so many things that, in theory, should work, but, in practice, just don't).
Clay. It isn't just for breakfast anymore.
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 7,746
Likes: 10
From: Terre Haute, IN
Ha, I actually used clay a while back to get Tuff-Skin (the stuff we spray on ankles and various other body parts before we tape them for sports - I'm an athletic trainer) off my sunglasses. I'd been at a football game and it was a nice late summer day, so we set up tables outside to tape. The wind took some of the spray and there were specks on my glasses but the clay got them right up. Finish them up with some Slick It's sort of amazing!
It's sort of amazing!
5th Gear
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 664
Likes: 1
I used clay for the first time...and the results were wonderful! I thought my roof was beginning to rust, but it was just metal specs stuck in the paint that were beginning to rust. But I would like to put out a little warning...to some this may be obvious. My car was so dirty that by the time I was on the last part, the roof, the clay was so dirty (didn't look dirty) that it began scratching the roof. The scratches were only as bad as swirls, so not too damaging and nothing a good polishing can't get out.
If it has been a little too long since the last time you have clayed and you drive on the highway a lot, I would use 2 pieces of clay! Fortunately, I have to polish out some swirls anyway.
And incase anyone asks, yes I washed the car very thoroughly first.
If it has been a little too long since the last time you have clayed and you drive on the highway a lot, I would use 2 pieces of clay! Fortunately, I have to polish out some swirls anyway.
And incase anyone asks, yes I washed the car very thoroughly first.
Last edited by AliceCooperWA; Dec 22, 2006 at 08:16 PM. Reason: ;)
3rd Gear
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 295
Likes: 0
From: Ft Walton Beach,Fl
I love the benefits of clay as well. AliceCooper makes a big point. If your paint surface is really negleted,use fresh clay throughout the process. What I usually do with a new bar is break it into 2 sometimes 3 pieces. When one gets crusty and old,you didnt ruin the whol bar, or as I sometimes do, DROP IT! Drop it once around here and its toast! Who said its a good idea to live on sand anyway!
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