Overspray...

[Jake11375]

I have some overspray on my lower door panel from the dealer after some recent repairs. (Which they don't take responsibiltiy for) Should a clay bar be able to remove ALL overspray? I took it to a detail shop and they said they couldn't remove it with clay. So, if clay fails, is wetsanding the next step? I'm going to try to do this myself. Not sure what to do. Thanks for any advice.

[Jngrbrdman]

A clay bar can only do so much. There is special clay for removing overspray that is a lot more agressive than your average clay you get at Auto Zone. That may work but it depends on how bad the overspray is. If a detailer who was able to see the damage up close says that clay isn't going to fix it then it possibly won't. I'd get a second opinion for sure. Maybe he just didn't want to go through the work to do it. I'm not sure what the next step would be, but I'd suggest taking it to at least one other place and asking them what they think.

[Jake11375]

I guess I'll try another opinion. But I doubt I'll let someone do the work. This particular detail shop clayed it then buffed it and ended up burning my rocker molding in the process. Now I'm dealing with them on that. I'm just very skeptical about letting someone do the work now if I can do it myself. You know the old saying....

Thanks

J

[Jngrbrdman]

I hear ya there. It never hurts to get a professional opinion on what can and cannot be done though. If another detail shop tells you that it can be removed with clay then thank them for the info and head to the store.

[prowler]

I once drove over some fresh lane lines and had THOUSANDS (well, maybe hundreds) of little droplet all over the rocker panels. It took over an hour, but detailing clay with lubricant took it all off. So that your arm doesn't fall off, don't use "elbow grease", just more cycles and let the clay and lubricant do the work of shearing off the droplets. If it doesn't work, you haven't done any harm and I'm sure the clay purchase won't go to waste.

[Jake11375]

I've tried in vain to clay it myself. I used Mother's clay bar kit though (which I didn't supposedly favor). They have Clay Magic now @ Walmart, I'll probably give that a try. Any suggestions on another brand of clay that may be more suited for overspray?

[Brad B.]

Try to get hold of some Mothers, Pinnacle or Zaino clay. They are formulated with more "shearing" action, are not as soft, and have a better ability to strip off the paint.

[prowler]

I used Mothers clay with Zaino. The car was pretty slick with a few coats of Zaino, which I'm sure helped. Did the clay do any good? It was slow, but persistance worked in the end.

[ColaBear]

I have removed overspray from several cars now which clay would not take off. I first would try clay and what ever is left behind, I would use something like Meguiar’s Dual Action Cleaner/Polish or even Compound Power Cleaner if you have an orbital polisher. You will get different results using an orbital polisher vs. doing it by hand. If you are doing it by hand, then the Dual Action Cleaner/Polish should to the trick. The Compound Power Cleaner will not properly break down if used by hand and will leave a dual finish which will have to be polished out with a hand polish. Under the power of an orbital, like the PC, it will break down from a cleaning compound to a polish so a second polish step will not be required.

[Jake11375]

Seems like I read about a polishing bonnet with an indention made specifically for holding clay. I can't remember the site, but this way you can clay your car with your PC. Anyone have any input on this idea or know where I could get something like this? I have a PC 7336. Sounds like a good idea to me.

[Brad B.]

Bad, bad, bad idea. Griots sells it. You don't want to use clay in a hi speed enviornment. You want to change the clay surface more often to a clean debris-free piece. The griots method would just grind debris into the paint surface over and over.

It's been discussed at length if you do a search. Bottom line...avoid it!