Dark dots left after clay bar

[midlife]

I`m trying to renew the white finish on a VW Jetta I inherited. The car `lived` in San Francisco for several years and the paint is in good shape except for built up surface gunk that I`ve been pretty successful removing with claybar........ EXCEPT ..... The otherwise smooth surface (after claybar) now has random tiny dark specs that don`t seem to respond to more claybar. The specs do not seem visible BEFORE claybar, so could they be from the claybar itself, or what?



Before I start using anything else I thought I`d look for some feedback here.



Thanks

[imported_DetailDan]

Any pictures?

[Bill D]

Never heard of clay leaving behind anything like that before. :nixweiss I`m wondering if the clay removed the grime/contamination that might`ve been covering these spots which are now visible. I`m wondering possibly that the spots could be some type of old overspray/road tar or maybe ferrous fallout particles stuck in the paint :nixweiss



Do post pics. We might have a better idea when we see them.

[midlife]

I don`t have a digital camera that will give a picture of anything that small and close-up so I took a high quality magnifier used a high-power flashlight to a get abetter look. They are mostly very short lines and have an amber or rust (:o[) color to them. To the naked eye they appear as dots.



OK............... is this tree sap or rust? or ??? If it`s rust, I don`t think I want to continue with the claybar and expose it all.

[Scottwax]

Sounds like tar that flattened out after claying. They should polish off now if that is the case.

[imported_DetailDan]

Probably tar or rust. Pick some some tarminator locally and give it a shot. If that doesnt do anything then get some CarPro Iron X.

[Bill D]

Sounds to me like rust fall out. I`d be curious how that Iron X works.

[midlife]

It does appear to be sap or tar. At any rate I removed it from a one square inch section with some Zaino Bros polish, but it took a solid 30 seconds for that small area. The idea of doing that over the entire car is a bit daunting, but it`s definitely on the surface and WILL come off.



There used to be a pretty good detail shop near me where I could buy the right products, but they closed. What`s the best suggestion for a readily available and moderately aggressive polish that might get this done with somehwhat less effort? I do have a random oribiting polisher too, but I`m not sure I could apply enough pressure without burning the paint (not an experienced opinion, just guessing).

[Bill D]

Most likely you`ll need to polish with the polisher to save yourself time, hard work and strain. If your polisher is something like the PC 7424, you ought to be good to go, but if it`s one of those round machines, like a GEM polisher, that`s suited mostly for waxing, not correcting.Anything is always possible, but quite typically, random orbit polisher have quite a low risk of buring paint unless what you meant is that you have a rotary ( also called a circular) polisher ( i.e. Dewalt, Makita, Milwaukee, Flex, Dynabrade,etc)Then there is always some risk you could burn the paint but if the residue is coming off by hand, the polisher ought to take it off without needing any pressure. It`s up to you whatever you feel comfortable with.



A super popular polish here is Meg`s M205 ( and its more aggressive twin, M105)



They are quite good. Last night I even got good results using M205 by hand. Maybe you`ll need to get a polishing pad for your polisher, so your best bet is to buy both together online.

[midlife]

Thanks. I have a PC 7424. It`s relatively unused so I have several foam pads, a couple of loop pads, and a `sherpa` pad.

[imported_DetailDan]

Using a machine to remove a contaminant on the paint is not a good idea. Like I said, get some Tarminator locally and see how that works.

[Bill D]

Because these spots have been on the paint for some time, I wouldn`t be surprised if it may take quite a bit of work using the Tarminator but who knows :nixweiss. I`d also be curious about the Iron X wash. One way or the other, it sounds like the stuff will be able to come off the paint, just a matter of which way.

[David Fermani]

Sounds to me like rust fall out.



Sure does. I bet this will easily and safely remove the problem:



ValuGard Neutralization System (http://www.valugard.net/cms/xramp/ValuGardNeutralizationSystem/tabid/84/Default.aspx)

[midlife]

Sure does. I bet this will easily and safely remove the problem:



ValuGard Neutralization System (http://www.valugard.net/cms/xramp/ValuGardNeutralizationSystem/tabid/84/Default.aspx)



Not questioning the advice or the product but..................... the smaller dots rubbed off with Tarminator and the larger ones `popped` off with a bit of thumbnail pressure after `Tarminat-ing`. I really don`t want to have to `thumb-pop` the entire car, so what`s the % probability that a neutralization kit will remove these things with some kind of soft textured pad (like a Dobie pad).............. or is that insane?



Also....... before I spend $50+ on ANOTHER product, does the kit come in a less expensive size?



Thanks

[Bill D]

Not questioning the advice or the product but..................... the smaller dots rubbed off with Tarminator and the larger ones `popped` off with a bit of thumbnail pressure after `Tarminat-ing`. I really don`t want to have to `thumb-pop` the entire car, so what`s the % probability that a neutralization kit will remove these things with some kind of soft textured pad (like a Dobie pad).............. or is that insane?



Also....... before I spend $50+ on ANOTHER product, does the kit come in a less expensive size?



Thanks



The Valugard kit doesn`t come in a smaller/less expensive size. I don`t have experience with Iron X, which could possibly be a less expensive alternative.



At the moment, all I can think of is to keep on using the Tarminator a section at a time with the understanding that your thumbs will get a workout. I don`t think a pad and that particular product will be able to remove the dots effectively.