Clay Bar, I ruined my car!

[Labshark]

I think at least,



I clayed my girlfriends 10 month old Burgandy / aka. the color from hell, Hyundai Santa Fe. The paint was really rough, before I started. (via the plastic bag test)



When I was finished with the claying I washed the car with dawn to remove the clay residue, as I couldnt wipe it all off with the viper towels.



Then I pulled it into the garage and the finish was covered with swirl marks, I mean really covered!



Was this caused by the removal of all the wax?



I applied black fire polish and sealant and it looked "OK", But I am wondering if I did something wrong?



I just bought a Nissan 350z, dark silver, and am having a clear bra put on Wednesday, so I need to clay the finish prior to the application, now I am afraid to do so for fear of damage?



Process used:

1) Dawn

2) Black Fire Clay Kit

3) Dawn

4) 3m SMR (dark colored cars)

5) Black Fire Polish

6) Black Fire Protectant



7) Only used brand new microfiber towels and brand new foam pads throughout the process.



8)Dried car with Made in the USA white cotton bath towels with seams cut off.



Help!!!!!!!!!! :-)

Eric

[Steve @ Guru]

Chances are the swirls were introduced by the dealership when they detailed your car at delivery.



As long as the clay bar wasn`t grinding around all over the surface and you kept it clean, the clay should not have swirled the car at all.

[gnahc79]

are the marks in the same direction as the clay? if it`s truly in a "swirl" then it was there already. Dunno if Hyundais are prepped with a glaze before delivery...maybe.



did you wash the MF and cotton towels to remove "new" lint?

[Labshark]

Okay,



Well my GF freaked out! Maybe they were there already and the glaze has been covering them for so many months.



I have only washed it about 5 times, and never noticed it, but I never stripped off the wax with dawn and the clay kit before.



Did not wash the MF towels, I should have! I will do so before I clay my car.





So you guys are saying that removing the wax and using the clay bar will reveal all the surface flaws?



They are swirl marks, they do not follow the up down, side to side motion I was using with the clay (depending on the body panel).



They are hard to see now, that the surface is protected again, but I know they are there, and am dreading the first gas station at night, mercury lamp combination...arghhh...It will be scary!



Guess its time to go at it with a PC and SMR.



Eric

[imported_memnuts]

If you clayed properly ( copious lube and movement in a straight line) the newly noticed surface swirls are circular, they were present most likely prior to your activities. They were either hidden by some type of protectant ( removed by claying) before delivery from dealer or you have introduced them over the last few months via washing.



Swirls straight or circular?



Re-hide with 3M IHG or Mother`s Sealer Glaze or eliminate with a SMR ( 3M Perfect-it III is fantastic) followed by paint cleanser ( P21S GEPC, VM, Poorboy`s polish, etc).

[Labshark]

Question:



How do I know what copious lube is? That is, I sprayed on, very lightly and the clay glided on the surface and didnt feel like it was picking up anything at all?





I confirmed this with the plastic bag, it felt the same- very little removal, so I used less and less lube, confirming the removal of deposits with the plastic bag, untill the surface was smooth.



How do I know how much lube to use? I have read when the clay stops grabbing at a particular spot, its time to move on.



However, no matter how much or how little lube I used the glay still glided over the surface.



I would rate this car a scale of 1-10 a 7.5 on contamination, its outside 9 hours per day, and garaged at night.



Eric

[imported_memnuts]

I never let the lube completely disappear. Normally the vehicles I do are on , your scale, a 2. Therefore, claying is a breeze for me and I rarely need to wash after this step ( no clay residue).

[//MMMGood]

I have had the most luck with Mother`s clay bar. It seems to do a very good job. If the damage was done from the clay bar...it isn`t minor. I still have 99% of a Wizards bar...put two big scratches in the hood. I have no idea...it was rock hard compared to the mother`s bar.



You need to load the bar up with lube...otherwise REALLY bad thing happen.



I would say that if the swirls are not in the direction you were claying...then it was done by something else. Dealer or maybe you. Good luck man.



Peter Hsu

[Anthony O.]

As others have said, swirls are not introduced by a claying session UNLESS you have a severe twitch in your arm and shoulders.



Claying can actually "level" the high spots in a paint finish and can leave marks that resemble sanding marks. Using then a rotary with a cutting or polishing pad will finish out closing the paint.



As for the swirls, there is tons of info on this site for removing and hiding swirls. Lastly, if there was a glaze on the car from the dealer it would not have lasted through 5 washes.



Hope that helps,

Anthony

[shaf]

Okay, I see a few problems here. First of all, you say the paint was really contaminated and really gritty. Second, you`re supposed to keep the clay well lubricated at all times. If the clay isn`t picking up the contamination fast enough, reducing the amount of lube you use is NOT the solution. You just have to keep swiping at it until you`re done. Don`t try to increase friction or "bite" by using less lube or pressing harder (not saying you did this) or anything else. How often you fold over the clay can be another factor if you`re picking up a ton of grit but keep going.



I don`t know what exactly what the tip you heard about "grabbing" was about, but to me it`s a combination of feel and sound to tell when a spot is done. It shouldn`t "grab" anywhere but you should be able to tell when you`re running over a bump. I`m not saying that they claying process caused the damage, but it`s certainly possible... :nixweiss

[bigpoppa]

How do I know what copious lube is?



I do not think there is such a thing as too much lube - it can never hurt when claying.

[jimmybuffit]

That`s what she said.



Altho she doesn`t know much about claying...



Jim

[Scottwax]

Originally posted by Ds01C5

I do not think there is such a thing as too much lube



Nah....on second thought, I`d better not make any comment! :lol

[imported_jgv]

Is everyone skiping the `new unwashed towels` used fact?

[shaf]

Well, "brand new" doesn`t neccessarily mean "unwashed"...