Can clay introduce micro marring ?

[Isabelle Tibbitts]

After spending 7 hours of claying 2 parts of my Lincoln, using SMR afterwards and then dawn wash and then Zaino Z1 and a layer of Z5...

this is the result.. : http://www.autopia.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=3601&papass=&sort=1



though the picture looks great, carefully examining the trunk now, somehow I seem convinced that the claying process introduced micro marring... I can see the way I rubbed the clay !!

You can see it on the picture .. in between the "O" and the "N" from continental on the backside of the trunk..



Now I did use lot`s a lube.. (water mixed with Z7).

I used half a Pinnacle clay bar...to do the rear quarter and the trunk of my 1977 Lincoln Mark V... and I can`t say the clay looked really dirty or grey.. it`s still yellow... though I could certainly notice the car becoming less contaminated in calying the car !



So my question is two-fold..

Can this claying process introduce new micro marring ?

and

How do I get rid of this... knowing that I want to end the process with Zaino Z1, Z5, Z5, Z2, Z5, Z5, Z2...

thanks ! :o

[Isabelle Tibbitts]

well... somehow the photo did not post.. so here is the link to the picture I was referring to :

http://www.autopia.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=3704

[2wheelsx2]

Yes, it definitely can. But the marring will be very slight. That`s why the general plan of attack is usually:



Wash

Clay

Polish

Seal



Something like #9 or SMR should take care of it. Some people have had success with a very light claying, without polishing (myself included), if the car is pretty clean, but usually, and especially on dark cars, you`ll have to polish afterwards.

[Isabelle Tibbitts]

well I did use 3M SMR for light colored cars afterwards... then dwan wash and Zaino...

but the marring is still there :(

[2wheelsx2]

Did you rub the clay in the same direction as you always wash and dry? The clay marring should not have been that deep. Perhaps they are swirls that were there before? I assume that you did all this by hand. Unless you have a PC. You might want to go over those areas with some serious pressure with a cotton terry towel and SMR and see if you can remove it before reapplying the Zaino. I suspect that the optical clarity of Zaino is allowing you to see defects which were not visible before, if you were using a glaze and wax.

[Isabelle Tibbitts]

well... I wash normally in all directions, passing over every spot in several go`s and directions... the point is with the claying and the lettering "continetal" on the trunk of the Mark V, one simply has to go in different directions to get all around each letter...

you are quite right I do not have a PC.. I have some buffer that does 2900 rpm, but I`m too afraid to use it, burn my paint and ruin it.

I did use the SMR, which made it better.. but then Sal Zaino told me to Dawn wash before starting the Zaino layers... so the SMR is removed out of the little swirl marks and micro marrings I guess ?

[integdout]

in darker colored cars ive had this problem but usually the polish and the seal make those go away.

[Accumulator]

stockychaser - Your`e not the only person who`s had marring with the Pinnacle clay. I suggest 3M`s PI-III MG if you can get it there. It`ll take out the marring and it doesn`t leave fillers.

[chris0626]

Other Autopians are giving you good advice about claying and polishing. I`ll defer to their greater experience. But this plan of yours --
Originally posted by stockychaser

How do I get rid of this... knowing that I want to end the process with Zaino Z1, Z5, Z5, Z2, Z5, Z5, Z2...

thanks ! :o has me puzzled. I think the recommendation is to use Z5 as long as you want, then switch to Z2 -- not to go back-and-forth between Z5 and Z2. You might want to double-check the Zaino site about that. :nixweiss

[Isabelle Tibbitts]

OK accumulator... I`ll have to order the 3M stuff then.. since the marring is driving me crazy !... I don`t mind putting in the work.. but I simply do want to get the best possible perfect result !

Stupid of me... that after hours of reading...on this great website, I seem to have overlooked the fact that some people had problems before...



Lynn... you might be very right ! according to Sal Zaino, several layers of Z5 would deal with swirl marks and micro marring...

I only had chance to put one layer of Z5 on there... The car is in the garage right now getting a large maintenance done...

Once back... what should I do... do a Z7 wash down, and put a couple of Z5 layers ...

Would this improve the situation ??



Lynn, any further toughts on the problem itself ?



BTW I`m always very gratefull for you people answerring and helping out !