1st time claying

[JeffM]

Man, what a good job clay does. I didnt really know what all the fuss was about, but i took everyone`s word for it. Glad i did!



I used the clay magic, got it local, was real easy. The car has not been waxed in a year, and never has seen a polish, so i am having fun.



Today i washed, clayed, washed, did a megs cleaner, then nxt tech wax. Car came out real nice, but i only had the white pad that comes stock with the p.c.



I really need a better polishing pad, and some better polish. The paint was clean, but full of scratches from auto washes. The white pad and cleaner wouldnt take them out. Im not even sure if the cleaner was supposed to be used with a pc, the directions said hand apply, shrug.



Anyways my wifes car is white, shines real nice right now with products that were too weak, so i am eager to get the correct ones.



Before the clay, i had massive amounts of imbedded elements. I ran my hand over the surface, lol, it was a mess. After the clay, after washing and drying again, the paint was shinier than before, just from clay!! I am impressed.



But,



I have these little redish-rusty looking dots in my paint, they are only noticable on white, as far as i can tell, what are they?



The clay removed some of them, but some where left behind. Is it perhaps like an iron element imbedded in the paint and rusting?



Will a good polish remove them?

[a.k.a. Patrick]

Good ol industrial fallout my friend. Sounds like brake dust. Giv the clay another going, this may be a perfect example of too much lube. When that happens, the clay tends to glide over, and miss some pollutants. This is why i use water or just suds while rinsing. Ive always been of the belief that too little lube is better than too much, you can always wipe away the clay product. Least thats been my experience.

[White95Max]

Go over those spots with the clay again. Sometimes it takes several passes to pick up some of those spots.

[JeffM]

AHH, too much lube. LMAO, i did have too much on, i didnt think it was possible, but now that i think about it, i remember thinking, this is realy slippery....



I did get good results, except maybe 15 red dots in various places.



Another thing...i have poor lighting in my garage, so it is hard for me to see where i missed with the mf towels removing the products from polishing and wax.



Are there products that dry say pink or something , so it is more visible on white?



I spent more time looking for angles in the light to see where i missed than i did applying the products lol.



But it was fun, my first time with clay, and my first pc attempt.



Now i have to order some pads and polish!!



BTW...is the speed wheel uncomfortable where it is located on the pc for any of you guys/ gals?



I find it pretty uncomfortable to adjust the speed while machine is on.

[mtodde]

The speed wheel is kind of awkward but I got used to it after a few times.

[a.k.a. Patrick]

JB, just be meticulous in your efforts, develop small work area habits. When your clay surface is clean, your pretty much finished !

[Accumulator]

If the rust blooms (which are the corroded remains of ferrous deposits) are too firmly embedded to remove with the clay alone, you can try some ABC from AutoInt and clay during the "B" step, which is a sorta-mild acid that dissolves the contamination. Sometimes clay alone doesn`t do it.



Searching on ABC should give you plenty of info.



Can`t think of any products that dry "non-white", but IMO you oughta think about some good lights ;) A halogen work light isn`t all that expensive.



And yeah, I for one find the PC to be a bit less than ergonomically designed.

[JeffM]

Thanks for the tips, and yeah, some more lighting is needed.



One more thing, im the second owner of this car. The headlight lenses look like someone took a scotch brite pad to them.



What can i do about polishing up these?

[Pondscum]

Originally posted by JBM

Thanks for the tips, and yeah, some more lighting is needed.



One more thing, im the second owner of this car. The headlight lenses look like someone took a scotch brite pad to them.



What can i do about polishing up these?



You can go to your local NAPA store and get some 3M plastic polish, or there are others you can get online that work well.



If the scratches are deep, plastic polish may not get rid of them completely.

[JeffM]

Could i go over the lenses with 2000 grit wetsand paper, then the plastic polish?

[az57chevy]

Believe it or not a metal polish will likely clean it up. Try Wenol or anything else that comes out of a tube and try a small section of your plastic lens

[Eliot Ness]

Originally posted by JBM

Could i go over the lenses with 2000 grit wetsand paper, then the plastic polish?

Here is a thread that you may find helpful:



http://autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=38972&highlight=plastic

[JeffM]

Thanks alot fellas :)