7 year old car... Clay...

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ExplorerXLT95

New member
Ok, so I have a 1995 Explorer as mentioned in my sig. It has NEVER been clayed. I washed it once with Eimann Fabrik Powerwash+, completely dried it, then began claying the hood. Before I clayed though, I felt it and it didn't feel all that bumpy. Gritty, yes, bumpy, no. I clayed the entire hood with the Pinnacle PolyClay bar and Lubricant and wiped up the excess lubricant with an MF as I went. After I finished, I again ran my fingers over the hood and it was almost as if nothing was done to it. I noticed NO difference.



Now why, on a 7 year old car, would there have been no difference?? It's never been clayed before, although it has been washed quite frequently in its years. Basically, I just refuse to believe that there aren't any contaminants bonded to the hood at the very least.



What's going on here people?? My hood is largely swirl marked and somewhat waterspotted, so it has to have some contaminants. HELP!!! Ask me any questions you need to...
 
Nope... no "black stuff" as others have mentioned... Basically it still looked like it did when I got it...



Does anyone have any input on this one?? I simply refuse to believe that I don't have any imbedded contaminants on a 7 year old car that has never been clayed before.



HELP!!!:(
 
Maybe you got a bad bar? This is puzzling. How much pressure did you use when claying? I use very light pressure- almost none- but I always manage to pick stuff up
 
Sorry if this sounds dumb, but if there's a protective wrapping on the bar sometimes people umm..... forget to remove it.....



I my opinion, if it feels "gritty" like sandpaper almost, there must be stuff on there. I wouldn't say anything about "bumpy" at all if I were to explain it to my friends. How long did you rub the clay over any given spot?
 
As the clay glided on the surface, how did it feel? I clayed an eight year old car with huge success. At first the clay would glide with resistance. After a few passes the paint was smooth and no longer gritty or bumpy. Use the plastic baggie test. You should be able to feel the clay working during the process.



Otherwise, perhaps what you are feeling is beyond clay. It's probably not that your clear-coat is so abraded that it needs leveling...I hope.
 
You may not have rubbed enough, of long enough. Kepp trying on differnet spots on the car.



The clay SHOULD pick the stuff up, beyond that, I have no idea.:nixweiss
 
The clay did kinda grab a TINY bit when I first ran it over the surface, but not like grabbing real hard. Honestly, I didn't notice much of a difference after the claying. This is a puzzling situation indeed. I used pretty good pressure during the process. Is it possible that I need a second claying?? I rubbed the clay over a particular spot for about 10 swipes (up and back being 1) and yes I did remove the plastic covering. :)



Maybe I'll try again and throw a little more elbow grease into it. Perhaps I'll also do the before and after feeling test with a plastic bag on my fingers.



Anybody else have any suggestions or anything??
 
You may want to try a different brand of clay. I have no experience with the "Poly" clay but used Meguires and hated the results, nothing removed lots of smears, and this was with the "improved" one. I bought a Clay Magic and used it (less than $10 at Auto Zone) and it worked like "Magic." I had almost given up on clay. But now I am addicted. Made the paint smooth as glass.



I have heard of folks having some problems with the Poly Clay. Especially folks new to the stuff, like us.
 
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