Clay bar really didn't do the trick, now what

A

Autoeng

New member
First time poster here. Great forum by the way.



Just detailed my 2001 QX4 (Jade) last weekend and the paint didn't end up as smooth as I had hoped. Purchased the vehicle pre-owned so I don't know previous owners care techniques. Doesn't seem to be any scratches or swirls but paint feels a little rough (best way to describe it is like a satin finish). I had previously detatiled my Maxima using same minus the clay bar and it turned out great but it was burgandy. I did the following:



- Washed with Dawn

- Clay Magic bar with supplied lube (49-Body Shine)

- Meguiar's Cleaner (Yes, I know about Zaino and others but I still had lot's of Meguiar's left from Maxima, did a great job there and hated to throw it away. Not sure it would have made much of a difference anyway.)

- Meguiar's Polish

- Meguiar's Carnauba Wax



Used high quality absorber and all cotten towels in the shade but paint is not a slick as what it should be and very low mirror reflection (I got great reflection on the Maxima). It almost feels as if there is a tiny amount of overspray (Clearcoat?) on the entire vehicle.



Any suggestions as to the next step I should take? I love a reflective appearance but I am not currently getting it.



Autoeng
 
Autoeng,

Welcome to Autopia...:welcome



I'd try a couple of things...



1. I don't keep my clay for long, 6 months sometimes less. So consider swapping it out for some new clay if it is old.



2. Consider a more abrasive cleaner like DACP or 3M PI-III MG, particularly if you still have a few swirls or microabraisons.



3. Definitely grab some Klasse AIO. It will give you the smoothness you're looking for. It is a cleaner with some protecting properties as well. If you were only going to make one change this is what I'd suggest.



Other than that keep us posted on what you try and your results and, of course, come back with any questions you have!



Good luck,



Russ
 
It really sounds like there's paint overspray or even a repaint on that QX4. The OE paint is very good on the QX4 (I had a '97) and it should be as smooth and glossy as a Maxima or other Nissan product made in Japan. It's impossible to say what the problem is without seeing it in person. Maybe take it to a body shop and ask them to look at it?



I don't think AIO is gonna do anything for you. It's mostly a solvent-based cleaner with a little bit of abrasives in it. I don't see it working any better than the 3-step Meguiar's stuff you used.



Maybe a local pro detailer can buff it out for you and get it smooth and glossy. I know, I'm kinda reaching here but that's about all we can do since we can't actually see it for ourselves.



Hope this helps. :welcome To Autopia.
 
Thanks BretFraz,



I agree that Infiniti paint is usually perfect (like 30 coats or something like that) and am leaning to believe that it has some clearcoat overspray on it. I haven't found any evidence that it has had any paint work done to it so I think that it is overspray from another vehicle.



If anyone can recommend a good shop in central Kentucky I would appreciate it.



Thanks,

Autoeng
 
Welcome to Autopia Autoeng. :welcome



What Bret said. :up If there's overspray sometimes more claying can take it off or there are grades of clay that are made for this. If there's a lot of it though, you can probably also try polishing it off with something stronger or taking it do a pro detailer to do that. Good luck!
 
Thanks guys. I'm going to run by Tim's shop in the next week or so and see what he says. Thanks for pointing me to someone local.



Autoeng
 
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