Only option to repaint?

[Accumulator]

I think I'll try the clay first. I dismissed the use of clay because that 'nightmare detailing' service I had claimed to of clayed the entire exterior, being that they messed everything else up, might as well act as if they did nothing.. I'll have to research how claying works, as I've never done it before..

Short version: the clay slides along over the paint, riding on a film of lube; it bumps into above-surface contamination and shears it off, leaving it stuck to the clay. Note that this means the clay

a) shouldn't really *contact* the paint directly...but that's more "optimal in theory" than "standard in practice"



b) basically turns into sandpaper as it picks up presumably abrasive contamination

and have questions as to if it's reusable or not, I've heard you roll it over into itself once it discolors a bit

That's how most people use it. I'd fold/knead it more often than most people and I'll sometimes just tear it into small, single-use pieces and toss/replace them rather than knead/fold. But hey, that's just me being off the deep end; most people get a lot of use out of a claybar. But do tear it in half/thirds so you won't contaminate the whole thing when.. oh, I mean "if" ...you drop it.

 

[Chris G]

But do tear it in half/thirds so you won't contaminate the whole thing when.. oh, I mean "if" ...you drop it.

Love your realism :xyxthumbs:, thanks for the quick run down, searching for a solid 'how to clay' guide wasn't really returning much... Amazing at how at the same time, so much info is here but how little of it pertains to 'common knowledge' kind of stuff (for those of us who are helplessly lost in this kind of stuff) Kind of sad I could tear apart a computer and put it back together with out a second guess of what I'm doing, yet I stumble to comprehend how to rub clay into the exterior of a car to remove debris :noidea:



I'll tear it into pieces when I do it tomorrow, as a side note, once the clay piece nears the end of it's life, will it start to develop a texture (I assume it'll start to feel like sandpaper or something) or is that a false premise to have?

 

[Accumulator]

..I stumble to comprehend how to rub clay into the exterior of a car to remove debris

Differing areas of knowledge, expertise, etc. can make a big diff, huh? At least I get the feeling you're gonna approach this stuff with the right mindset.

I'll tear it into pieces when I do it tomorrow, as a side note, once the clay piece nears the end of it's life, will it start to develop a texture (I assume it'll start to feel like sandpaper or something) or is that a false premise to have?

Tear it into some size that's reasonable to hold comfortably after you flatten it out a bit. Not thin-flat like a pancake, but flat enough that a flat/level surface of clay will be contacting the paint.



I'd go more by appearance/apparent soiling than by a degradation in texture; IMO by the time you can discern the latter the clay will already be quite contaminated. Check the clay frequently (I can be downright crazy-extreme about this) so you don't keep going if/when you do pick up some abrasive [stuff] and inflict a lot of unnecessary marring.

 

[Chris G]

Stopped at a local privately owned auto body shop to get a quote for work and some advice. He said the scratches on the hood are through the clear but not pass the color (he determined this by rubbing excessive spit into the scratch...) and said my real only option was to have the entire hood re clear coated. Is that really the only option if it is into the paint? (He rubbed some compound on it but I noticed no color transfer) and on my rear bumper it appears it was bumped into something and he tried some compound on that as well which turned the rag the color of the car and he said it'd need repainted. Estimate was 800 to do both.. Wanted to ask if these are really my only options before sinking a grand into something that could of been fixed for less. Thanks everyone.

 

[Accumulator]

Chris G- It sounds like the bumper does need reshot. On the hood, you might be satisfied by merely reducing the severity of the scratches and just living with them.