Greetings.

When i got my car about a year ago, it had all kinds of practically microscopic brown/yellow flecks on the paint. i clayed the car over and over and it helped, but it didn't CURE the problem. eventually i just chalked it up to having a white car, that the paint was never going to be perfect.i could get the spots to come off using a little pressure with my fingernail, but obviously i wasn't going to go over my entire car with my fingernail.

I've had my car about a year, and those spots began to bug me again yesterday. do you guys have any experience with this or any suggestions? is there anything i can do besides clay it? do i need to buff it? do i need to use a special wash? any ideas?

 

Ah, good ol' industrial fallout, tree crap, bird crap, etc etc. White cars just hate that stuff and show it off more than any other colour. However in your case I have a feeling it is the common "brake dust" effect. The brown spots are brake dust, the yellow spots most likely small pieces that have oxidized/rusted.
When moisture combines with the metal particles rust is formed, creating small yellow (sometimes orange) / brown rust spots. You should remove them as soon as you see them. This can usually be done with detailer’s clay or an abrasive polish.

If you could not get rid of it with a clay bar, sounds like the next step is to polish it. Nothing too harsh though. Something like Pinnacle Advanced swirl remover, or 3M ultrafina SE. Meguiars Scratch X would probably work as well but most likely more aggressive than you would need.

 

yeah man, from what i can tell the car was on the lot for awhile. i think it picked up a ton of this crap just sitting out on the lot. i will give the polish a shot.

thanks for your help adrenalin!

 

No problem. Let us know how it goes.