mystickeith50

Ok so last week I did some hard core cleaning(lol). I used the black fire polish and then finished it with black fire paint protection sealant. Little time consuming but I think it turned out really really nice. My question is, I still have very faint little water spots in certain areas like the trunck lid. Next time I do this in six months or whatever I have been told that I should always start by claying the car for best results. I have never used clay before. I have watched videos and feel I can do it, but I was wondering can I damage my paint at all with claying if I screw up? Do you guys use clay? I am just looking for advice for the best possible paint look. I have owned my 11 for 9 months and it has 1900 miles on it and sits in my garage with a cover on it. I can afford to put the time into it cause it never sits in the sun and never rides in inclement weather. So calling all detail freaks, what is your advice for the next time? Thanks

Ltngdrvr

My guess is that you will not be able to remove the water spots you are talking about, probably under the clear coat or embedded in it.

The clay bar is very minimally abrasive and if you use the lubricant you can't really screw anything up.

neevers1

It is Really easy to do. Not allot to go Wrong.

ksguy73

Just be careful around any decals you may have on your car when you use clay. On my '08 CS I started to raise the side stripe when I was clay barring around the corner of it. Other than that I have no problems using it.

alcarames

+1^. You can also do it when washing your car and it's nice and soapy to get more even results.

wjones14

Check out the FAQ at Meguiars for a lot of general info on detailing - yes, they will recommend their own products of course, but the info is all good nonetheless.

http://www.meguiars.com/faq/

mystickeith50

Thanks guys.

Overboost

Clay is a fundamental thing to do before you dive heavily into paint. If you don't properly strip down and prep the surface, all that time you spend polishing and waxing is wasted, since you're not polishing your surface, but the embedded contaminants on top of the surface.

Definitely take the time next time you start cleaning heavily and strip the paint by using a clay bar. The Meguiars/Mothers kits that are readily available are sufficient for getting the job done. If you want to go further, many detailing shops online sell different grades of clay, which help remove contaminants. You can also go with a dedicated clay lube, instead of using quick detailer or water. The benefit to this is you don't get a false sense of cleanliness that some get with QD.

To tackle those water spots, you'll definitely want to hit them with some polish. If the Blackfire polish doesn't work, try some scratch remover in a small area and see if it solves the issue. If not, look into a slightly more abrasive product. I'm not familiar with the BF polish, so I can't recommend something stronger.

cdynaco

I had bad water spots from my first wash (well water - didn't dry each panel fast enough - now I keep the rinse water flowing until I get to that panel, and dry the horizontal panels first!). The dealer had to do a 'acid wash' to remove them.

For some reason I was hesitant about the clay bar too - but it was easy schmeasy - and boy was there a lot of stuff (new car off the lot) that pulled off!

Then I applied '5 Star Shine'.

SD6

Others have said it above, but I don't think it can't be said enough.

USE LOTS OF LUBRICANT

Keep the spray bottle spraying on every pass. Use either a mildly soapy solution or quick detailer (or dedicated clay lube like Steve said).

Go slow and take your time. When the clay gets dirty, fold it to a new square.
Oh and be very careful not to drop it on the ground. If you do the clay picks up a lot of contaminants and can scratch your finish.

I find claying is as PAIN IN THE *** to do, but it is totally worth it!!
Just got slow and use lots of lube! ("That's what she said!")

jokerstars

I am convinced I didn't use enough lube while claying and I have some annoying scratches in my clear coat (fine lines, really).

Only noticable in bright artificial light, but still annoys me.

Overboost

I doubt the clay did the scratching. Besides, it's not going to get rid of them for you, but make your polishing effort much easier and more effective. Not using enough lube just makes the job extremely difficult.

To follow up what SD6 said, if your clay hits the ground, your best bet is to remove what part touched and throw it away, or throw the whole piece away. A $20 inconvenience is much easier to replace than spending hours and hundreds of dollars on fixing what serious damage you might incur to your car.

jokerstars

If you dont remash your clay often enough couldn't theoretically scratch your paint using what the clay lifted off?

Overboost

There's a slim chance of that, but doubtful. You shouldn't be pressing too hard into your paint either when you're claying.

Put it this way, if your paint is that dirty (which I doubt) and you don't knead the clay to get the contaminants covered and "sealed" by clay, you're doing it wrong. Probably time to let someone else do it for ya.

cdynaco

I agree - I don't think the clay did it.

Those swirls are a pain. Complained to the dealer and he had his 'best guy' come and take care of it. Did a dang near perfect job!

Then last fall I had to get a key job fixed. The body shop left swirls so I go back to my dealer and ask for the same guy. About 4 hrs later they call me to pick it up and swirls are still in there. I whined but they showed me the new cars from the factory and they all had swirls.

When I take mine out of storage in April I'm taking it back to them - not only for swirls but the guy left all these "wax spatterings" that I can't seem to get off - afraid to use my fingernail for fear of leaving a scratch.

One time the guys does a great job, the next time a slop job.

jokerstars

Few weeks ago I found a bit tar of caked on tar on my rear spoiler and used my fingernail to chip it away.

I now have clearcoat scratches in a little pattern there.


I am so stupid.

Overboost

I'd really like to see these "scratches" you speak of. I bet with a very minor polish you'd get rid of them without much trouble.

cdynaco

I just caught that. GO CS!!

jokerstars

Yeah, Klasse AIO didn't work. So I'm going to try scratch-out or something next. Found a bottle at home:

http://www.amazon.com/Kit-Wash-60271...9799513&sr=8-4

Overboost

Post pics of your scratches so we can get a better idea of what you're dealing with.

My guess is some Meg's M205 would probably do plenty. Problem with KAIO is that it's a jack of all trades, master of none. It does work really well for some things, but your best bet is going with a dedicated polish over an AIO product.