Need Help Removing Contamination

[ABHernandez]

Hey AG. I tried claying my car using the nanoskin autoscrub medium grade sponge but was not successful. When I did the baggie test after going through a test section multiple times the paint still felt bumpy. I was hoping you guys could help me out.

To give some background I haven't clayed the car in about 3 - 4 years so it was pretty bad. I was successful back then but I used traditional clay. I also live in LA as and my car is a daily driver that has been outside just about 24/7.

On to the process. I used the nanoskin sponge along with some chemical guys lube that was sitting around. I broke the sponge in on all the windows before using it on the paint. I worked on a small test section about 2 x 2 and sprayed the lube on the paint as well as the sponge. I proceeded by scrubbing pretty hard but when I dried and went over the section with a bag it felt bumpy. I figured I maybe used too much lube so I tried it again using less lube, enough to get the sponge moving, but still nothing. The paint is still bumpy. I did this multiple times and I can't get that slick feeling on the paint.

Does the product used as a lubricant matter a lot? I have ONR which I can try with and was wondering if that could make a difference? Or is maybe the sponge that I got defective? I'm just trying to see what I can do to move forward before resorting back to clay as I work quite a lot during the day. The purpose of using the sponge was to save time. The end goal is polish the car using some HD speed but I need to get rid of the contamination first.

Thanks in advance for all the help!

 

[AutowerxDetailing]

I've found that certain types of contamination respond better with traditional clay bar vs the synthetic clay products. It's good to have both options on hand and do a test spot to see which will work most effectively.

 

[ABHernandez]

I've found that certain types of contamination respond better with traditional clay bar vs the synthetic clay products. It's good to have both options on hand and do a test spot to see which will work most effectively.

Any recommendations on which clay to buy if I end up going that route? Thanks.

 

[VISITOR]

if the car hasn't been clayed in years then you'll most likely need an aggressive clay bar if what you are using isn't working out. keep in mind that it you'll most likely need to polish after. here's one suggestion...

Meguiars Professional Detailing Clay – Aggressive - C2100

 

[Desertnate]

I agree that hitting the car with clay might help. I've always had better results with clay than the Nanoskin sponges.

I wouldn't get too hung up on absolute perfection with a daily driver (* que angry mob of "Geeks" with their torches and pitchforks *). Claying is a necessary step to proper care of the paint, but chasing an absolutely perfect baggie test may take more effort than it's worth since the car will face the elements every day. Since it hasn't been done in a long time, I'd clay until there wasn't any real noticeable changes and then move on to your polishing step.

 

[Mantilgh]

The medium grade product should be reasonably effective and the lube shouldn't matter too much.

I'd say take a close look at the paint to see if you can tell what is causing the rough feeling during the baggie test.

Contamination like paint overspray can be some work to remove even with a more aggressive clay and I think tar and sap are easier to remove with chemicals than clay.

Another reason to closely check the paint is to make sure you are not feeling many tiny little chips that the baggie test can amplify making you think you are feeling contamination when you are just feeling the tiniest chips.


Side note: I also think of the claying process as more of a gliding with little to no pressure thing as opposed to scrubbing.

 

[ABHernandez]

The medium grade product should be reasonably effective and the lube shouldn't matter too much.

I'd say take a close look at the paint to see if you can tell what is causing the rough feeling during the baggie test.

Contamination like paint overspray can be some work to remove even with a more aggressive clay and I think tar and sap are easier to remove with chemicals than clay.

Another reason to closely check the paint is to make sure you are not feeling many tiny little chips that the baggie test can amplify making you think you are feeling contamination when you are just feeling the tiniest chips.


Side note: I also think of the claying process as more of a gliding with little to no pressure thing as opposed to scrubbing.

Thanks a lot for that detailed response. I'll try to take some pictures to see what kind of contamination is on there.

I actually went through the entire car last night before your response and the end result was the same. The only reason I scrubbed on the test section was because it just didn't seem like the sponge was removing anything. However. I did use the gliding method that you mention when I did the remainder of the car. It was pretty bumpy after that so I doubt it's chips unless they are throughout the car. I'll double check though. But this too leads me to believe that maybe the sponge could be defective?

Given that I last clayed a long time ago it's probably some difficult contamination that will require some chemicals. Do you have any recommendations of what to use? I think at this point I might have buy chemicals and go with traditional aggressive clay.

Thanks again for the response.

 

[ABHernandez]

I agree that hitting the car with clay might help. I've always had better results with clay than the Nanoskin sponges.

I wouldn't get too hung up on absolute perfection with a daily driver (* que angry mob of "Geeks" with their torches and pitchforks *). Claying is a necessary step to proper care of the paint, but chasing an absolutely perfect baggie test may take more effort than it's worth since the car will face the elements every day. Since it hasn't been done in a long time, I'd clay until there wasn't any real noticeable changes and then move on to your polishing step.

Cool, thanks for the response. I'm not trying to go for perfection for the same reason you mentioned that it's a daily driver. It's just that after going through the entire car it seems like the sponge didn't do much. I think I might end up having to get that aggressive clay and some chemicals as another poster suggested.

Thanks a lot for the help!

 

[Crispy]

All good advice here.

If I clay and it still feals rough, I sand it with 3000 grit Trizact 3" pads.

Repeat the claying to check.

Can do only because is my DD and have lots of clear.

 

[GSKR]

Cool, thanks for the response. I'm not trying to go for perfection for the same reason you mentioned that it's a daily driver. It's just that after going through the entire car it seems like the sponge didn't do much. I think I might end up having to get that aggressive clay and some chemicals as another poster suggested.

Thanks a lot for the help!

Best Clay is chemical guys black Clay.Its labeled as aggressive but it doesn't tear up your paint.Ive used that Clay on over spray jobs when no other Clay or mitt and disc would work. Unfortunately autogeek no longer carries it.order through chemical guys.

 

[ABHernandez]

I just want to say thanks to everyone here! I went ahead and bought some sonax fallout remover and the megs aggressive clay. I just got done with the entire car and the results are amazing! Thanks a lot to everyone for the advice. I really appreciate it.


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