Paint Still "Gritty" After Claying

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sparkism13

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So I recently clayed my car with Meg's Smooth Surface kit. I saw it removed a good bit of gunk and the paint felt smooth afterwards when I ran my hand across it. However, I did the plastic bag test where I stuck my hand inside a clean sandwich bag and ran it across that way. When I do this I can feel a good bit of "grit" Almost feels like there are grains of sand on the paint. I then concentrated on my trunk to see if I could get rid of the grit by more carefully going over it. Anyhow, I cant seem to get rid of the grit. Is this normal or do I need a more aggressive clay or perhaps an ultra-fine? Any suggestions are appreciated.
 
sparkism13 said:
So I recently clayed my car with Meg's Smooth Surface kit. I saw it removed a good bit of gunk and the paint felt smooth afterwards when I ran my hand across it. However, I did the plastic bag test where I stuck my hand inside a clean sandwich bag and ran it across that way. When I do this I can feel a good bit of "grit" Almost feels like there are grains of sand on the paint. I then concentrated on my trunk to see if I could get rid of the grit by more carefully going over it. Anyhow, I cant seem to get rid of the grit. Is this normal or do I need a more aggressive clay or perhaps an ultra-fine? Any suggestions are appreciated.
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Hey Sparkism,

Were you sure to keep kneading the clay as you were working with it? Has the car been repainted at all? Can you see the "grit" on the finish?

Just a few questions to help steer us in the right direction :dblthumb2:
 
You probably need a more aggressive clay. What was in the Meg's kit?
 
If you cannot see the grit and the car has not been repainted then you need a more aggressive clay my friend
 
Correction: It's actually the Mothers clay kit, not Megs. I cant see the grit, but I can see etched water spots and scratches (not swirls). I cant see any more contaminants coming off but, yes, I'm kneading often. No, the car has not been repainted. I did a Megs UC and SwirlX polish but it was by hand and, admittedly, not very good. I got really tired and gave up and decided to wait until until I break down and buy a polisher. However, since I focused on my trunk lid, I did do a very thorough polish on the trunk lid and still see water spots and scratches. It definitely needs a power polish. Anyhow, I dont think that explains the grit. I'm assuming ultra-fine is less aggreassive so I would need something like a medium to coarse clay?
 
sparkism13 said:
Correction: It's actually the Mothers clay kit, not Megs. I cant see the grit, but I can see etched water spots and scratches (not swirls). I cant see any more contaminants coming off but, yes, I'm kneading often. No, the car has not been repainted. I did a Megs UC and SwirlX polish but it was by hand and, admittedly, not very good. I got really tired and gave up and decided to wait until until I break down and buy a polisher. However, since I focused on my trunk lid, I did do a very thorough polish on the trunk lid and still see water spots and scratches. It definitely needs a power polish. Anyhow, I dont think that explains the grit. I'm assuming ultra-fine is less aggreassive so I would need something like a medium to coarse clay?
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Like a polish... least aggressive first and that goes for clay. Get the grit out before polishing. If UC didn't take out the water spots and scratches.. move up to Meg's 105/205 combo.
 
Rsurfer said:
Like a polish... least aggressive first and that goes for clay. Get the grit out before polishing. If UC didn't take out the water spots and scratches.. move up to Meg's 105/205 combo.
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Can I expect UC to be more aggressive with a polisher though? I thought 205 was roughly the equivalent of Ultimate Compound anyhow? I dont want to buy any more polishes until I get a polisher and see what I can accomplish with what I have now. Make sense?
 
No, 105 is the most aggersive, then UC, ScratchX 2.0, SwirlX, #83, M205, ScratchX 1.0, and then #80. That's just a small section of the Mirror Line products, but that's what Mike Phillips has posted before.
 
sparkism13 said:
Can I expect UC to be more aggressive with a polisher though? I thought 205 was roughly the equivalent of Ultimate Compound anyhow? I dont want to buy any more polishes until I get a polisher and see what I can accomplish with what I have now. Make sense?
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Just to help understand cutting power of each product, please check this excellent chart: Autogeek Swirl Removers & Compounds Comparison Chart
 
sparkism13 said:
Can I expect UC to be more aggressive with a polisher though? I thought 205 was roughly the equivalent of Ultimate Compound anyhow? I dont want to buy any more polishes until I get a polisher and see what I can accomplish with what I have now. Make sense?
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205 is a finishing polish and UC is like the name say's... a compound although lighter than 105.
 
sparkism13 said:
Any suggestions are appreciated.
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As others have suggested, you can try a more aggressive clay.

Here's a tip to help you troubleshoot the problem, if you decide to try a more aggressive clay, when you get the clay only clay a strip of affected paint in the middle of a panel.

Then after wiping off the residue and drying the paint, feel the strip of paint as compared to the surrounding paint that you have not used the aggressive lay over and see if your strip of paint feel smoother or the same.

You want to make sure you're in fact getting the job done and by testing to an isolated section and comparing you'll be able to tell.

If you were to get some aggressive clay and then clay the entire panel, if it feels smooth and glassy then the problems solved. If it doesn't and you clayed the entire panel it will be hard to tell if a more aggressive clay is working and if so how well it's working.

If you don't know what the offending contaminants are then it makes it hard to figure out the best approach. Testing helps to give you feedback as to your success or lack thereof.


:)
 
Rsurfer said:
Like a polish... least aggressive first and that goes for clay. Get the grit out before polishing. If UC didn't take out the water spots and scratches.. move up to Meg's 105/205 combo.
Click to expand...

Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
As others have suggested, you can try a more aggressive clay.

Here's a tip to help you troubleshoot the problem, if you decide to try a more aggressive clay, when you get the clay only clay a strip of affected paint in the middle of a panel.

Then after wiping off the residue and drying the paint, feel the strip of paint as compared to the surrounding paint that you have not used the aggressive lay over and see if your strip of paint feel smoother or the same.

You want to make sure you're in fact getting the job done and by testing to an isolated section and comparing you'll be able to tell.

If you were to get some aggressive clay and then clay the entire panel, if it feels smooth and glassy then the problems solved. If it doesn't and you clayed the entire panel it will be hard to tell if a more aggressive clay is working and if so how well it's working.

If you don't know what the offending contaminants are then it makes it hard to figure out the best approach. Testing helps to give you feedback as to your success or lack thereof.


:)
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That was my thought process when I focused on my trunk lid and I do test a small area before I spend the entire day on the whole car. I actually learned that by reading your articles. :bowdown:

Thanks to all. It's cold here (in GA cold is 60 or lower), so this may have to wait 'til Spring when I have 14 hours do go through the process again. Thanks again for everyone's suggestions.
 
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
As others have suggested, you can try a more aggressive clay.

Here's a tip to help you troubleshoot the problem, if you decide to try a more aggressive clay, when you get the clay only clay a strip of affected paint in the middle of a panel.

Then after wiping off the residue and drying the paint, feel the strip of paint as compared to the surrounding paint that you have not used the aggressive lay over and see if your strip of paint feel smoother or the same.

You want to make sure you're in fact getting the job done and by testing to an isolated section and comparing you'll be able to tell.

If you were to get some aggressive clay and then clay the entire panel, if it feels smooth and glassy then the problems solved. If it doesn't and you clayed the entire panel it will be hard to tell if a more aggressive clay is working and if so how well it's working.

If you don't know what the offending contaminants are then it makes it hard to figure out the best approach. Testing helps to give you feedback as to your success or lack thereof.


:)
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What brand is considered a fairly aggressive clay?
 
Good question. I would like a suggestion on which clay to use next. I don't know where the Mothers kit falls in terms of aggressiveness.
 
Meguiar's offers an aggressive clay,

Meguiar's Aggressive Clay


There are others on the market too, mostly targeted at the professional body shop and detailing industry as aggressive clay bars can cause Clay Haze, which is a kinder, more gentle way of saying clay scratches.

These are very shallow and can be polished out easily after the offending aboves surface bonded contaminants have been removed.

:)
 
I just bought an 07 z06 with 5K miles on it. The owner barely drove the car(5K miles in 3 years) and it was always parked in the garage. Soon after I took ownership, I picked up a Mothers claybar kit. Long story short, same result as you. After I clayed, I did the plastic bag test and the paint was still not smooth. The car has not been re-painted. I guess I need a more aggressive clay as well?? Are there better quality clays out there that aren't considered aggressive? Or should Mothers work good for what it is?
 
See that makes me wonder if more aggressive clay will work. In my case, my car is 9 years old and the paint is not in stellar shape. However, in your case, that sounds very odd. Where do you live? Perhaps it could be the environment? Anyhow, I'd like to be certain the more aggressive clay will work before dropping $30 on a piece of clay that I'll use one time. Anywhere else I can get less clay? I don't need a whole tub.
 
sparkism13 said:
See that makes me wonder if more aggressive clay will work. In my case, my car is 9 years old and the paint is not in stellar shape. However, in your case, that sounds very odd. Where do you live? Perhaps it could be the environment? Anyhow, I'd like to be certain the more aggressive clay will work before dropping $30 on a piece of clay that I'll use one time. Anywhere else I can get less clay? I don't need a whole tub.
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I'm in southern CA. I'm thinking I might have went over the car too fast, but I don't know?
 
Well, if you still have some of the Mothers clay, focus on a very small section of your trunk or wherever you feel the grit. Do the plastic bag test, then clay using slow steady passes with slight pressure. Then do the bag test again. I eased up on the lube as well since I was using ONR at QD strength and I think it might be too slick, which causes the clay to lose grip. The first time I clayed I went over the car hastily too, so try again and let us know.
 
sparkism13 said:
Well, if you still have some of the Mothers clay, focus on a very small section of your trunk or wherever you feel the grit. Do the plastic bag test, then clay using slow steady passes with slight pressure. Then do the bag test again. I eased up on the lube as well since I was using ONR at QD strength and I think it might be too slick, which causes the clay to lose grip. The first time I clayed I went over the car hastily too, so try again and let us know.
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I used lots of lube, good point, I'll ease up a bit. I'll try what you suggested and report back. :xyxthumbs:
 
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