Prepping paint prior to removing swirls and scratches

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r_egan

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I recently purchased a BMW 1 Series (metallic black) that has some swirling and fine scratches on the hood and trunk. Prior to polishing the car I used a clay bar to remove contamination, however, the surface still does not feel real smooth.

I used a Mothers California Gold clay bar (which I have used many times and have always found to do a great job) and was unhappy with the results.

Do I need to use something like Meguiar's Professional Detailing Clay - Aggressive to remove what the Mothers missed? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
 
Paint cleaner? Ive used the Megs pro clay and was still unable to get a few things cleaned off, used paint cleaner and presto.....
 
In general, I don't like using aggressive clays.

Several different ways to go: decontamination systems (Valugard, FinishKare), IronX, et al. I guess it would depend on what's causing the dissatisfaction.
 
dug, i work on alot of bmws. yes a aggressive clay will cause some micro marring but since your polishing it all out its not a problem. bmw's have a medium hard clear sometimes some will be softer and sometimes some will be rock hard. for the most part they are medium. I like using m105 on a day with the microfiber cutting discs SOMETIMES you can get away with d300. i always follow it up with the finishing disc and d301. or you could use m105 orange pad and 205 white pad for more shine use 205 black pad. as for a LSP I ABSOLUTELY LOVE POORBOYS NATTY BLUE PASTE WAX. use the megs aggressive clay then polish her out to perfection. if you got any more questions feel free to contact me . send me a pm and i will respond with my cell phone number if you want. great car by the way. I got a 1M coming my way soon.
 
You could try 3M Cleaner Clay, it's available at most Sherwin-Williams stores. It is aggresive enough to remove overspray. I know they stock it locally here in MN, call ahead to ensure they stock it in your area. Paint Cleaner would be less work for you but probably not OTC.
 
In my experience you just have to get a little more spirited with the clay. It is tiring, and you will mar the paint. But as stated above...who cares.
 
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