What exactly is a clay bar residue?

[FairladyZ32]

well, there was this stubborn stain spot on my paint that took forever to come off with a claybar. after awhile, i saw what appears to be like spots (looks like the surface of a rubber basketball) that are different from the rest of the panel. the surface is smooth, but dull. are they what you call residue? i might have applied too much pressure on the clay.

i didn't wash the car after claying. i wiped the car down with meguiar's final inspection and applied glaze on top of the spots. they disappeared, but i think the glaze is just covering them up. should i have washed the car before applying glaze?

so, how does a clay bar residue look like? how can there be residue when a clay bar is supposed to remove the dirt from the surface and the dirt should stick on the clay bar?

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

When I write about clay bar residue I'm referring to the film of clay lubricant left on the surface. If you don't wipe this off and allow it to dry on the paint it will look like a streaky film.

There usually isn't any real "clay" residue in the film as it's really just the clay lubricant that's on the surface. If a person wanted to be more specific they could write clay lubricant residue, it's just a few more strokes on the keyboard. I guess for the kind of DO audience on discussion forums that would be a good idea.

Sometimes when you're claying you might leave smudges of clay on the paint, these would be called clay smudges and if it happens when you're using a clay lubricant then you would have bot clay smudges and clay lubricant residue on the surface.

The idea is to wipe any and all of this off before the lubricant residue dries using a microfiber polishing cloth so there's nothing left but squeaky clean paint.

 

[FairladyZ32]

thanks Mike for a great info.

yes, i think they are smudges, but they wouldn't come off even if i kept using the clay bar on it. it's really smooth to touch. clay bar burn in? =)

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

thanks Mike for a great info.

yes, i think they are smudges, but they wouldn't come off even if i kept using the clay bar on it. it's really smooth to touch. clay bar burn in? =)

Apply a light paint cleaner or polish and that should remove the smudges. You could also use a cleaner/wax.

If you use a paint cleaner or polish be sure to apply some wax afterwards because you'll have removed any wax previously there.

 

[OCDetails]

I use a soapy water mixture for clay lube usually. Water isn't slick enough, but it is free, so it makes sense to add a little soap to make it slicker and save the $$ of buying gallons of clay lube. I will say that I enjoy using clay lube MUCH more than soapy water. There isn't as much residue to clean up after for one, but it also seems to let the clay glide better. Either way I find there is enough cleanup necessary that I usually just give the car a quick wash and rinse before drying it and going forward with the rest of the project.