PagnasTL

IDK what happend but I clayed my car, and i left a good haze/scratches over the clayed area. maybe it was dirty clay, or maybe i put too much pressure or both.

What type of compound/polish and pad will get rid of it? I have a dewalt rotary buffer. so what RPM should I buff at? and what kind of pad? ALSO where do I get it from?!

TIA

DetailedImage

If you added marring from using a clay bar, chances are a light polish on a rotary buffer would be all you need to remove those imperfections. On the light side, you could opt to go with Menzerna PO106FA on a black pad for very light marring and light swirl clean up.

For a little more aggressive polish combo, I useMenzerna Power Finish on a green pad as my base line to assess most vehicles. It has a nice medium cut to it but finishes down very nicely on most paint. For optimal gloss and depth, follow the Power Finish up with PO85RD on a black pad for stunning professional results.

That's my favorite 2 step polishing combo to use on a rotary buffer. I'll usually work both of them between 1,100 - 1,500 RPMs then do the last couple of passes around 900 RPMs to finish down hologram / haze free.

Keep us posted on how things turn out. If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

George

PagnasTL

Thanx alot george, I went with a meguires wax and a wool pad a 1100 RPM and it came out fine. but ur info is great for future refrences wen i want a deep luster

conan777

Also check your claybar. Some claybars are more abrasive and will marr your paint and are generally used for bad overspray removal and tough jobs. Then there are very mild clay bars that will not marr your paint at all (unless you get some small rock embedded in there or something). I have 4 diff clay bars mild, (clay magic/pinnacle ultra poly) medium (Meguairs white) and abrasive...I forgot the brand but its gray and you can feel the difference from the other 3 and it will marr the paint every time. I only use the last one if I am definitely going to polish right afterwards. I really like the Meguiars clay which you can buy OTC at most stores because it does not marr paint yet removes alot of contamination with little effort and I can go to the local store and buy some although it only comes in a kit with quick detailer and cleaner wax (which I throw away).

PagnasTL

oh yah, i never thought of that. I have clay magic, the red color, i was told that its good for white cars, but mines black lol

Gunsmokez

Black cars are the worst. Polish my Car 2 times a year. Using a Makita polisher. Wet sand 2k grit and cut and polish.

shenaniganz08

You are doing something wrong, claybar should not be leaving scratches

what did you use for lubricant

You can get away with using water, but if you are working on a car that has soft paint, you need to use a quick detailer ( or something equally as slick)

Denzil

iTrader: (1)

You used a WAX and a WOOL PAD? Those are two entirely different things and definitely don't work together. Whatever scratches you incurred with your clay bar shouldn't need a rotary and a wool pad (unless you really hacked it up) but rather a random orbital, polishing pad and polish.

If anything, I guarantee those scratches are going to come back after the wax wears off. I'm all for DIY'ers but make sure you're doing it right before just going in head first. It was a good idea to ask some of us here but you really need to do some more reading to learn how to properly use the Makita with the proper pad and compound/polish combinations depending on the task at hand. I'm not trying to discourage you but help you prevent any more harm being done to your vehicle before it's too late.

I've had way too many people call me asking for advice and how much I charge and when they attempt to do things on their own in order to save money, they end up calling me back telling me they messed up.

Good luck with your vehicle man.

exceldetail

Why do people think clay doesnt mar? Im serious here, lol. I think the only clay I ever used that didnt mar was the Sonus green. But then again it didnt really remove enough contaminants for my liking. Folks, understand, unless a car is well kept over the year(s), you're going to need to use an aggressive clay. And by "aggressive" I mean, not the Mothers or Megs DIY kit at the local Pep Boys. Those bars are great for the casual weekender who wants to spruce up a car, but the cars that come to me, such as this weekend a Honda Odyssey and a new A8, I know are going to need something a little aggressive. I could go for the Megs or Moms, but I know off the bat, they probably arent going to be sufficient. They're designed to be on the light side for the simple reason: Imagine selling claybars by the 10's of thousands to consumers knowing they mar dark colors? Can you hear the consumer hotline or customer service phone ringing off the hook?
"Detailing clay" can mar paint, and you know what? THATS OK! Like Denzil said, polish it out with a light pad and a light polish with a PC, ITS PART OF THE PROCESS folks! Its like washing and rinsing, ying and yang, sunrise- sunset! Its no big deal!
If "enthusiasts" are claying and waxing, I think the point and/or purpose of claying needs to be addressed again. No offense to anyone here, but any idea how many calls or emails I have gotten with customers saying "I used a claybar, now I have all of these ghost images on my car"............
First thing I usually say is, "Do you have some polish"?

exceldetail

Ummmmm..............Red is not a light grade claybar? Its their middle of the road clay, aka medium grade.

PagnasTL

^I have no idea.
I went to a local shop here and asked what color i should use, they have blue and red. the guy asked me what color my car is and i told him it was white, so he gave me the red

My question is not so much HOW this happend. My question is what polish/pad combo is good to get rid of those scratches.

I like to keep my car clean and feeling smooth but im not CRAZY anal like u guys ( no offence)

Just somthing simple and pretty easy

exceldetail

A light foam pad, and a light grade polish via PC.
Rotary, low speeds, and again, a light foam pad like grey or white with a light grade polish, or something similar to Optimum Polish, 1z Metallic polish etc....

exceldetail

One last word, the color of the car is not what determines the level of abrasive clay to use. The pollutants or fallout do. Technique may be altered with darker colored cars, but not the clay itself.

Denzil

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, it's obvious that the shop has no idea what they're talking about or doing by giving you clay based on the color of your vehicle.

While we may be "anal", there is a difference between doing something wrong and right and using a wool pad with a wax is one of them. However, if you think that's what gets you the best results, then so be it.

SweetJazz

Clay bars are not magic. There is usually a small price to pay for removing surface contaminants. This is especially true with soft Acura paint. I always follow a clay bar session with a machine polish.

jtsangAZ

So I dont own any orbital machines, but I do happen to own clay, cleaner, polish and wax. Is it ok to apply the cleaner, polish and wax by hand? Will that fix the marring if I only apply it by hand?

conan777

Yes you can do it by hand, but you will not get the same results as if doing it with a machine. Also many people go to autozone or something and buy a "Polish" over the counter but it is usually just a wax they are buying, not an abrasive polish. I would suggest anyone wishing to polish by hand at least contact pat at exceldetail or phil at detailed image to purchase the proper polishes and applicators so that you get some good results.

ex. My cousin got a scratch on his van and grabbed some rubbing compound he got at the local store. Yeah he got the scratch out with the rubbing compound but it left a bad haze where he rubbed it out by hand and it bothered him to no end. All that was needed was a finishing polish to remove the haze but they did not sell anything like that at the local store, however if you are pressed you can always find a distributor of 3m products and buy some 3m Ultrafina finishing polish. I simply hit the spot 1x with Megs 105 and finished up with Menzerna 106ff. Good as new in 2 mins

Denzil

iTrader: (1)

For clarification purposes, I think you meant George at DI and Phil at DD.

exceldetail

George at DI.....yup. I believe Phil is DD...
Least Conan he got me right, lol.