This car soap works really very well fellas. You should try it, seriously. I have soft water now, but I used it before I had soft water, with excellent results. The water just sheets off. And it's like $5.00 is all. I know they sell it at Walgreens.



The Rain-X Self Dry Car Wash is formulated to save you time and energy by minimizing the job of towel drying your car, truck, van or SUV. The patented technology treats the surface, causing water to simply sheet away, allowing the vehicle to dry with minimal to almost no water spots. Rain-X Self Dry Car Wash generates a high foam solution containing high quality surfactants. After the dirt and road grime is removed your vehicle's shine will be restored. Safe for all paint finishes and clear coats.

Features:
Save time with Rain-X Self Dry Car Wash by virtually eliminating the drying step!
Patented technology makes the water sheet away allowing the car to dry itself without spotting or streaking.
Rich foam Acts Quickly To Dissolve and Lift Off Dirt and Road Grime
Formulated For All Automotive Paint Finishes, Including Clear Coats.
Will Not Strip or Dull Waxed Surfaces.
Contains 21 fl. oz.

 

What kind of lubrication did you use when clay-barring?

I recently noticed something very similar on my car that I just clay-barred. It looks great for the most part except that with the light shining "just the right way", you can see some light scratches or "marring" in the paint.

I also suspect that this was caused by me clay-barring. I used a weak mix of QEW for lube and I think it might not have been "slippery" enough.

I have a PC and I think that a light polish (SSR1) should remove this light marring. I haven't had a chance to get to it yet though.

I will also be interested in what RP has to say..........

 

chamios drying will not cause scratches if the chamios is clean....you do not have to avoid touching the car to avoid scratches if it is clean. use a real rotary buffer (varible speed) with a foam pad...you will not hurt pain unless you are a complete idiot. the porter cable da is a good wax applicator not for scratch removal...you need a compound that matches the scratches. if its just very minor swirls from washing or waxing (most common cause for swirls--waxing a car outside with dust coming down onto the paint, it looks clean but the dust mixed with wax is now very fine sand paper). clear coats today are so hard that just touching one with a cloth will not make scratches. but if you got them and they are fine...nothing works like 3m ultrafina on a foam pad on a rotary buffer....you need speed to cut do not be affarid that someone cut the paint of a single stage acrylic 15 years ago using a harsh red rubbing compound on a wool pad...back them most rotary buffers will full out 3-5000 rpms or off...now with foam, there is virtually no heat build up...and varible speed with speed locks to limit how fast full out is....they are almost fool-proof....

3M ultrafina SE best top coat finishing polish for very minor scratches and swirls.

now i will get ready for the zaino and porter cable DA lovers who say thats the best...

i have detailed cars professionally for the last 2+ years and drive only black for daily drivers and have to make mine stand out because my work is always looked at. i have color sanded 10+ cars and can not see a pc da being able to do anything with 2000 girt final sand much less 1500.

 

If they're fine surface scratches and only on the hood I think this would be a good case for some Scratch-X. Scratch-X definitely has the power to remove little things like that (and bigger) and it's only a hood, that wouldn't take too long to do by hand. I live in Puyallup, chris, not too far from you. The cheapest place locally I've found for Scratch-X is at Walmart, it's like $7.50 or so.

If you really want to keep your truck in tip top shape you should consider a PC or G100 polisher, they can do amazing things for your paint as well as save your arm LOL. I've been working with an air powered DA and an electric rotary lately and I'm just shocked at the difference you can make with the right tools and chemicals.

 

I concur. BUT, find me a painted surface that is 110% clean after washing. It's nearly impossible. You're LIKELY to pick up some grit and grime as you dry.... A roof gutter, a body seam, a finder lip -- it will be there and the problem with chamois is that, unlike most high-quality waffle weave towels, you don't have anywhere for the grit to go. As such, as you move the chamois across the paint, that little bit of grit and grime that you picked up somewhere on the vehicle has a better opportunity to introduce problems.

Agreed. But, the reality is that you have a high probability to still snare some 'crud' even after a VERY thorough wash.

Disagreed. The rotary is a VERY different tool and shouldn't really be the first line of attack unless you're VERY versed with it.

I swing a Makita 9227 around a lot. I'll still go to my PC when I can simply because of the simplicity, the functionality, and the overall safety of the tool.

The Porter Cable DA is VERY capable of scratch/swirl removal. It does have a limit, however. To date, as a detailer, I've not found too many vehicles where I knew, from the very beginning, that I was going to have to go after the entire painted surface with a rotary.

With the right pad, the right product, and the right technique, you can accomplish quite a bit with a PC... it may not be as lickity split as a rotary but, it's considerably safer, much easier to use, and much easier on the user.

Excellent points. It is VERY important to keep your removal tools free and clear of as much dust as possible because of the exact reasoning that you mentioned -- which mimicks that of my reasoning behind not using a chamois.

3M definitely makes some good products. I've not tried the Ultrafina system however, I have read quite a bit about it. It's probably something that I'll give a whirl some day.

From personal experience, I think you'll have better luck with the last steps of the Z process by hand... just my opinion after having tried it a few different ways at this point. The stuff is too darn expensive to saturate a PC pad with it...


Ehh... I've removed 1000 grit scuffs. It definitely takes some patience and I could've easily pulled them out quicker with a rotary but, it can be done.

2000 scuffs are CAKE with a PC.

 

I typically use #00 or Last Touch as my lubricant when claying. While talking with a couple of Meguiar's employees when I was out there a few years ago for classes, they said that #00 should've really been named "Hi-Tech Clay Lubricant".

Mix to the suggested ration for washing and clay-away.

Maybe this was just caused by you bringing it in to better light and paying more attention to the detail? I'm just thinking out loud...

While the act of claying can cause problems (trust me, the aggressive clay from Meg's will mar the hell out a finish if not used properly), if done with common sense, I don't think you'll really see any problems.

Of course, your bar could have some grime in it that was causing some of the maring. Are your scratches more 'straight line' (like they may be if you were claying) or are they different? More of a spider web look? Classic swirls? Pig tails?

Go for it. Let us know how it turns out. SSR1 is a fantastic ultra-light cut product.

 

In regards to the comment about foam virtually not building up heat, I just wanted to point out that flat closed cell foam pads actually build up significantly more heat then wool pads when used on a rotary.



Edited my spelling :o

 

Thanks for the tip. What do you think of just car wash soap for clay lube? I switched to this after I noticed the marring using the QEW and it seemed to work a whole lot better. However, I also threw my cheapo claybar in the garbage and switched to a Mother's bar, so it may have been this too. The reason I ask is that I hate to purchase a "special" product just for clay bar lube considering how much is used when doing the entire vehicle.

I don't really think so. I am pretty **** with my paint and I would have noticed this before if it had been there. It is fairly obvious under a bright halogen or the sun.

The scratches definitely appear straight line as opposed to spider web or swirls. I am 90% sure that I caused them while claying, I am just not sure how or why. I do, however, remember at times when claying the hood I would feel some 'resistance' as the bar would catch on the surface. The bar would be sliding along and then suddenly 'catch' on the surface. As soon as I switched to the Mother's bar with car wash soap and/or Mother's instant detailer, this did not happen.

Thanks for your feedback RockPick, I appreciate it.

 

Understood.

First, when you say 'cheapo' clay bar, what are you referring to? The only reason I ask is because I don't think I've ever used a bar that I would refer to as 'cheapo'.

As for the shampoo as a lubricant... there's really no problem with that other than it may start to break the clay bar down (pull the oils out of it rendering it a crumbly ball o' goo.) Probably not but, I have ruined one or two bars that way.

That said, I'd explore just buying a bottle of Mother's or Meguiar's Quik Detailer and use that. Obviously, you can use that beyond the act of claying for smudge/fingerprint/light dust removal.

Very well could've had a 'speck' of something in the bar and then managed to push it across the paint at the right angle with the right force with Jupiter being in the correct orbit while cumulus clouds moved from east/southeast to west/northwest... hehehe.... in short, it may have been the perfect storm that caused it. Hard to predict....

Another thing that could've caused it -- I mean, let's cover that other 10% that you left hanging there -- is that they are wash induced scratching, drying induced scratching, wax removal induced scratching, or Quik Detailing induced scratching.

QD induced typically is my worst example. I'm certain that most all of the problems in my paint have come from me QD'ing when I should've washed.... and it's not like I'm QDing the paint after I've driven through rain for four days... it's typically very light dust/road film that I think has been the predominant cause. Maybe even a remnant speck of something on my MF towel... hard to tell and all is speculation. All I know is that it's rewarding to get them all out of the paint and back on an even playing field with most of the rest of the truck.


No problem at all! Glad to help. G'luck with it!

-RP-