Black paint and the clay bar

[akimel]

I haven't mentioned this before, but I find that whenever clay my black Luthien, no matter how careful I am, I inevitably seem to mar the paint in one or two places. I am using the mild Megs' claybar and plenty of lubricant (Final Touch 1:1). And Honda paint is notorious about being soft.

This doesn't upset me because I only clay when I know I'm going to follow-up with a paint cleaner or polish; but it's something everyone needs to be aware of.

Claying is vigorously commended here on MOL. But black car care owners might want to be careful. You may find that claying will introduce some slight marring. If you have black car, you may want to give claying a second thought if your plan is to go directly from clay to wax.

[Zaris]

Re: Black paint and the clay bar

I'm about getting ready to do a full detail of my car, a black VW Golf. Just to be clear since I haven't done anything short of washing before, marring on the paint surface from what I read can be rectified by "careful polishing of the affected areas." So what you mean is that you highly recommended black car owners to go through that optional polishing step before waxing?

[eyezack87]

Re: Black paint and the clay bar

Erm, if you think about it, a clay bar is sorta like the finest sandpaper you can get. It shaves the contaminants off the surface of the car so to speak. Either way, you have to remember that any physical contact with a painted surface will create friction no matter how slick the surface is. So in short, you touch, you risk marring. Simple as that

[Blueline]

Re: Black paint and the clay bar

I never have had any issues with claying and my black GM.
Clay, ColorX and #16 and Bob's "yer" uncle.

[Beach Bum]

Re: Black paint and the clay bar

Wow, never heard of any negative risks of using clay on black cars ! I have reviewed hundreds of posting about claying and everyone says its a must. Just getting ready to clay my daughters black mustang.

[Murr1525]

Re: Black paint and the clay bar

Blue will be a bit stronger than white, so the chance does go up a little.

[Selectchoice]

Re: Black paint and the clay bar

It doesn't always happen but it's true that marring/scratching can occur but it isn't just a black car/soft paint issue. It can effect all types of paints and all colours, it's just more visible on dark colours.

Claying usually causes most problems when the wrong grade of clay is used, or the incorrect amount/dilution of lubricant is used which can allow the clay to bind/stick to the surface. The dragging can cause the clay to grind the tiny particles you have pulled out of the paint against the newly clayed surface and it results in surface issues.

Also a lot of people overlook the necessity to fold the clay into itself to reveal a fresh surface. On a really "gritty" surface, you may have to do this many times on the one panel.

It can simply come down to the good old "test spot" and seeing what your car needs. This will differ with time, environmental issues and from panel to panel. Never hurts to test a small spot before you go over your whole car.

[aris]

Re: Black paint and the clay bar

Could someone fill me in on what "marring" is. I don't think i ever had a problem with Marring and i use an agressive clay bar.

[Murr1525]

Re: Black paint and the clay bar

Marring is like real fine/hazy swirls. Kind of like putting a slight haze on an area.

[aris]

Re: Black paint and the clay bar

Thanks Murr1525

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Black paint and the clay bar

Technically, a clay bar is a very, very mild abrasive (in the form of consumer grade clays at least) material that slowly removes small particles of material stuck to the paint. It does not simply lift or pluck them off the surface; it slowly abrades them away and collects the material within the clay. When used with a proper lubricant there is almost no interaction with the paint itself, so the risk of marring is virtually nil.

There are more aggressive grades of clay, meaning that there are some clays comprised of a more aggressive abrasive. In the Meguiar's line there are two - C2000 blue mild clay and C2100 red aggressive clay. The C2100 is aggressive enough that it may well cause some marring to almost any paint.

We mentioned above that a "proper lubricant" should be used when claying. A lot of people have commented or asked about using just plain water for this. Water itself is not a great lubricant, especially in this context. Does use of plain water as a lubricant instantly guarantee marring? Of course not. Does it increase the risk? Definitely.

But, as always, the paint you're working on and how badly contaminated it is will play a significant role here. The absolute worst case scenario would be a non metallic black car with extremely touch sensitive paint. In the overall scheme of things, these cars are few and far between. In Al's case, however, it's 100% of the time! If you have a non metallic black car that you suspect, or know, to have very soft paint then do yourself a favor and stick with a quality lubricant (Quik Detailer, Last Touch diluted 1:1) and use only the consumer clay as found in our Smooth Surface Clay Kit. Don't wait until the car is badly contaminated before claying, and make sure to routinely remove light dust before it has a chance to bond, and wash regularly using proper wash techniques. And if you really suspect that your paint is that crazy soft, clay just a small area and then inspect that area in direct sunlight before proceeding. If you don't seen any marring, fine scratches, etc then you're good to go. Of course, if the paint has swirls and you fully intend to machine polish anyway, then it's sort of a non issue.

Remember, too, that metallic paints will hide a kinds of minor defects, so you may or may not even be able to see clay induced marring on metallic black, and even less so on lighter colored metallics.

But bottom line - this sort of marring is extremely rare and in general something you really shouldn't worry about. Unless Al decides to sell his car and you're the new owner.