Question about clay bar and metallic paint?

[FX4619]

I have a tuxedo black F150. I read that the paint has glass flakes to make that metallic look. I did the clay bar test with a clean plastic bag to feel the surface. It felt rough so I decided to clay the whole vehicle. I did the test again with the plastic bag and the paint felt the same as before. Do you think this is due to the metallic flakes in the paint? The truck only has 15K miles and has been clayed 2 times total in one year, the paint looks to be in perfect condition. What are the chances that I am feeling the metallic flakes in the paint?

Here are some pics after my detail.....

Wash
Clay Bar
Ultimate Polish
NXT 2.0





Thanks!

[Murr1525]

Re: Question about clay bar and metallic paint?

How clean is the clay coming up?

[FX4619]

Re: Question about clay bar and metallic paint?

How clean is the clay coming up?

The clay was actually really clean. Not much dirt at all.

[ffboy]

Re: Question about clay bar and metallic paint?

Shouldn't be a concern, very likely that your ford's paint is a base coat clear coat type. And clay bars, or at least the consuler grade clay bars are none abrasive. For you to pick up the metallic flakes you have to compound your paint to the point where a good amount of clear has been removed even then you would notice a change in the gloss where too much clear has been removed.

[Markus Kleis]

Re: Question about clay bar and metallic paint?

Definitely not the glass you are feeling. What this likely means is that you either need a more aggressive clay, or, you may need to adjust your technique in some way.

Can you describe in as much detail as possible how much lubricant spray you are using, how much force, motions, etc? Once we get a better idea of your technique we can decide if that can be tweaked, or if a more aggressive clay is in order.

[FX4619]

Shouldn't be a concern, very likely that your ford's paint is a base coat clear coat type. And clay bars, or at least the consuler grade clay bars are none abrasive. For you to pick up the metallic flakes you have to compound your paint to the point where a good amount of clear has been removed even then you would notice a change in the gloss where too much clear has been removed.

I don't think I'm pulling up any metallic flake with the clay. What I meant was that I don't think the clay is cleaning the paint enough. After claying I can still feel grit like material while using the plastic bag trick. I was wondering if that grit feeling was the metallic. Ford normally has a good layer of clear coat so this may not be the case.

[FX4619]

Definitely not the glass you are feeling. What this likely means is that you either need a more aggressive clay, or, you may need to adjust your technique in some way.

Can you describe in as much detail as possible how much lubricant spray you are using, how much force, motions, etc? Once we get a better idea of your technique we can decide if that can be tweaked, or if a more aggressive clay is in order.

I may need a different clay bar. I used a Mothers brand clay bar that was over a year old. It had been kept in a sealed zip lock bag. Maybe this clay was too old?

I used show time spray as lube. I used a lot of it because I am afraid of damaging the paint. I use a lot of lube and I move the clay up and down and side to side. When the surface feels smooth I move on. I don't use a lot of downward pressure. My motions are pretty fast. I watched the clay video on meguiars website before doing this and I pretty much mimicked everything in that video. Then I used the bag trick again and I can still feel the grit like material on the surface. Without the bag I could not feel any contaminates on the paint.

I am not sure how aggressive Mothers clay bar is compared to other brands. I think maybe the clay was too old or I need a more aggressive product. Or I am feeling the metallic paint with the plastic bag, which is highly unlikely because Ford normally has a good coat of clear on all their vehicles. Also this is still considered new paint. The truck only has 15K and I have taken real good care of it.

Thanks for your help!