help with Meguiars Clay Bar!

[polvoronn]

Hi guys. I used the Meguiars Quick Clay system on my dark blue 05 corolla today. It was high overcast conditions with about 17-deg celsius (63-deg F) weather. I guess it was a little too warm and so after applying the clay bar with lubricant and everything, the lubricant evaporated which left these ugly white scuffs which are really difficult to get rid of. Anyone what any ideas??

[RamAirV1]

Either you did not use enough lube or you had an older version of the clay bar which would smudge sometimes. Use more lube and the use more clay to remove the smudges. Are you using a QD like Quik Detailer of Final inspection as your lube?

In the past I have used Medallion Premium Paint Cleaner to remove clay smudges and it worked very well.

The temperature was fine for using clay. When it gets down in the 40s and 50s it may be a little bit more difficult.

RamAirV1

[TexDetailer]

I live in a hot hot city, so waiting for temps under 85 doesn't work for me. I find you just need to be in the shade, and do a small section at a time. If I spray to large of an area, it will dry right away. Instead, you mist one spot, and clay it right away, within second, and move on to the next, and so on all the way around the car. This leaves very few spots. I find that a final wipe down with a plush microfiber and detailer or another wash after claying the entire car is best anyhow. Then move on to polish, and/or wax and the car should look good for some time to come.

[Buellwinkle]

Use lots and lots of QD and when in doubt, use more. Spray both the bar and car and keep both dripping wet. Like the poster said above, use clay to remove the dried on clay marks. If you drop it, throw it away. Keep folding it over on to the dirty side and mold it flat against your palm.

Funny with clay but I find more people have trouble with how to use it than people using a rotary buffer but clay is considered a safe thing to do until your car is covered in clay residue from doing it wrong, then it's panic time.

[imacarnut]

not to mention.... just glide the clay bar over the surface (with plenty of qd), and let it do the work for you. some people get the impression that the harder you press the better it works

[TexDetailer]

Yes, that is correct also. Don't mash the **** out of the clay, glide it. Spay one small area, glide it until almost dry and move on to the next spot.

The only time I have seen streaks is when not using enough QD, letting it dry, or pressing it too hard, if not a combination of all the above.

[RamAirV1]

Originally posted by TexDetailer
Yes, that is correct also. Don't mash the **** out of the clay, glide it. Spay one small area, glide it until almost dry and move on to the next spot.

The only time I have seen streaks is when not using enough QD, letting it dry, or pressing it too hard, if not a combination of all the above.

Excellent point! Pressing too hard can definitely leave smudges of clay. I do not find hot temperatures to be a problem, just cold ones.

Claying is my least favorite detailing task. It is very time consuming. If there is a lot of tree sap or rail dust it can take hours to do an entire car. If I'm lucky the fallout is only on the horizontal surfaces then it takes less time.

RamAirV1

[rusty bumper]

As they said above, use a lot of QD.......But be sure to wipe the QD off before it has a chance to dry.