Most liked posts in thread: Can't clay the surface smooth

How long did you work the areas?

On most cleanish MINIs I spend an hour or so to do the whole car. Some areas go quick, other areas take longer. QD is a good lube, but for really bad areas, or if I'm doing a whole MINI, I use soapy water as the lube. Soap seems to have better cleaning abilities, and it's WAY cheaper. If your car soap says 1 oz. soap per gallon for a normal wash, use 2 oz. soap per gallon. I dip the clay in the mixture, plus use a MF towel to keep the area worked flooded.

Before I clay, I also always do a spray/wipe of a mixture of 1 part alcohol to 1 part water. This ensures all wax is removed, and it helps with tar and other road gunk, then I clay.

Mark

 

As to what to do next, what products do you have?

If you have Amigo, that would be first. Then Epic.

Mark

 

Sounds like you need some kind of tar remover or the like. I'm not familiar with the Primo products, but Griot's (Griot's Garage) makes some stuff that should help you right out.

 

Yeah... depends on what you're trying to remove with the clay.

If you have visible spots of tar, etc. then you need to use some kind of remover for that. I use WD40 with good results. Then, after all that stuff is gone, clay will remove the microscopic (but feelable) bonded contaminants if you use it properly.

 

Or it could just be the road rash/paint chips like mine.........:mad2:

 

I'm not sure what the difference is between your "rubs" and my "wipes"... not a very precise term.

I would say I "wipe" Epic on (I definitely don't "rub it in"... because there is no "in"), but I wipe it on VERY thin. Does this mean i wipe the same area more than once when applying? Sure. But I'm not using elbow grease to "rub it" like I would a polish. I use a Prima Skinny MF applicator which absorbs a little Epic and helps spread it thin and even. Sometimes I use the black pad on the PC on large areas... but without a roof, my MINI has so little are to cover, the PC seems like overkill most of the time... I can apply Epic in 10 minutes without it...

A bottle of Epic would easily last me 10 years of twice-a-year applications on my MINI, at the rate I'm going.

If you have black specks that are standing up to WD-40, I'd try some tar remover next.

 

I use a bucket for soapy water/clay, flooding the area with a MF cloth.

If you don't have the Prima Skinny applicator pads, order some with the Amigo. It says wipe on, but you do rub it, a little goes a long way. I'll use about a finger nail size blob of it to do 1/2 the bonnet, or about 1/4 of the roof.

Mark

 

I wonder if the black specks are dirty Cosmoline(snot). Cosmonot would get rid of it. I'll do a test on some clear coat later, and let you know if it works.
By works I mean not strip the clear coat.

Mark

 

I have an idea about that very thing, it's percolating in my cranium:idea:

One trick I do when using a skinny pad, is give it a light spritz of QD first, it helps the product spread on the pad.

Mark

 

Amigo, no sealant properties, but it does help a little with getting Epic on, as the surface is very smooth/slick when applied.

Mark