Meguiar’s® Smooth Surface® Clay Kit.

[flipstah]

http://forums.beyond.ca/showthread.p...hreadid=230741

http://forums.beyond.ca/showthread.p...hreadid=236652

So to fix the problems that stupid autobody shop has created, people recommended clay bar to get rid of overspray.

SO, I went to Canadian Tire and bought the Meguiar’s® Smooth Surface® Clay Kit. It was $30 and might as well give it a shot. It's not like the car could get any worse eh?

Well this was my arsenal to stomp this beast:





So after a quick rinse and scrub...



The unboxing began!



So as you can see, the kit came with two pieces of clay, a Quik Detailer spray to act as a lubricant, a cleaner wax and a shammy (not pictured.) So I opened a clay package and flattened it to a more workable square:



After that, it begins. The car is completely clean from dirt and after literally, 4 minutes of scrubbing:



Gunk. Gross.

So I scrubbed the entire front panel from hood to bumper. Scrubbed the clear headlights as well:



Front window:



As you can see on the corner, there's still overspray!



MORE

[flipstah]

Once I took care of the front end, I might as well kill two birds with one stone and clay the whole car.

This is where it got interesting.



Clayed the roof and the sunroof where overspray shouldn't exist. WRONG!



The spoiler has overspray too! Scrubbed as hell but still can't get it off:



After HOURS of claying, I still got a little bit of the overspray off. Still got a long way to go but it got hella cold:

[flipstah]

At least it's shiny now. But there's still overspray on the windows:





That's as shiny as it'll get.



Oh look, chips!

IN CONCLUSION, this is just a friendly reminder that don't go cheap out on your paintjob and that the clay kit helps enhance ANY type of paintjob. It can't beat a complete re-do but it's one step closer to beauty without the complete re-spray.

Any other tips for getting rid of overspray? Might try acetone now on the window.

[HiSpec]

I usually don't clay my window until I'm done the body. If your clay bar didn't have overspray, I would've suggested that you keep the clay bar and clay your wheels with it!!!

[flipstah]

Originally posted by HiSpec
I usually don't clay my window until I'm done the body. If your clay bar didn't have overspray, I would've suggested that you keep the clay bar and clay your wheels with it!!!

Will it ruin the chrome shine if I clay my wheels?

I just scrubbed Armor All and revealed that I need to get all four repolished/rechromed.

Know any places in Calgary perchance?

Reputable ones?

[HiSpec]

nope

I usually clean my wheels with wheel cleaner first so it gets rid of all tar and brake dust. Then I use the clay bar to pick up the stuff that the wheel cleaner didn't get thoroughly. Finally, polish (if requires so) and wax/seal the wheel for protection.

[flipstah]

Originally posted by HiSpec
nope

I usually clean my wheels with wheel cleaner first so it gets rid of all tar and brake dust. Then I use the clay bar to pick up the stuff that the wheel cleaner didn't get thoroughly. Finally, polish (if requires so) and wax/seal the wheel for protection.

Maybe I'll try your way. But I think I need a repolish because it seems that the wheels have kissed the curb a couple of times.

[KKY]

Don't scrub with clay. gently glide it across the paint.

[flipstah]

Originally posted by KKY
Don't scrub with clay. gently glide it across the paint.

For the thickness of the overspray, you have to scrub it. I know, it's bad but I got the mirror-finish that way.

It's not that I'm pushing all of my force on it, I don't want to ruin of my paint after all. And I'm only scrubbing hard on the windows. Still no effect though as pictures portray.

The hell is thing made of?

And according to this guy, the clay is non-abrasive so any direction would suffice

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfEfLGL59GI

[TurboD]

good work on the clay, the overspray looks very severe.

what body shop did that!?

and im willing to bet this clay bar will remain a big part of your detailing arsenal.

the great thing about a clay bar is that even if it doesn't help its always the best thing to try first because its not going to hurt anything. also good sometimes to remove tar and tree sap fyi.

read this on steel wool - for windows only!

http://www.wikihow.com/Clean-Windows-Without-Chemicals

[flipstah]

Originally posted by TurboD
good work on the clay, the overspray looks very severe.

what body shop did that!?

and im willing to bet this clay bar will remain a big part of your detailing arsenal.

the great thing about a clay bar is that even if it doesn't help its always the best thing to try first because its not going to hurt anything. also good sometimes to remove tar and tree sap fyi.

read this on steel wool - for windows only!

http://www.wikihow.com/Clean-Windows-Without-Chemicals

The body shop that caused this debacle is:

A A A Auto Repair

Avoid like the plague. It's cheap but you get what you pay for.

And as for the clay bar, thanks! I thought I did a crappy job but it looks better than it did before. That overspray is EVERYWHERE. It's so rough in any part of the car. I still have a long ways to go and then...

WAXING

[KKY]

Clay is abrasive. They even have different strength levels you can buy.

But yes, it doesn't look like claying would make your paint worse than it was.

[FiveFreshFish]

Originally posted by flipstah
Any other tips for getting rid of overspray? Might try acetone now on the window.

Believe it or not, wheel polish works on windows. Doesn't scratch it at all.