Two very different issues!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 8,336
Likes: 2,809
From: Cool Northern Michigan
Clay bars are abrasive....
I think before I would resort to any abrasive (especially on black paint), I would try milder solvents.
First, I would just try Dawn and sone paper towels...Just get the towel wet with soapy water and let is sit on top of the stain for a while to let it soak in...
If that didn't work. I would probably try a Tar & Bug remover...
Hopefully, your stain is only in the wax and not into your paint...
I think before I would resort to any abrasive (especially on black paint), I would try milder solvents.
First, I would just try Dawn and sone paper towels...Just get the towel wet with soapy water and let is sit on top of the stain for a while to let it soak in...
If that didn't work. I would probably try a Tar & Bug remover...
Hopefully, your stain is only in the wax and not into your paint...
If anything clay bars are slipperyer than **** on ice.
And that reminds me of a tip.
Go to a Dollar Store and buy a cheap drop cloth. As you clay bar around the car, move the drop cloth along with you.
In the event you drop a clay bar on bare concrete, (regardless if you just swept it) you must throw the clay bar away. You have now contaminated the clay with concrete dust.
Then, and only then does a clay bar become abrasive. Nothing will clean the bar properly and it will show as scratches in the paint. So use a drop cloth.
Last edited by HeadsU.P.; Oct 10, 2023 at 09:10 AM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 8,336
Likes: 2,809
From: Cool Northern Michigan
Actually, there is no clay involved. The bars look & feel like clay but have none.
It's made up of different polymers.
If you find your clay bar abrasive, you dropped it on the ground or you are doing something wrong.
Its S - M - O - O - O - T - H.
It's made up of different polymers.
If you find your clay bar abrasive, you dropped it on the ground or you are doing something wrong.
Its S - M - O - O - O - T - H.
Pro
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 728
Likes: 346
From: Smyrna, TN
Take your clay bar (without lubricant) and scrub your windshield with it…
They are abrasive. Some are more aggressive than others.
I prefer to try the mildest solvents first since most staining, (like hard water spots) are only in the wax layer. Instead of using anything abrasive just to strip wax, I prefer to try a degreaser first.
Rubbing alcohol works well at melting the wax. So does mineral spirits. Tar and bug remover, etc…
I prefer to use a product called "Prepsol" which strips wax to prepare for paint...
Non abrasive first, then go to abrasives if necessary.
We are dealing with just a few mils of paint, mostly lacquer on original paint, and most have been cut and polished quite a few times.
One aggressive cleaning can go right through the paint. Especially on the sharp corners of a C3.
Last edited by n2h2o2; Oct 11, 2023 at 09:36 AM.
