Don`t know anything much about either, could some of you comment regarding: price, expectations, efforts, risks, pros and cons, etc.

Will clay bar remove those scratches in the clear coat that Scratch X and the like products won`t ?

Where would I go for a wet sand ? Is there not a chance he may go too deep ?


Thank you,

 

Clay wont remove scratches it will only remove contamination. I wouldn't wet sand. I would use, or have someone else use a high quality polishing compound like 3M with a foam pad on the buffer. If you dont know what you are doing, have someone else do it. You can ruin paint fast, but done right will fix your scratches...

 

I have used a clay bar on mine before. Supposedly it removes everything OVER the clear coat...so that would probably leave your car clean but still scratched. Its a great way to get off all the crap from trees/road/etc.

As for Wet Sanding...I've never done it myself. I would like to learn so i can paint my engine bay/interior/etc.

 

Thank you, how would I go about locating a very capable detailer ?
What would be a fair price for a great 3M and wax, buff job ?

 

Check with your local vette club. You might want to post in the Regional and Car Care sections as well.

 

Thank you for the good advice, appreciate it.

 

Clay barring is a simple process, that is used to get contaminants off your paint before waxing/polishing. Used right, it leaves the paint clean and smooth. Used wrong, it scratches hell outa your paint. Clay bar is actually an abrasive. It MUST be kept lubricated. Best to use car wash/water mixture in a bottle, or detail spray. I prefer detail spray, as it has great lubricating properties.
Wet sanding is an art, that must be learned through trial and error. Want to learn how, go to the junkyard, buy an old body panel with crappy, weathered paint, buy an assortment of grits of wet sanding paper, and go to town. Pretty simple to do. Keep dipping the paper in water, and keep spraying the area with a spray bottle of water. Work lightly with 2000-3000 grit paper. Keep the strokes going in the same direction. Keep checking your work. Spray off the panel, wipe it dry with a towel, and check for smoothness. Once you're satisfied you've got all the imperfections done as well as you can, without ruining the paint, polish the panel, then wax.
If I was going to do mine, I would use 5000 grit paper for the wet sanding, then buff and wax. I wouldn't trust myself with 2-3k grit paper. I tend to get a little heavy handed with sandpaper.
That's it in a nutshell.

 

Never even saw 5000 grit, 3000 is the highest I've used-most guys won;t use anything higher than 2000 which I use all the time. Wetsanding is NOT for amatuers-you need guidance and a buffer and PRACTICE on junk cars/panels before you touch ANYTHING you like.

 

DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT wet-sanding on your own. Clay bar works the surface pretty good removing contaminants, but wet-sanding is a totally different animal. Do you have experience with a D/A? If the scratches are not too deep that may be your out ,other than that use a pro.

 

sound advice

 

Check out the Car Care Forum. Many of those guys over there are real experts in detailing and taking care of the paint.

 

Correct, you'll find the best advice in the Car Care section. Depending on the amount of swirl marks or fine scratches, a PC-DA buffer with a medium cut foam pad and perhaps either Zaino ZP-C or 3M Swirl Mark Remover will knock most of them down. If it is really bad, you'll want a professional body shop to buff it. Generally a lambs wool pad will know serious scratches down but you need to have a little experience with that.

Then apply your favorite polish.

 

Wet Sand and Clay Bar are not the same......If you never wet sand a car, do not try it on your Corvette.

Wet sanding on a car is very important if you want to get that paint to look it's best, having a glassy smooth look and feel! Wet sanding is meant to flatten and level out new paint, remove small runs or sags, remove surface debris that landed on the paint while it was wet, flatten out orange peel along with minor pot holes, which are called "fish eyes," within the paint. After your surface is nice and smooth from your wet sanding you will need to apply a fine rubbing compound to bring the paint color back. Compound also serves to flatten out paint that may have been missed by wet sanding. Work with the compound until your paint is nice and flat and has it's shine back.
Work the 1000 grit with light pressure over any prominent flaws in a level smooth motion, dipping your block and misting the surface often, keeping it wet at all times. To see where you are at wipe the area dry with your soft rag and work your way to finer grits of 1500 for instance, or even 2000 for final sanding over the entire area after flaws have been removed with the coarser 1000 grit which is most likely to leave sanding marks.

Clay bar will remove any oxidation or overspray that you may have on the paint. Clay is not a cure-all or a replacement for polishing. It's a tool for quickly and easily removing surface contamination. One of the many reasons for using a clay bar is the removal of brake dust. Brake dust contamination, which attaches to painted rear bumpers and adjoining surfaces, is a metallic surface contaminant that can be removed safely and effectively by using clay.

Menzerna offers the most gentle detailing clay available on the market today. Menzerna Detailing Clay removes light to moderate contamination with very little effort. Its very low abrasive content reduce the chances of scuffing even the softest paint finishes. Clay is also very effective on paint over-spray. If the over-spray is particularly heavy, you may want to seek the assistance of a professional. Tree sap and tar specks can also be safely removed with a clay bar very easily.

Recently, I have also started using clay on my windows (exterior) to remove heavy road film, bug deposits and water spots. It works very well, and seems to outperform even the best window cleaners.
You may want to visit www.properautocare.com they have some great articles on how to detail a car.

Here is a few picture of a car I did last year! ! ! !

Before


After

 

Thats beautiful....

 

lol.....5000 grit= newspaper

 

 

Also PM Evil_C5 he did a demo day at his house wetsanding on his yellow C5 Vert. There is also a youtube video that FLATOUT shot of the event. Very informative. Evil posted several pictures during the process and the results were amazing!!

 

Actually, on Youtube you will find many good videos regarding claying and wet sanding ! !

 

Some good advice above.
For the vast majority of people, a polisher like the Flex is the way to go.
I have a PC, but would buy the flex today.
I will only clay if I plan on machine polishing after.
Wash, clay, wash, orange pad/SIP polish, orange pad/ZPC polish, white pad/ZPC, then Z sealants by hand.
This should satisfy at least 90% of the people out there.

 

Dam Mike ,what a diff.