Cloudy appearance

[gofast]

Washed my black 2013 for the first time this weekend, since owning it for 2 weeks today, weather has been rainy around here. Looks good, did the foam and two bucket wash thing with microfiber everything and NO swirls . Question is, it has somewhat of a cloudy look to it in the right light, does this mean I need to clay bar my car? I have never used a clay bar before, so I am a little concerned I could screw up the paint. I felt it afterwards and it was very smooth, it may just need a good wax. Thank you in advance for any advice on this subject. Also this is my very first black car.

 

[darthspader]

that is a good question. however if you have felt no bumps it doesent need to be clayed. what it sounds like is somone mabey the dealer or previous owner waxed the car and didnt buff it out good. after they applied a paint sealent over the bad buff job. i suggest you find a polisher that removes all layers of wax and sealent and start from scratch.

 

[darthspader]

does this mean I need to clay bar my car? I have never used a clay bar before, so I am a little concerned I could screw up the paint. /QUOTE]

you can only do good with a clay bar. it cannot harm you paint. what harms paint is not having a layer of wax on it to protect clear coat from the environment.

 

[gofast]

Thanks darthspader, I'll try buffing it out and hope like hell that works. Loving my car man, it is a nice ride.

 

[NSXNEXT]

you can only do good with a clay bar. it cannot harm you paint. what harms paint is not having a layer of wax on it to protect clear coat from the environment.

No disrespect but claying a car requires one to follow some basic rules. You can absolutely harm the paint claying a car incorrectly.

1) lots of lube (the clay should glide over the lube, too little lube is very bad and introduces abrasion - today's water-based paint/clear coat is very suseptible to abrasion
2) very little pressure on the clay bar. You can go back over the same spot if it does not feel smooth to the touch but never press down on the clay
3) as the clay picks up contaminants fold it/knead it to make sure a clean portion of the clay is coming in contact with the paint.

 

[darthspader]

No disrespect but claying a car requires one to follow some basic rules. You can absolutely harm the paint claying a car incorrectly.

1) lots of lube (the clay should glide over the lube, too little lube is very bad and introduces abrasion - today's water-based paint/clear coat is very suseptible to abrasion
2) very little pressure on the clay bar. You can go back over the same spot if it does not feel smooth to the touch but never press down on the clay
3) as the clay picks up contaminants fold it/knead it to make sure a clean portion of the clay is coming in contact with the paint.

no disrespect but that is written on the box, but that was great information for those that do not know

 

[gofast]

Thanks to darthspader and NSXNEXT. I read once before where you can really screw up the paint if you don't know what you're doing. I guess some day I will have to try it, I watched a video on it, and he kept it well lubricated. It also looked like he was letting the weight of the clay bar pretty much do the work. Seems like it's something you get a feel for.

 

[mikec]

Another thing that can make a milky or cloudy appearance in car paints, especially darker paints, is toweling the vehicle dry with a cloth that was washed & run through the dryer with fabric softener sheets. Many dryer sheets contain silicon which leaves a film on cars. Those same cloths/towels will make drying glass a pain as well... or fiberglass (e.g. RVs).

mike c.

 

[gofast]

Good to know mikec, and that is exactly what I put in the dryer. Although what I used was a brand new microfiber towel. No more dryer sheets for me.
Thanks mikec!

 

[italiabrain]

Like most things troubleshooting isolate your variables: If your water is clean, your towels are clean, etc. The next step is trying to figure how deep the cloudiness is.

Roughly in order I would try
-Washing with a normal household dish soap (still no funny smelly stuff, and nothing with visible particles in it -- normal blue dawn works well) and drying with the towel without softener you discussed.
-Clay bar. They are safe in the sense they're easy to use, but NSX is absolutely right in his recommendations. Like anything else if the material is soft enough, but you use it to drag around tiny rocks you're not going to have a good time. You can also tell when claybarring whether you're getting resistance in the cloudy area.
-If you're noticing a lot more friction in that area than elsewhere AND the claybar isn't making any progress then you might try a bug and tar remover -- I've found that 99% of things you might use B&T remover come off fine with claybar so I avoid it personally.
-If at this point you still don't have a clear finish it's time to either talk to a pro or bust out a buffer. I would recommend a DA buffer, Meguiars #9, and a yellow pad to start.
-Judging by the fact that you're asking and have questions about claybarring I think #9/yellow is about as far as I'd recommend you trying out on your own car without help.

If you were saying this is the whole car a claybar or bug and tar remover are not what you need to correct it, but claybarring before buffing is never a bad idea anyway.

Edit: To be more cautious it may be advisable to start with something like #7, but TBH I only use things lighter than #9 "on my way back out" after having used something more abrasive.

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[gofast]

Thank all of you, italiabrain, I will try dawn and a brand new microfiber towel first.

 

[Seattle Genesis]

So using a clay bar on your car really doesnt wax the car all it does it remove dirt and grime?

 

[Mark_888]

So using a clay bar on your car really doesnt wax the car all it does it remove dirt and grime?

The clay bar is used with a lubricant, which is typically a Quick Detailer Spray, that usually contains a synthetic polymer wax. But it should be followed by a complete wax job with a regular liquid or paste wax (synthetic polymer recommended for undercoat, even if a Carnauba wax is later used).
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfEfLGL59GI"]How to Clay Bar - YouTube[/ame]

 

[italiabrain]

So using a clay bar on your car really doesnt wax the car all it does it remove dirt and grime?

Sorry if it was already clear, but yes the claybar is just for removing dirt and grime. It is often used with things as Mark mentioned that have a side effect of waxing the local area you use the claybar, but it's not a complete wax job by any stretch.

Claybars are a good way of getting things like light sap and bugs off of a car without using harsher chemicals like some bug and tar removers or more abrasive methods like a finger nail or plastic putty knife.

 

[marinakorp]

Could be some water / soap residue on the car.

if a quick detailer spray / wipe doesnt remove it... then try the clay bar.

Sometimes a cleaner wax will take it right off... Meguires cleaner wax... or even the 26 should do OK.

Pics would help...

 

[Mark_888]

Could be some water / soap residue on the car.

if a quick detailer spray / wipe doesnt remove it... then try the clay bar.

Sometimes a cleaner wax will take it right off... Meguires cleaner wax... or even the 26 should do OK.

Pics would help...

Meguire's Clay Kit contains clay bar, Quick Detailer Spray to act as lubricant for clay bar (never use clay bar without a lubricant), and a small bottle of their classic Cleaner/Wax.

 

[marinakorp]

Meguire's Clay Kit contains clay bar, Quick Detailer Spray to act as lubricant for clay bar (never use clay bar without a lubricant), and a small bottle of their classic Cleaner/Wax.

I understand how the clay bar works...

I was just mentioning that it may be soap residue, and that it may be removed easily without the need to clay bar the vehicle.

It is important to know what the problem is before prescribing a cure.

that is all...

 

[Mark_888]

I understand how the clay bar works...

I was just mentioning that it may be soap residue, and that it may be removed easily without the need to clay bar the vehicle.

It is important to know what the problem is before prescribing a cure.

that is all...

I didn't say you don't know how it works. I just mentioned that the Mequire's Clay Bar Kit includes a small bottle of Meguirer's Cleaner/Wax, which you mentioned can be used without clay bar.

 

[gofast]

Thanks to everyone for your input. The second time I washed it, I used more elbow grease getting it to shine and it does look better, so I believe the next time I will wax and polish. I shall take some pictures and let you know how things turned out. When you think about it, it's a 2013 purchased in May of 2014, so I'm sure it didn't get the care it deserves and sat out in the sun all those days.

 

[darthspader]

i will be looking forward to those pictures.