what did i do wrong?

[sammiboo]

At the weekend for the first time i have cleaned the car (properly) in almost a year of ownership.

I havent used clay before but H told me how to use it. The car was covered in tar spots so i got to work removing it. I had only done the drivers door and the clay was falling to bits. H said its never happened to him before so not sure where i went wrong.

Because the car was soiled with tar quite a bit would i have been better off using the tar removal then just going over with the clay?

I wondered if it might have been because my hands were red hot if that was breaking the clay down?

 

[dave]

clay gets more pliable if your hands are hotter so don't reckon it was that, i microwave mine on cold days to get it going

 

[sammiboo]

could i have been using too much glide stuff?

I could have been rubbing too hard, the car was really badly covered on tar spots, especiall on the drivers door.

 

[dave]

lube don't normally make it fall to bits either. is a strange one, could it have been contaminated? did you have hand cream on?

 

[Tris Harris]

sounds like your using too much pressure to me... how did you hold it? what clay did you use?

 

[colin79666]

You shouldn't use clay in a way that causes you to rub it hard. Your supposed to let it glide over the surface.
Perhaps you had old clay that had dried up.

 

[sammiboo]

i used

with

I thought i was applying it too hard. I rolled it and flaterned it out into a disc, then used the palm of my hand. But on the really tough bits i was using my fingers. It was getting really sticky and leaving bits of the clay on my car.

 

[sammiboo]

You shouldn't use clay in a way that causes you to rub it hard. Your supposed to let it glide over the surface.
Perhaps you had old clay that had dried up.

clay is new.

 

[dave]

you broked the clay, even daryl not done that

 

[sammiboo]

i know I think I pissed H off too

But my car was manky with tar. Would tar remover be better to use before i clay, can clay be used on a really tarred up car (even if its a moran applying it )

 

[Andy Monty]

i know I think I pissed H off too

But my car was manky with tar. Would tar remover be better to use before i clay, can clay be used on a really tarred up car (even if its a moran applying it )

I would take great care using Clay to remove large amounts of tar.... tar often has grit stuck in it..


you'd be better starting with a dedicated tar remover autoglyms is good. put it in a spray type bottle and soak the area leave to soak for a few mins (it has to be a cool area as it'll evaporate too quick) then use a cheap microfiber with a splash of tar remover to lightly rub and remove...






Seems strange about the clay Bilt hamber had this problem iirc and it was a bad batch,....

 

[colin79666]

I'm a fan of the car plan tar spot remover - its in an aerosol can do its really easy to spray on.
Wash, remove tar, rinse then clay then wash then wax.

 

[dan_russ_27]

I used the same clay and spray and it felt the car all streaky i dunno if i used to much spray it came out fine when i re-washed any ideas wot i did wrong guys??

 

[Tris Harris]

I used the same clay and spray and it felt the car all streaky i dunno if i used to much spray it came out fine when i re-washed any ideas wot i did wrong guys??

thats just the lube drying on the surface if it was ok after you re-washed

 

[sammiboo]

I would take great care using Clay to remove large amounts of tar.... tar often has grit stuck in it..


you'd be better starting with a dedicated tar remover autoglyms is good. put it in a spray type bottle and soak the area leave to soak for a few mins (it has to be a cool area as it'll evaporate too quick) then use a cheap microfiber with a splash of tar remover to lightly rub and remove...






Seems strange about the clay Bilt hamber had this problem iirc and it was a bad batch,....

We have tar remover but i cant remember what brand it is.

I think next time i clay it then it shouldnt be anywhere near as bad, I have only washed the car and i doubt the people who had the car before me clayed it etc..

 

[Ralf S.]

My little bro' in Aussie has a Holden Lacetti and we clayed that when I was out there. It had a lot of iron stuck in the paint (engineering works nearby) and it took a lot of claying... lube and some pressure.. to get the iron off.

The clay started falling to bits.. so it's likely to be heat, working it too hard or the clay being soaked in lube (prolonged use) that makes it turn into chewing gum.

We had a Meguiars kit so no possibility of lube and clay not being suited to each other.

Paint came up splendid though.. it felt like emery paper (seriously!) before.


Ralf S.

 

[Tris Harris]

I did my mums bonnet today and tried to replicate this as i use the same clay... it happened when i did it in direct sunlight and the surface was very warm and not enough lube... might be the cause!

 

[smokeyjoe03]

My roof felt like sandpaper, had no shine to it or anything, so I bought a Meguiars kit off ebay.

Here is the result:

.

I found that its impossible to use in direct sunlight or when it is really hot. I spent 3 days on mine but I cheated. I flattened it out into about a 4 inch disk and put it under my orbital car polisher :slayer: Just keep plenty of lube on the car.

For the parts I did by hand, the fiddly bits, I find its handy if once you refold the clay you spray a couple of sprays of lube into your hand and nto the clay. This stops it sticking to your hand and therefore from falling apart.

 

[DannyBoy88]

I flattened it out into about a 4 inch disk and put it under my orbital car polisher :slayer: Just keep plenty of lube on the car.

oooo now thats a dangerous game, fair play if you managed it with no damage but i would not like to see this go wrong, i'd imagine it'd be lik trying to get 40 peices of chewing gum off your car that had first been rolled around in the dirt!

 

[Tris Harris]

My roof felt like sandpaper, had no shine to it or anything, so I bought a Meguiars kit off ebay.

Here is the result:

View attachment 64141 . View attachment 64142

I found that its impossible to use in direct sunlight or when it is really hot. I spent 3 days on mine but I cheated. I flattened it out into about a 4 inch disk and put it under my orbital car polisher :slayer: Just keep plenty of lube on the car.

For the parts I did by hand, the fiddly bits, I find its handy if once you refold the clay you spray a couple of sprays of lube into your hand and nto the clay. This stops it sticking to your hand and therefore from falling apart.

risky stuff, wouldnt surprise me if you've added a few swirls minimum damage to your car.