Duke I

Meant to write "Clay Bar Questions" -- don't know how to amend the topic line.

I had some minor scratches in the black panel that sits atop the front windshield -- between there and the front of the glass sunroof (seems like softer paint than that of the main body). Anyhow, I clayed the entire car (Griot's clay) and polished the scratches out plus some swirl abrasions to that section from Nanoskin Autoscrub -- not sure I'll use that again.

I noticed that as I clayed this black panel, I introduced some scratches from the claying. So my questions are:

1. This was my second use of this clay. Should I only use once?
2. Did I not fold the clay frequently enough?
3. It was 55 degrees when I did the claying. Is that too cold to allow the contaminants to descend below the surface of the clay thereby being the cause of the scratches when claying the section mentioned above?
4. What clay brand and type do you recommend?

Thanks for your help.

Marine Blue

Clay scratches paint and I have heard this from multiple people.

Not too long ago I had a small spot of tar or tree sap on the rear bumper of my Spyder which didn't come off with quick detail spray. So I grabbed a small piece of clay (never used) and I sprayed the area with quick detail prior to using the clay. When I wiped the surface clean and carefully examined the area to make sure I had removed the sap I saw very fine scratches in the paint. I never noticed any scratching issues in the past since I primarily used clay on a car that needed to be polished.

Needless to say, I limit my use of clay as much as possible since that time.

Hothonda

Same thing has happened to me in the clear coat...tried to get "just once more" use out of the clay.

Fortunately a light correcting compound - Griots, Menzerna etc fixed it.

TOGWT

Detailing clay contains very fine abrasives to remove above surface contaminants

Be cognizant that the paint surface will require polishing after using any abrasive product to remove the resultant scratches

Use a fine finishing polish (Menzerna SF 4000)

porscherex

IS THE NANOSKIN SYSTEM MORE OR LESS ABRASIVE?

I KNOW THAT CONTAMINATES HAVE TO BE REMOVED TO KEEP THE PAINT LOOKING ITS BEST, BUT WON'T FREQUENT POLISHING DIMISH THE CLEAR COAT, WHICH I IMAGINE IS NOT A GOOD THING?

Dan@AQS

We find the nanoskin clay towel to be less abrasive then a traditional clay bar. But it also depends on how its used and what grade you're using.

In theory, yes, every time you polish a vehicle you remove microscopic amounts of clear coat. However, how much you remove depends on the process, products, techniques, etc. Most DIY guys aren't getting that aggressive and can do a light polish several times a year and be fine. What you want to avoid is doing heavy compounding on a regular basis.

porscherex

Dan, thank you. Very helpful.

Dan@AQS

Absolutely, happy to help.

TOGWT

[COLOR="Blue"]The clear coat provides gloss plus physical protection from the elements, including ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which is in the upper level of a cured clear coat. Most car manufacturers will only allow ~ 25% of the clear-coat thickness to be removed without voiding the paint warranty and long-term durability problems becoming an issue. That means that if you started off with 50µ of clear coat (this will vary by vehicle manufacturer) you would only be able to remove