Clay bar on uprotected paint?
 

I have some serious oxidation on my hood, it's to the point that the ENTIRE clear coat is flaking off. I was wondering if I took a clay bar to it ("ice liquid clay bar" to be exact), would it remove the unprotected paint aswell as the flaking clear coat?

Thanks in advance for any help. :)

I don't think it will do much of anything for that.

You need some serious buffing compound. Or sandpaper. And definitely a new paint job!

I detailed cars for years. And a clay bar is only good to remove sap and bugs. I never seen it work on flaking off clear coat. I think you need to go see a pianter!

Alright. I also just thought of maybe using a pressure washer to try to flake off the clear coat on the hood but i'm not sure if that would be too harsh.

The lady at kragen's recommended the clay bar and i ended up buying it. I guess i'll just return it tomorrow then.

I would definately go see a painter but i'm broke. Just got my 4runner and had to replace the brake booster so it's driveable. After all that, registration, and starting insurance i'm flat broke. This coming up week i'm going to have my stereo and subs installed though because those take first priority. I can't live without my music for much longer. lol

Is it just you hood? Or more than that? If it was just you hood just take and have it repainted. Just my 2 cents

It's mostly the hood and some on the roof where the roof rack sits. Unfortunately just going and getting it painted is not an option at the moment. I'm flat broke and just looking for a way to make it look a little better for a few months while i save money.

Is your truck silver/gray/light blue? Those colors are the worst for being sun-burnt & flaking.

Nothing you can do for that. You'll have to repaint it.

Seriously, if you wetsand and buff it, it will look better for a while, but eventually, the oxidation will come back.

Depending on the color, you might be able to rattlecan it and have it come out pretty good.

Sand it down. Prime it for now?

Primer absorbs water and any paint shop worth using is going to want to use the primer appropriate for the type of paint or none at all. In other words, priming it won't buy you anything.

It's silver and i don't think any spray paint will look right but thanks for all the suggestions. I think i'll take your advice, tc and just sand it and buff it down as well as i can. Just as a temporary fix til i can afford to have the whole car painted.

For now I think i'll return this clay bar that i haven't opened. lol

Well, now claybar IS decent for the rest of the paint, just ain't gonna help on your hood... preps the paint to accept wax much better, which is what will prevent this from happening in the first place

alright, maybe i'll hang on to it then for later. ;)

Yeah, definitely keep the clay bar. I have always used it and just look at the paint on all my vehicles. :)

What tc suggested is a good idea. After you wetsand & buff (make sure you use LOTS of water), you can rattle can clear on it. That will help a lot too.

Clay bar is a great tool to have in your arsenal. That, along with a good buff and wax, will make your truck look amazing.


http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/j...ookinWET-2.jpg
My 2002 Tundra

Leave it how it is untill you can paint it. Clay bar is not a "miracle cure" for paint problems. I agree with the person who also details cars, that the clay bar is MAJORLY hyped up by house hold grade detailing product manufacturers. If you guys really want to shine, upgrade to professional industrial grade, and that includes the clay bar. The clay bar is used to remove imperfections on the car body that you couldn't get off by washing it. This stuff includes, but is not limited to, sap, bugs, tar, and other road grime, and overspray from various stuff(like if your neighbor spray painted something with your car nearby). The only civilian grade detail products that I would recommend is the Mr Clean magic eraser. It works great for smudges on delicate interior parts.

But as for the clay bar, it does enhance the shine of the car after a wash and hand wax(real wax does not get sprayed on like windex). If you run the back of your hand on the paint after washing it and drying it, you will feel some grit. Clay bar removes this stuff(the stuff on the paint keeps it from shineing like it should).

If your paint is peeling from the clear coat, you need new paint.