The paint on my truck looks like it has hard water spots and there are some light scratches. I used to use apple cider vinegar on my Tige' ,so I know that it will take care of the water spots. I was wondering if anyone had ever used a clay bar on their trucks to remove any swirls and scratches?

 

These video's on youtube show you how to use detailing clay.

 

Clay bar is used to remove physical contaminants embedded in the clear coat.

You'll need to use something else. I'm not a paint person so hopefully someone elsecan give you some details on products that'll help the swirls and spots.

 

I love my clay bar for taking the crap off the paint to apply wax.

I would still clay bar the truck, then get a wax designed to take out light scratches with a mid speed orbital buffer...

 

First, you need to get the surface really clean. And I mean really clean. That's where the clay bar comes in. It will remove all the crud that's been collecting in the paint all these miles.

Once you remove all the crud, the paint is pitted and has an irregular surface. That's why it doesn't shine like it used to.

The next step is to smooth the surface again. You need a good power buffer and a buffing compound. That will remove the pits, scratches, and swirls so it can really shine again.

Then use a good wax to seal and protect the surface.

On a truck, that's a lot of work. An amazing amount of work. You'll spend hours and hours getting every body panel just the way you want it. With that thought in mind, do one panel at a time: Clean, clay bar, buff, wax. Otherwise, by the time you get to buffing the last panel, it's dirty again, and you'll have to go back to the beginning.

 

The video that BigIron70 posted is very informative and should help you get started. Beautiful 66 Mustang in the video. I have 2 - 65's of my own. First step is a good wash with any decent car wash. Don't use Dawn or any type of household products in place of car wash soaps. They aren't formulated to remove dirt from car finishes.

A clay bar is used to remove surface contaminants like railcar dust,tree sap and so on. It smooths the surface of the clearcoat and gets a great deal of the contaminates out of your finish. It's easy to use. Just flatten out a hunk of clay to about a 3x3 inch square, spray on the lubricant that was packaged with the clay bar and wipe the clay across the surface of the truck. You can also lubricate the surface with any quick detailing spray. You want to keep the surface wet, or the bar will stick and leave a residue. Every so often, you want knead the clay in order to keep the debris you pick up from being reapplied. If you drop the clay in the dirt or anywhere else, do not use it on the car finish again. Just dispose of it in the rubbish. It will be covered with grit and particles that were on the ground.

After you clay, then you can use a swirl remover product. A few come to mind that are offered in automotive stores (Pep Boys) such as Meguiars Mirror glaze Swirl Remover, Meguiars Ultimate Compound or SwirlX swirl remover. If you are working by hand, apply any of these products with a foam applicator and work one section at a time with overlapping strokes.There is no need to let any of these products dry; simply wipe them off using a microfiber towel, turning to a clean section for your final wipe. Do not use rags, tee shirts or shop cloths to wipe it down or you run the risk of swirling and scratching the surface. Microfiber towels are a must for a swirl free finish.

Once the swirl remover has been removed from the vehicle, evaluate the scratches. Are they still visible? If yes, then use a scratch remover on the effected areas only. Meguiars Scratch X 2.0 should remove light scratches fairly easy. Then reapply the swirl remover to those areas if necessary. In order to get the best finish by hand,here are a few best practices to follow.

- Work small areas(18" X 18") at a time. do not try to cover a whole panel at a time.

- Use a yellow foam applicator pad.I find they are better than the cloth covered pads for defect/swirl removal.

- Don't overuse the product. A little goes a long way in a small area.

- Clean your foam wax pad often or grab a new one if you need to.

This process will take time;however,the more time you spend with the swirl and scratch removers, the better the finished product will look.

 

It is nice to see others like to detail their trucks as much as I do! Great info in the above posts. I would also suggest taping off your black plastic trim parts. During the buffing and waxing, that is. Some of that stuff is a real pain to get off if you get it on there.

 

Good tip on the plastic. I also use Meguiars Plastx polish on the lights and trim for removing that stuff and keeping them from looking foggy.

I used the Clay Bar on my 08 when I first got it and it sure helps get the dirt off. The swirl remover is a must.

 

I echo this^^^
I thought my truck was "really clean" until I got introduced to the clay bar. A really neat a guy showed me was to take your hand and stick it in a plastic grocery bag and rub the surface of your paint "pre" clay bar treatment after you have washed the truck (you'll feel every piece of grit and and grim on your paint...). Then repeat the process "after" the clay bar. Unbeleivable how much crap that thing picks up!

 

^^ Yup, there is smooth and then there is SMOOOOOTH.

 

Thank you for the post. Looks like I'll be busy for awhile!