Not a PT but....

Benny · Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 9:14 pm Post subject: Not a PT but....

Well after getting my sister's 07 Caliber washed, noticed something rather odd looking, pretty sure I've seen it before. looks almost like someone spilled milk on it, only really noticeable in the right directions.

There are two spots like this, but I was only able to really get the one spot they both look like something was run on them.

Anyone have any idea a. what is it? and b. how to remove it (minus geting it repainted).

mcdirtymetal · Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 9:29 pm Post subject:

Looks kinda like water spotting or possible fallout. Try polish.

rcktpwrd · Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 9:43 pm Post subject:

I would start simple with something like a cleaner wax and see if that takes care of the issue. If that doesn't work then step up to a compound like product...
Meguair's makes some great stuff. http://www.meguiars.com/

Benny · Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 10:00 pm Post subject:

Hm, I can try the cleaner wax tomorrow, if it doesn't decide to rain (and my sister still feels too sick to goto work), not sure it will do much. The polish I'll have to go out and buy some and see if it works. (been thinking about getting some anyways, for my PT which has plenty of light scratches, that could be fixed by polish.

pezzy · Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 10:18 pm Post subject:

try hitting it with the claybar first see if it removes any of it then try meguiars ultimate compound.

03electricbluegt · Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 11:45 am Post subject:

Has the car ever been egged? Looks like you'll need some sort of a chemical based cleaner rather than a polish/abrasive. Maybe MIO can recommend something.

Benny · Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 12:30 pm Post subject:

Benny · Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 4:10 pm Post subject:

Well i went out today, and clay barred the affected areas, and well whatever it was, is gone now, took quite a bit of elbow grease to get it out but its gone. Very Happy

QuicksilverDon · Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 4:46 pm Post subject:

Ever have a car bra on it that sat on it wet?
Glad you worked it out and she owes you....

rcktpwrd · Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 5:55 pm Post subject:

cool!

hope you applied some wax after the clay barring...

LiquidPT · Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 6:27 pm Post subject:

Benny · Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 6:54 pm Post subject:

Like i said before we bought it used, so what the previous owners did with it we have no idea (I do know one of its previous owners was a Chrysler Employee, might explain why its a 5 speed with cloth heated seats)

and yes I did apply some wax after clay barring the area. Who would clay bar a car then not wax? isn't that just asking for trouble?

and as for scratches left behind by clay bar, I was working with meguiars quik detailer, and plenty of it, if there are scratches on that surface, I didn't see them though, if there were scratches left behind she probably wouldn't even notice, she's happy enough that that stuff is gone.

Mike-in-Orange · Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 2:39 pm Post subject:

That sure looked more like some sort of staining in the paint, which you would not expect a clay bar to remove - clay only works on above surface bonded contaminants. It's sort of a moot point now, though, since you've gotten rid of it.

But yeah, using a lot of elbow grease with clay just flat out sounds like improper use of the clay bar. If you literally ended up scrubbing with the clay, which you really shouldn't do, and if whatever this stain was wasn't all that attached to the paint, it makes sense that you got rid of it. But in future, for something like this that is more in the paint than on it (I'm assuming that you could not feel this with your bare hand) you're better off with a paint cleaner like SwirlX or even Ultimate Compound.

But at the end of the day, what worked, worked.

QuicksilverDon · Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 3:11 pm Post subject:

My claybar "technique" is to keep it wet, and move it as fast as I can - no pressure, but fast. Elbow does get a workout. Is that wrong?

Bosch · Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 3:48 pm Post subject: