Using a Clay Bar on Micro scratches

[johnrm]

I have machine grey paint. Since the car hasnt seen ever been waxed and has 24k miles on it i have front to back micro scratches in the clear coat on my hood and the leading edge of the roof.

Will using a clay bar before using a restoration wax like meguiars ultimate compound make it easier to remove them with the meguiars? Or will i be taking way to much "workable" clear coat by using both and just give the car a through wash and then use the megiuars.

TIA

 

[Odrapnew]

I'm not seeing any micro scratches in your picture, it just looks like dirty water spots.
Get a picture of the sun or flash light reflection after you wash it.

As for the clay bar, it will not remove micro scratches and it's actually not uncommon that clay barring actually induces marring (i.e. hazing).

What the clay bar will do is remove surface contaminants to allow a polishing compound work better/easier. The clay bar should not impact clearcoat thickness.

What you should do is wash the vehicle and do the 'baggie test' where you put your hand in a sandwich bag and lightly glide it across the paint. If it feels rough, the paint could use a clay bar to remove those surface contaminants.

After that, you'd have to assess if it needs a compound/polish or just a polish.
Once your polish, you still need to add paint protection (wax, sealant, ceramic...etc).

With my Golf R, I did a full paint correction last year.
Wash, iron remover (disolves iron contaminants), clay bar, compound, polish and ceramic coat. It looks like candy now (red).

 

[sm1ke]

So, a few things. A compound is not a "restoration wax", it is an aggressive polish that is meant to reduce the appearance of deep scratches by "leveling" the clear coat. The picture you posted doesn't really show any significant marring, at least to my eye, so I would first start with a milder polish, like Meguiar's Ultimate Polish instead.

I'd use a clay bar with a lot of clay bar lubrication. The clay bar, for lack of a better term, "pulls" the embedded contaminants out of the clear coat. This makes it easier to polish the paint, and it also makes it a bit easier on the pads you're using to apply the polish (if you're using a machine). Check this out (turn up the audio):

Before and after a clay bar treatment

Turn the volume up a bit. The top half or the door hasn't been clay barred in about a year and a half, while the bottom half was just clay barred before the ...

www.youtube.com

In the video, the paint looks clean, but you can hear the difference a clay bar treatment makes as I run my hand over the paint. If you skip the clay bar and go straight to the polish, the contaminants may come loose as you polish, leading to more scratches. And then when you apply a wax afterwards, you'll basically be putting the wax over the contaminants.

 

[DwightFrye]

Excellent advice from the gentlemen above.
I would also stress that you should use A LOT of lubricant with the clay bar. Some suggest car wash soap & water but I like a good quick detailer spray even if it takes a half bottle worth. And use a very light touch. To avoid marring the paint or clear coat, be very careful on ridges or high points on the car's body. The clear coat and paint is thinner there and the clay seems to "catch" on ridges for example. It can be easily removed with some super fine polish, spray detailer and an MF towel but it is best to avoid the marring in the first place.

 

[berliton]

I use ONR as clay bar lubricant.