Yikes! Megs clay = dodgy results?

[Darren S]

Washed the car as normal. Then broke open my new pack of Megs clay - tore a third off it and made it soft under the hot water tap. I took out a clean bucket of very diluted AutoGlym bodywork shampoo and tepid water (along with a jug of hot water to dip the clay in every now and then) and 'rewashed' the bonnet.

I started on the right-hand side (looking at the car from the front) and left the other side alone to compare the difference. With the lightest of pressures with three fingers, I wiped the clay on the bonnet, kept checking it for contaminents and folding it back on itself. I stopped pretty quickly when I saw this...



Right-hand side, clayed....

Untouched left-hand side...

Spot the difference! :S

The only place the clay felt like it 'stuck' on the bodywork was just up in front of the washer-jet, which I can understand. The clay looked remarkably clean - no visible grime or dirt that could explain the streaking. I then spent twice as long as normal rinsing and wiping down the car with that Megs beach-towel. :dapprove:

Maybe my car and Megs products just don't mix! Either that, or I'm getting the WHOLE claying thing wrong and its supposed to look like that until you wax and polish it afterwards?

Any feedback would be muchos appreciated guys...

D.

 

[Jamie _Swales]

did you use the spray it comes with?

looks like its just been causing friction and ripping the clay to shreds?

 

[Jamie _Swales]

btw, thats what mine did on the parts i hadnt used enough spray/lubricant

 

[dannyboy172]

As racing182 said - Not enough spray used there matey. You need to really lube up the paint work whilst claying, numero one rule!

 

[FiDoDiDo]

As it says it should be about 50cm away from the paint work, it then spreads evenly in small droplets but as said make sure there is a decent amount on there.

The results are brilliant when done properly.

 

[Shorty_mk1]

Yeah mate you need to use the quick detailing wax in the burgandy bottle that you can buy as a lubricant instead of a diluted shampoo mixture. Should have come with your claybar unless you bought it seperate????

Should have no problems with it after that...

Let us know how you go on?

Shorty

 

[bigsymo]

you need to wet the paint work - not the clay!! use the spray you got with the clay and the results will be awesome. if you haven't got any spray i think you can use diluted car wash stuff - but not as diluted as you would use when cleaning your car.

 

[Ali]

Oops!!!!

 

[Guy]

is it really that hard to read the instructions on the box?

 

[M1TCH]

whoopsy daisy!!!

 

[Rich]

You should have got the paintwork really really wet the more lubrication the better. I use a small spray bottle with 2 or 3 capfulls of shampoo in it, sprayed on to the panel pre-soaked with a wash mitt first. Needs plenty of lubrication to prevent it streaking and sticking to the surface.

 

[Jay]

Oh no.

 

[Craig]

thats not good

 

[Alan]

Christ!!!

It isn't hard to use at all, your paint is gonna be pretty hard to sort out without using a PC polisher!!

 

[Darren S]

is it really that hard to read the instructions on the box?

Well done to GuyS for today's 'Pointing Out The Bleeding Obvious' award. And yes, I did read the single sheet of paper that comes in the box.

I'd heard that the spray that comes with it is not as good as just a standard 'rewash' and pretty much a waste of time. I did keep the bonnet wet at all times but was just amazed at the crap results and stopped before the crap went any further. Clearly I'm not doing it right if so many other people give it the thumbs-up.

The only other thing I did think of was that I did it around 1pm today - quite warm and we're not shaded from the sun.

I'll try again tomorrow. Thanks again for the feedback guys. :approve:

D.

 

[Darren S]

Christ!!!

It isn't hard to use at all, your paint is gonna be pretty hard to sort out without using a PC polisher!!

You got me thinking there Al - the other 182 we've got has immaculate paintwork compared to mine. I think mine's had some form of shite on it since day one. :dapprove:

D.

 

[Alan]

You got me thinking there Al - the other 182 we've got has immaculate paintwork compared to mine. I think mine's had some form of sh*te on it since day one. :dapprove:

D.

Yeah no doubt mate...might not have been finished properly at the dealers?

How old is the car?

 

[Rich]

If you where doing it in warm direct sun, that is why the clay will have streaked so bad, have you tried to clean it up with some polish yet?

 

[Darren S]

It looks ok at the moment Rich - apart from when the sun is directly on it. Makes it look like the Swirls from Hell then. I'll try it tomorrow with the finisher spray first and if that makes no difference, I'll rewax it and see what that does. I'm just sticking to the right-side of the bonnet for now - I don't want to push my luck!

Al, mine's a '54 plate - Jain's is an '05 plate. Mine's a black gold one and hers is arctic blue.

D.

 

[GarethM]

oh no!!! hope you get it sorted fella.

 

[Rich]

The other thing is the clay would have removed any products on the car which may have been filling or hiding any of the defects, taking the car back to bare paint will show the true condition of the paint.

 

[Darren S]

The other thing is the clay would have removed any products on the car which may have been filling or hiding any of the defects, taking the car back to bare paint will show the true condition of the paint.

Uh oh - dig deeper and ye shall find what? I'm getting even more worried now!

D.

 

[Ady182]

Oh dear :S

 

[stoddie]

hope you manage to get it sorted mate...

 

[Tom_E]

feck me!

 

[BRUN]

ive also had crap results with the Megs clay kit, though not as bad as that

ive got some of the Sonus green clay now which apparently very mild, will be using some Poorboys Spray & Gloss as lubricant

 

[Dave S2K]

Looks a bit odd, aren't you meant to polish & wax afterwards? That's what I did. Worth a try with some Autoglym Super Resin Polish, might get rid of the marks.

 

[Rich]

Any update have you managed to polish any of it out yet?

 

[Darren S]

Not yet Rich. Had a run out to Skipton yesterday - cracking day and I couldn't see the s**t on the bonnet from the driver's seat so it didn't bother me much.

Got up this morning to do it, but the car's caked in dust and s**t again and I just couldn't be arsed doing the full wash again. If it's still light when I get back from work tomorrow, I'll just rewash the bonnet and try it again.

Thanks for your all your interest in this guys - good to know I have people on here to sound-off against!

Cheers,
D.

 

[Darren S]

Something else I should add. The white steaks seen in the last pic....

Isn't any clay residue. That's where the sunlight has caught the surface 'layer' of post claying. Imagine the worst swirl marks possible and that's the similar result. I bet using a mixture of Brillo pads and wet grit would get a less harsh result.

There must be something on that paint. Some residue or other crap that the clay is trying its best to get through. I applied the most lightest of pressures to the clay, so its not like I could have scoured the top laquer.

Bleeding French crap. Who'd buy a 182, eh?

D.

 

[Rich]

Sounds really nary Darren, wish you lived closer so I could take a look.

Coming from the two car 182 family, some buy more than one hey!

 

[Darren S]

Well, tonight's the night. Short of it absolutely bouncing down with rain, I'll give the bonnet another go. Don't you fancy a pointless trip up to north Manchester then?

D.

 

[Darren S]

HEHEHEHEHE! Sorted!

Gave the bonnet another wash with AutoGlym bodywork shampoo, then rinsed and dried off. Wet small areas liberally with the Megs Quik Finisher and gently used the clay on the right-hand side of the bonnet. Repeated this spray and clay method until the whole right-hand side had been done properly. Rinsed properly and again dried.

Then I applied some AutoGlym super resin polish with a Megs applicator and buffed off the residue shortly after. The only visible mark is the stone chip just above the sky reflection, above the lens in the bottom picture. Apart from that, it worked a treat. I could definitely feel that the right-hand side was smoother applying the AG SRP than the left. It seemed easier to buff up too.

Just fecking glad that its ok! One area down - the rest to go!

Thanks again guys.... :approve:

D.

 

[White16valver]

lol

Got there in the end

 

[FiDoDiDo]

Good to see it's sorted.

The smoothness is the clay really. get a couple of coats of AG EGP on there after the AG SRP for a deeper gloss finish

 

[Rich]

Nice one, glad its sorted.

 

[Darren S]

Good to see it's sorted.

The smoothness is the clay really. get a couple of coats of AG EGP on there after the AG SRP for a deeper gloss finish

Was going to Ben, but the light was starting to fade. I've got both AG Extra Gloss Protection and AG Ultra Deep Shine under the sink - the latter I suspect would be well suited to a black car like mine.

At least we're heading to the warmer (and lighter) time of year now. Once I've done the car completely, the next stage is logically the PC route. The front bumper and wings have always had bad swirls marks on them - something that even I know won't be shifted with claying alone!

D.

 

[MRBILLYUK]

Glad its turned out ok , it was lookin' a bit fcuked in the pics , a bit of arse twitchin time ,lol

 

[Billy]

Glad you got it sorted M8.

 

[Darren S]

Glad its turned out ok , it was lookin' a bit fcuked in the pics , a bit of arse twitchin time ,lol

You said it m8! Reminded me of the time when I was about 8 and tried to wax the bonnet of my dad's Fiesta. Lets just say, it didn't go according to plan!

D.