What should i do?

[Metro1288]

Guys need your help with something please.

A few weekends back i did a full detail of the exterior including clay, polish, sealant (2 layers of EX) and waxed. This weekend went to add another layer of nattys blue and while buffing it off found tiny white specks pretty much all over the paint. The specks are tiny and only noticeable if you are looking or feeling for them. they look like tiny specks of dust more than anything.

About a week ago i came out of a resturant to find some painters painting a shopfront about 10metres from my car. They had some sheets up to stop the paint flying around but it was a windy night so i am guessing some of the paint may have escaped. I checked the car at the time but didnt really see much as it was at night.

Now my question is should i strip everything back and start again or leave it as it is for now and wait til i do the full detail again (prob around summertime). The full detail was back breaking work as i did it all by hand and am dreading having to do it again so soon. Is there anything i can do to safely remove the specks without removing the wax?

I cant believe my luck

 

[BigLeegr]

Since you say they are tiny and only light sprinkles, chances are that you could polish them off with PwC. (Preferable with a machine, but you could do it by hand.) Claying should also work, but I think it would be faster to polish, plus you might need to go over the paint after claying anyway if you happen to introduce some marring.
Unfortunately, pretty much anything you use to remove the paint is going to remove at least some wax. If you go over it by hand (maybe a few sections a day, if you need a break) you may be able to rub the paint flecks off without rubbing off too much of the previously applied wax.
Have you tried a QD or even a wash first? Maybe if the car was a bit dusty or something, the paint may not have adhered to the car very well and you may get lucky and be able to wash it off.

 

[Metro1288]

I had another look this morning and found that the specks come off pretty easily if i go over them with my fingernail. If i give it a quick clay would it be possible that all i will need to do is reapply the wax and not the PWC and EX?

Yes have tried washing it, it was actually after a wash that i noticed them. I am thinking about trying a high pressure wash to see if that would help, what do you think? If it works i would only need to reapply a layer or 2 of wax right?

 

[BigLeegr]

You would need to re-polish a car only if there were scratches or oxidation present. Otherwise waxing alone should suffice. If you were careful and used lots of QD for lube, claying may well be good enough. But again, as I mentioned earlier, be careful of marring. Do you have S+W? Just a thought... try spraying some and let it dwell a bit before wiping. That may be all you need to do. The pressure wash may work, but be careful of how close you put the nozzle. Some wash bays have very high pressure and if you have painted plastic mouldings with a rock chip, you may well peel off a section of the paint from them. Typically this won't happen, but I have seen it happen when people are trying to spray off bits of tar or bug guts and put the nozzle right up next to the paint.

Of course, any direction you decide to follow should be only after trying it on a small section first so you can see the results. Try just a fender or trunk lid first. (Also, the paint flecks on the side of the car might not be as firmly affixed to the car as the flecks on the top sufaces, so the stuff on the sides may come off easier.)

 

[Metro1288]

I actually used the Poorboys PWC hoping that it would remove some of the swirls and cover some up. Didnt really see much of a reduction of the swirls though. Do you know of any good polish that will mask swirls?

I dont have any S+W but i have some other quick detailer product, will that suffice? i think its detailers pride?

Tried the high pressue wash tonight but i dont think it did much, the specks are still there. I found it pretty strange that the high pressure wash didnt do much as the specks come off easily if scratched with my fingernail.

If i do end up going with the claying, how do i judge how much of the wax and sealant is remaining, if any?

Currently on there is 2 layers of EX and 2 layers of nattys blue.

 

[BigLeegr]

Steve says that none of his polishes hide stuff. PwC might hide a bit if lightly applied and wiped off lightly, I've heard, but don't know.

As to the pressure wash, it doesn't have the same pressure as a finger, per square inch.

You should still have a nice looking finish with decent beading if you still have wax left after claying (which you should).

Did you use the PwC on the paint flecks?

As to your QD, I guess the best bet is to try it and see.

 

[Poorboy]

I would probably use the clay for the spec, it will be faster than flicking them off one by one ...Since it's paint, I'd probably use Professional Polish vs PwC if I were to polish them off ....I'd also rewax after claying as no one I know can accuately know how much wax/ sealant is being removed by clay .

 

[BigLeegr]

Oh sure... scare the guy with the "proper way." :roll:
Steve!!!! Where's your heart??? :smt060 Didn't you read the part where he said it was "back breaking work as i did it all by hand and am dreading having to do it again so soon.?" (That's why I was leaning towards the PwC instead of polish followed by sealant/wax. :smt045 )

 

[Poorboy]

Sorry cutting corners usually leads to more work

 

[Metro1288]

Hahah thanks for the replies guys. I ended up doing a wash, clay then a few layers of wax over about a week. The clay got most of it off but not all, in fear of marring i left the remaining ones on there. I figure in time they will come off one their own, i hope so anyways.

Just a couple questions:

1. If i only had PWC on there would water bead? and if so for roughly how long?

2. How long should one coat of nattys blue last?

 

[BigLeegr]

I usually go with the 1 month mark being time to re-apply any wax. (Weather permitting.) Both PwC and Natty's can last longer, though.
Just PwC alone will bead water for a good month. Some people (Steve) have said it lasts through the winter (weak towards the end, of course). I try to not leave my wax unattended this long. Even if I just spray some QW+ after a wash, I give the paint a boost in protection that doesn't take too much longer than just drying the car.

 

[Metro1288]

Thanks for the advice, have put down some extra layers of nattys Blue.