Prepping paint prior to removing swirls and scratches

[r_egan]

I recently purchased a BMW 1 Series (metallic black) that has some swirling and fine scratches on the hood and trunk. Prior to polishing the car I used a clay bar to remove contamination, however, the surface still does not feel real smooth.

I used a Mothers California Gold clay bar (which I have used many times and have always found to do a great job) and was unhappy with the results.

Do I need to use something like Meguiar's Professional Detailing Clay - Aggressive to remove what the Mothers missed? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[Dugdug]

Paint cleaner? Ive used the Megs pro clay and was still unable to get a few things cleaned off, used paint cleaner and presto.....

[Dugdug]

Anybody else have any suggestions?

[mjlinane]

In general, I don't like using aggressive clays.

Several different ways to go: decontamination systems (Valugard, FinishKare), IronX, et al. I guess it would depend on what's causing the dissatisfaction.

[jamores23]

dug, i work on alot of bmws. yes a aggressive clay will cause some micro marring but since your polishing it all out its not a problem. bmw's have a medium hard clear sometimes some will be softer and sometimes some will be rock hard. for the most part they are medium. I like using m105 on a day with the microfiber cutting discs SOMETIMES you can get away with d300. i always follow it up with the finishing disc and d301. or you could use m105 orange pad and 205 white pad for more shine use 205 black pad. as for a LSP I ABSOLUTELY LOVE POORBOYS NATTY BLUE PASTE WAX. use the megs aggressive clay then polish her out to perfection. if you got any more questions feel free to contact me . send me a pm and i will respond with my cell phone number if you want. great car by the way. I got a 1M coming my way soon.

[Audios S6]

You could try 3M Cleaner Clay, it's available at most Sherwin-Williams stores. It is aggresive enough to remove overspray. I know they stock it locally here in MN, call ahead to ensure they stock it in your area. Paint Cleaner would be less work for you but probably not OTC.

[tw33k2514]

In my experience you just have to get a little more spirited with the clay. It is tiring, and you will mar the paint. But as stated above...who cares.