I have a claybar and i used it only a bit on my rear bumper.. It made it feel liek a sheet of glass, but it didnt remove as much of the stains as good as i thought.

 

I also have those white specs I only get them off with my fingernails lol. I am weary of wet sanding my clearcoat -.-. Also careful with gooze-off dont leave it there for long it stained my rear bumper. But I also forgot to clean the dribs after i finished cleaning my tail light so maybe the overnight soak could have been the culprit...

Andrew

 

When you say white pecks 2 things come to mind. if its on your hood it could very well be lil rock chips from driving. Plus think bout it if you have chips that are deep enough when you rub your clay over it it could be getting caught in the nick causing the white spec. just a thought.

 

White specks sometimes appear if you travel in close proximity to a DOT line paint crew. The best results I've had is using a PLASTIC scraper with Stoner Trim Cleaner and TurtleWax Bug and Tar Remover. Please make sure that the scraper is the type used for in-home wallpaper removal and it shouldn't mar the paint or clearcoat.

 

Question - Why 2 threads for the same issue? "Claybar Failure? - Or - Not a Claybar Problem???

Very serious issue???? Try 3 or 4 threads dude.

Sorry - just wasted my time. My bad.

 

I think I have your answer.....those white specks could very well be cement...let me explain.... Parents have a black CTS and they mentioned to me that the car has white flecks all over the paint and they could not remove it at all just by washing. I checked them out and yes my finger nail worked at removing them. I asked where have they driven lately and my mother mentioned they were cutting the cement in the area (construction everywhere in this pothole state called Michigan) and a white powder flew all over the car when she drove by it. That white stuff is a combo of cement dust from the cutting and the water (or whatever is used to cool the blade) and the sun and heat from the engine bay baked it right in the clear. So I said let me grab my clay and see what I can do.....
well the clay from Meguiars clay kit (white clay=fine clay) did not do a damn thing for me. So I headed to the auto parts store and bought Meguiars Mild clay (mild=blue and in a plastic can) and it worked but it took me three times as long to do the car and the stores closed and in hindsight the aggressive would have cut that time in half. I was to the point that aggressive clay would work best....Meguiars makes that too and it is better than removing clear from a car that doesn't have much clear to begin with. I would not wet sand the car unless you know what your doing and have practiced on a car of lesser value.....JMO

goo gone or goo off will stain the paint (esp if left on say overnight)

If it was iron it would oxidize very quickly and turn to rust ....rail dust is iron and floats around the air when a train passes and can and will adhere to paint. If you live within a mile or two of a train station or railroad track you will need to clay the car at least once a year and use the mild and not the fine (cuts down time spent removing other contaminants)

I can say without a doubt that any and all new cars should be clayed after you buy new....why you might ask? How do you think the parts and cars get delivered to and from the factory and to dealers with the finished product? Some by truck transport and many factories will have the parts shipped via train to the factory itself. The cars once done can sit in the back lot (by the railroad track leading to the factory) awaiting delivery to the dealership or on the dealer lot out in the open exposed to anything that can and will contaminate the paint for weeks or months.... I have been detailing for 17 years and swear by few things and clay is one of them

link for the aggressive clay
http://meguiarsdirect.com/detail/MEG+C2100

link for mild
http://meguiarsdirect.com/detail/MEG+C2000

expensive for something that looks and smells like kids play dough (spelling?)
but better than re-clearing the car (or spot clearing) and the time involved with finding a trusted and fair paint and body shop.

Hope this helps everyone.......remember least aggressive to most aggressive
ex- bug and tar remover, then fine clay, mild, and finally aggressive clay. after that wet sanding and buffing to get any sanding marks out of the paint. Practice makes perfect! Keep some of each on hand and you can do many cars with just one so spread out the cost over a year and it is pennies compared to a repaint which could cost hundreds or thousands.

 

yeah dont use goof off or goo gone on paint when researching how to debadge a truck that was something that came up alot.

 

I never had a problem with Meguiars, then again my car has nasty paint so I don't know.

 

Sounds like you were driving behind someone after road lines got painted. It's might be white line paint kicked up unto your car. Have your tried bug/tar remover first? If you had a decent coat of wax on your car, bug/tar remover might take it off before you try wet sanding.

-10 on Dry Eraser, I have seen them scratch clearcoats to hell and back.