So I got my car about a month ago, it had been sitting out in the elements in Chicago for probably about a year. I finally got around to cleaning it and used a clay bar to get rid of all the surface contaminants, but the hood still has a really rough texture to it. The rest of the car came out really well and is as smooth as glass; I plan on using an orbital to polish and wax. My question is to those with experience will this take care of crap that won't come off...or is there something else I should try?

 

Clay again. If it still doesn't come up i would then wet sand the hood but I wouldn't try this unless you know what your doing, the clear-coat on ours cars aren't the thickest. Next option would be paint.

IMO- i would paint again (professionally) then clear bra it

 

I will try to claybar it again, but there is no way I am going to pay to have it painted. Does anyone know what sort of warranty there is on the paint? Car has 1k miles on it.

 

Wet sanding is too aggressive as a next step imho.

Follow the tried and true method first:

1. Wash with Dawn detergent to remove all wax, etc.
2. Claybar, liberally lubricating with detailing spray.
3. Polish with a random orbital buffer, using the least aggressive polish and only move to more aggressive if still needed.
4. Wax and enjoy the fruits of your labors.

 

I would go to the dealer and have them see it. If the paint job is truly messed up, they should fix it since it is a brand new car you just took off the lot. IF they don't help, contact Mazda directly and see what they say.

 

My '8 sat on the lot thru a winter of New England weather prior to my purchase and similarly it just needed a good polishing. I've used window polish on the glass and it works great as well.

 

is it more hazing ? you must have really acidic rain over there.

 

post pictures. since it's white, contaminants should show up relatively well.

That said, there are different levels of clay. As long as you're okay with polishing afterwards, you might just need to use a more aggressive clay. (Not for normal use, as they can cause clay marring. OTC brands are generally very mild.

-1 on wetsanding, way too early for that.

 

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions. I plan on hitting it one more time with the claybar and then using the Griots orbital with their least abrasive polish working my way up as needed. Hopefully this takes the paint back to smooth finish I was able to get on the trunk. I will post up some pics next time I work on it.

 

Any update on this? The hood on mine and the front bumper are kinda rough. I bought the car from Washington and it rains a ton there, so I figure it must have been some kind of acidic rain.

 

^ The front bumper being rough could be rock chips. It's a urethane (plastic) bumper so it can't really be polished out per se.

The hood certainly should polish out however:

1. Wash with Dawn detergent to remove all wax, etc.
2. Claybar, liberally lubricating with detailing spray.
3. Polish with a random orbital buffer, using the least aggressive polish and only move to more aggressive if still needed.
4. Wax and enjoy the fruits of your labors.

 

I'll give that a try. Thanks Huey. It's kinda weird cause even the headlight housings are a lil rough.

 

The headlight covers are also plastic but they can be polished with a kit from Turtle Wax and others. Of course again rock chips are another story.