Claybar ceramic coating?

[ps2cho]

Hi all,

So a few months back I had my Audi ceramic coated. I had the bumper resprayed shortly after and now I noticed that the rest of the car is no longer "smooth" like when I applied it. The cars clean, however the paint is rough to the touch.
I dont know if its just from the sheeting they covered the car with and it rubbed all the areas? I dont believe the coating is gone because when I washed it today it still beads off ok.

Would it be safe to lightly claybar the car to get it back to the mirror smooth finish I had before they resprayed the bumper? Or is there anything else I should consider trying?

To be clear, its rough on the roof, doors, trunk etc but none of these areas were painted. Theres no visual imperfections so its not like there is overspray or anything. The job was done at a reputable high end body shop who deals mostly with Porsche's Audi.

[Nick Winn]

Re: Claybar ceramic coating?

Hi all,

So a few months back I had my Audi ceramic coated. I had the bumper resprayed shortly after and now I noticed that the rest of the car is no longer "smooth" like when I applied it. The cars clean, however the paint is rough to the touch.
I dont know if its just from the sheeting they covered the car with and it rubbed all the areas? I dont believe the coating is gone because when I washed it today it still beads off ok.

Would it be safe to lightly claybar the car to get it back to the mirror smooth finish I had before they resprayed the bumper? Or is there anything else I should consider trying?

To be clear, its rough on the roof, doors, trunk etc but none of these areas were painted. Theres no visual imperfections so its not like there is overspray or anything. The job was done at a reputable high end body shop who deals mostly with Porsche's Audi.

Regardless of which coating you have on the vehicle, I would imagine the use of clay would knock it down significantly. An alternative you might consider is the use of an iron remover, like our D1801 Wheel & Paint Iron Decon or DRTU Iron Removing Spray Clay, however this is only for iron based contaminants which may have been embedded in the coating & will not remove overspray.

[The Guz]

Re: Claybar ceramic coating?

Sounds like it is overspray if you stated it is rough to the touch. It is possible it is typical contamination. You could try what Nick suggested but that may not solve it. The reason claying is not recommended for a coating is due to the potential to marr the coating. The only way to fix that is by polishing which will remove the coating.

[ps2cho]

Re: Claybar ceramic coating?

Sounds like it is overspray if you stated it is rough to the touch. It is possible it is typical contamination. You could try what Nick suggested but that may not solve it. The reason claying is not recommended for a coating is due to the potential to marr the coating. The only way to fix that is by polishing which will remove the coating.

Thanks, I guess its probably overspray since its on basically every panel of the car except down low. Probably just droplets in the air that settled in their booth, although I figured they should have covered the car fully with a sheet, but who knows. Visually you cant tell, but with my hand its rough to the touch. After claying it gently, its now smooth in those areas.

I lightly clayed it today and it gets most of it off back to smooth...I may just need to clay it back down to smooth and then reapply the ceramic coating I guess.

[The Guz]

Re: Claybar ceramic coating?

What coating is it?

It is possible that your car was sitting elsewhere and it is overspray from another vehicle in the booth.