Clay Marring? What exactly is it?

If clay bars do not remove clearcoat why do you get marring when using the mid-agressive clay bars? And what exactly is marring is anyways and how is it created?

 

Simply put it is scratching the paint.

 

clay is abrasive and it will create scratches as u move it along surface, just that it depends on how much pressure and the clay strength. Along with the fact that it will have dust particles trapped in it and you'll be dragging that along the clear coat.
marring is like roughed up patches thats been like sandpapered (as far as i understand it) or simply imperfections.

 

So why is it common practice for vendors to say that clay does not remove clearcoat? I guess if used with some pressure or if an aggressive clay is used it DOES remove clear since it causes scratches...

 

Clay is basically a scuff. Looks very bad but is like getting skinned knee. Looks bad to the eye but is ok compare toother things.

Worse when clay is colder - even ultrafine clay from sonus can marr so be careful

 

When you scratch or marr paint your not removing clearcoat, your just instilling scratches. When you polish you remove clearcoat (very tiny amounts) to remove the scratches and level the finish.

 

Marring and scratching is removing a very very very very very very(cant even measure) small amount of clear.

I think paint is a hard cured porous solid, not an dynamic changable semi "liquid" surface... It doesn't "move" out of the way for a scratch or a scuff. I know it expand and contract with heat, but would a scratch only compress clear? I really can't see it doing that. It removes it, just like any other abrasive.

Scratch is just very CONCENTRATED abrasion

 

You know it's interesting that you bring that up. My dad wouldn't let me clay my car at first, because he had always grown up hearing that claying a car would remove the clearcoat. I wonder what gave claying that reputation?

 

^^from people who don't read directions on the packaging or ignore all advice all together

 

^^^:thumb:

 

If you scratch paint, you are removing clearcoat in the scratch area. You are digging valleys.

This is why you have to level (remove clearcoat) the paint to remove or make the scratch less obvious.