ok, so i'm an idiot... things started going downhill when i sprayed off my car one day without drying it... it left bad water spots all over the car... they wouldn't come off with a normal washing... i tried the claybar and with a decent amount of effort it seemed to remove them... but i was using the clay bar unlubricated (i always do it that way, it just seems to grab more stuff when it has the extra "surface friction")... anyway, the claybar left behind little clay smears everywhere like it always does... but then i didn't wash the car for a while... like several weeks (i only put about 1000 miles a year on this car so it sits in the garage a lot)... today i washed it and noticed that all the smears were still there... i tried buffing them lightly with Z-6 and they are still there... its like the clay residue bonded to the surface or something... any tips on what to do next?? i HAD a beautiful car, now i have a cloudy smudged-up mess!!

 

Calm down. You made a mess. Bust out the mop and clean it up.

First, try a proper claying with soapy lubricant. It should take off the "clay-goo" left behind from doing it the wrong way.

Second, don't do that again

If that doesn't work, try bathing the car in Dawn to strip everything, then wash/clay it, rewash, and re-Zaino.

Honestly, I think a proper (aka wet) claying will remove it.

 

It should, but you may also try white vinegar if the claying doesn't work. You learned a tough but valuable lesson.

 

if it comes down to using vinegar, do i just get a cotton cloth wet with it and then lightly rub the paint?

thanks for the help!