How do you get rid of "trail stripes"?

How do you ladies and gentlemen get rid of those trail stripes from brush and other crap when off-roading? What products / steps do you recommend?

 

Clay bar... auto detailers use them!

 

I would wash, clay, and use synthetic wax and it did a pretty decent job. I then paid a professional to spend 8 hours on it for ~$220, and DAMN it looked SO good afterwards.

 

Charmin Ultra.

 

Wear them with pride?

 

Normally I agree but I've started washing my truck myself and I find it kind of therepeutic so wouldn't mind just doing it as part of the routine.

 

I really really enjoy washing my car as well. I always think "I'll detail it today. This will be a great time killer" and then about halfway into the claybar, I'm cussing up a storm on why I even started. Clay bars take for freaking ever. I can wash, clay and wax my truck in a little under 4 hours

 

? clay barring a vehicle does NOT take forever. I can clay a car in about 20min. Unless your claying a car that has been covered in asphalt claying is NOT that time consuming. and if you use the synthetic ones like the Nanoskin sponges it goes in faster. I can clay my truck with my nanoskin bar in 25min no problem.
Claying will also remove any protection you have on the truck. unless you are using one of the Coatings. Like Opti-Gloss, Carpro CQuartz, 22PLE or others. they will not be removed. I have Opti-Gloss on my truck.
Claying depending on the aggressiveness of the clay you are using and how dirty the paint is will micromarr the paint as well and its best to polish after claying.
So much miss information I read here about washing/detailing a car properly


Ohh and to the OP..the only way to properly remove the light scratches from off roading is to machine polish with a light polish and a light buffing pad on a DA like a Griots or Harbor freight DA..NOT one of those cheap ass orbital wax applicator things

 

Maybe I'm claying incorrectly. I'll spray a section (maybe a square foot), rub the clay over it, then wipe it up. Takes for fucking ever.

 

nope thats your problem
spray the whole panel really wet. then rub that clay over it fast back and forth motion. claying isnt a slow movement. you should be able to get done on a panel in about 2-3min.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvtVbqywxYs

just the first video I grabbed. you can see only takes a few mins to do a large area

 

Ahhhh. I've always done it methodically. Not necessarily the clay rubbing, but just in small chunks.

 

Clay barring will not remove trail rash at all. It will only remove surface contaminants.

If you truly want to remove the trail scratches forever, you need to take your vehicle to a body shop, or get the tools yourself to remove the scratches.

 

After the first set of pinstripes I paid a detailing shop about ~$200CAD to detail the exterior, and they got rid of 99% of pinstripes via some dark magic.

After the second, deeper set of pinstripes I decided to learn how to do it myself, since this was clearly going to happen more times in the future. Picked up a dual-action polisher from Harbor Freight, some Meguiars products, and went to town. Washed, clayed, cut, polish, wax. Around 8-9 hours of slave labour, but the results were quite good. Some of the deeper pinstripes are still visible under certain angles, but from a few metres away the truck looks perfect.

 

these are what I use
https://www.autoality.com/store/pc/...dy-Prep-Sponge-Combo-11p7311.htm#.WAf7t-grJaQ
I can clay faster with these. and they last ALOT longer. best part unlike claybar if you drop it. just wash it off in a bucket and keep going. real clay if you drop it you gotta throw it out

 

old video I made a few years ago. This would be the only PROPER way to remove any scratches or pinstripes on your truck from wheeling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkHoBR7LEVc

 

I just keep my truck waxed and clean. There are still a bajillion scratches from trails but not noticeable until you get up close

 

Heck with clay barring the paint. Never clay barred or even heard of such a thing in the 70's. My black princess shines just fine with only one coat of Trinova Paint Sealant. I cannot see myself using wax ever again after using paint sealant. Unless it is cleaner wax..

https://www.amazon.com/Sealant-Protection-Synthetic-Polymers-TriNova/dp/B01KGC9F3E

 

I can't stand washing my truck...lol. I can see where some people might dig it though and I am all about people following their own vibe. Its your truck enjoy it however you like.

Myself, I just don't have that kind of time, so it just ends up being a hurry up and get it done deal. Also, every time I wash the thing I usually end up wheeling within a day or two. So I get to the point where I am like, "why bother?" To be honest, I usually just rinse it to get the sand and grit off.

I am curious about waxing though. On my old 4 runner, I had scratches so deep they rusted. I don't mind scratches, but rust is kinda skanky.

 

Is it bad to clay using the soap suds while washing it as the lubricant, compared to finishing the wash and spraying a lubricant?