So we got a somewhat warm day during winter in Chicago yesterday, a little light rain, so I took my condo-garaged car to a self-spray wash bay to get most of the crud off. However, this stuff remained:










I have tried most of the products in my limited arsenol: claybar with werkstatt quick wash (perhaps some help), werkstat prime carnauba (not much), and most recently 3M adhesive remover (did nothing).

I started to worry that something ate down into the paint, but using my nail, I am able to "scrape" some of this off. However, I don't suppose using my nail on the entirety of these spots is a good idea. What's my next option?

thanks,

 

could use a light degreaser product on the affected area. this may help loosen/break-up some of the stuff. could even use a degreaser as your clay-lube and clay it again. chances are it looks like something really bonded to the surface pretty good. as long as you can clean it off without damaging the clear too much, you should be fine.

could always spot polish out the area after too

 

Cleaner should get it off. If not compound will take care of it on a terry towel. Don't worry you fine man if you can scrape it off with your finger nail .

 

what are some examples of light degreaser and cleaner products?

the werkstat prime is supposed to have some cleaning ability, but didn't seem to have any "bite" to get at this crud on the paint.

i think i have some rubbing compound somewhere (green jar) if it comes to that, but it's a bit old. if i purchase a new compound, what's a good one to try?

 

Consider Meguair's Ultimate Compound if looking for some that is readily available.

Brand new product that's based on their brand new technology from the professional line. But the cool part is it's available in pretty much any auto zone.



Good luck, I have that product and its great.

 

a normal degreaser diluted down, or an APC should help break down whatever that stuff is.

meg's APC for example. or even use a dishsoap on the area. APCs, degreasers, and dish soaps will strip wax, but it'll b easy to wax after and hopefully you won't have that stuff to worry about.
let soap sit on the area for a little while to loosen it up, and every couple of mins apply more liquid to keep the area well saturated and wet. after awhile try to wipe it off, clay it, etc. once it's clean, wash the panel then wax it as normal. hopefully this helps, and it should at least make a difference. just remember it's better and safer to use a more gentle method twice than use something harsh (like wetsanding) once.

EDIT: after looking at the pics a couple of more times and thinking about it some more, might this be mold or something along the lines sitting on the surface from moisture trapped under a car cover?

 

That stuff could be lime, from the dripping water of the ceiling in the underground garage. I forgot how to deal with it but if some of the other pros could chime in that would be great, if not I'll try to come back later on with a solution.

 

Ok so I checked where I first learned how to deal with mineral deposits *cough* autopia, and basically you can scrape off what you can with your nail but be careful then what is left you can get with a product like goo gone. Then just polish it up and protect it again.

 

Update:

I managed to find both Meguiar's ScratchX 2.0 and Ultimate Compound at walmart last night (pep boys had neither, nor anything else that looked worth trying).

According to the meguiar's forums, these two are the most aggressive cut of their 2009 consumer line, so I figured I'd try the milder of the two first. Well, the ScratchX 2.0 didn't seem to be all that abrasive, so not wanting to rub endlessly on my paint, I switched over to the Ultimate Compound, applied with a foam pad.

Still took quite a bit of elbow grease, but almost all of the visible stuff is gone. Oddly, the most stubborn is the trail shown in the picture of my original post. I need to go back to it tonight.

So while the "obvious" spots are mostly gone, there is still something left. I can only see it when I can catch the overhead lights' reflection just right, but as I move and get the reflection to shift over the paint's surface, I notice most areas are just smooth, but when I get to where I took some of this stuff off, there is something almost orange-peel like left. I will try and get some pictures when I get home this evening. Is my only recourse now to visit a professional, or hope to find a "local wacko" with a machine polisher?

Thanks again,
Phil

 

^ best bet is a local wacko - i'm sure if u find one, they will surely help you out!