Removing Paint Splatter?

1343 Views 5 Replies 4 Participants Last post by Maverick1309, Aug 14, 2013

Maverick1309

Discussion Starter · Jul 23, 2013

Hi All,

So long story short...I was driving down the highway a couple of days ago and a pickup lost a can of dark blue or black paint out of the bed of his truck. Luckily I saw it happen with enough time to swerve out of the way and miss the majority of the mess, but I did get hit with several drops of paint. I washed the car to get a better idea of what I'm dealing with and try to scrub it off but to no avail. Anyways it's looking like I have paint splatter all over the driver side of my car, on the bumper, hood, pretty much everywhere sporadically on the left side.

I have browsed the forums and found a few ideas but wanted to see if I could get a few more opinions from people that can help. The goal is obviously to remove the paint splatter without damaging the actual paint, so the ideas that I've found are:

1) Goo Gone: I don't think this will be strong enough to make any difference.
2) Magic Eraser: Never used it before so I have no idea if it would work.
3) Bug/Tar Remover: Same as above.
4) Duraprep Prep 400: Supposedly it's an overspray remover that isn't supposed to damage the paint, but can be hard to get a hold of.
5) Fine Grit Sandpaper w/ rebuff: This seems to me as a recipe for disaster if I don't want to damage the paint, seeing as I am not a pro at this.
6) Nail Polish Remover: Everything I've read is NO NO NO, but it was an idea I found, but probably not practical.

So yeah, if anyone has any other input/ideas/methods that I could use it would be very much appreciated. I do know that I should start with the least volatile chemical first, then work my way up, pretty much common sense. Clear Bra? Nope didn't get one from the dealer, was planning on getting one soon though as I've only had my STI for a month...yeah, a month. Same goes for the mud flaps, planning on getting them, but right now it didn't save my rear quarter panel. Thanks for any help you guys can give!

-Jeremy

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V10Climber

· #2 · Jul 23, 2013

Try a clay bar. Not one you pick up at Autozone as they won't be aggressive enough to pull the paint off the clear coat. Try something like this... http://www.detailersdomain.com/The-Uber-MEDIUM-Gray-Clay-Bar-Kit_p_405.html

Obviously it doesn't have to be that one but that should give you an idea. Sucks you're having to deal with this though

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XBreakFree

· #3 · Jul 28, 2013

I would NOT use a magic eraser on any exterior painted surface EVER. I detail professionally and I have had the task of repairing painted surfaces that a magic eraser was used on, last time the verdict was repainting a hood...

For paint on a car you can do two things, try SEM solvent or a lacquer thinner. However if you do, rub very softly and be patient. Follow immediately with washing off the lacquer thinner and do not let it sit on your paint. It will remove any wax or sealant applied to the surface so you will need to reapply any exterior protection you use.

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jaboyd

· #4 · Jul 29, 2013

Maverick1309 said:
Hi All,

So long story short...I was driving down the highway a couple of days ago and a pickup lost a can of dark blue or black paint out of the bed of his truck. Luckily I saw it happen with enough time to swerve out of the way and miss the majority of the mess, but I did get hit with several drops of paint. I washed the car to get a better idea of what I'm dealing with and try to scrub it off but to no avail. Anyways it's looking like I have paint splatter all over the driver side of my car, on the bumper, hood, pretty much everywhere sporadically on the left side.

I have browsed the forums and found a few ideas but wanted to see if I could get a few more opinions from people that can help. The goal is obviously to remove the paint splatter without damaging the actual paint, so the ideas that I've found are:

1) Goo Gone: I don't think this will be strong enough to make any difference.
2) Magic Eraser: Never used it before so I have no idea if it would work.
3) Bug/Tar Remover: Same as above.
4) Duraprep Prep 400: Supposedly it's an overspray remover that isn't supposed to damage the paint, but can be hard to get a hold of.
5) Fine Grit Sandpaper w/ rebuff: This seems to me as a recipe for disaster if I don't want to damage the paint, seeing as I am not a pro at this.
6) Nail Polish Remover: Everything I've read is NO NO NO, but it was an idea I found, but probably not practical.

So yeah, if anyone has any other input/ideas/methods that I could use it would be very much appreciated. I do know that I should start with the least volatile chemical first, then work my way up, pretty much common sense. Clear Bra? Nope didn't get one from the dealer, was planning on getting one soon though as I've only had my STI for a month...yeah, a month. Same goes for the mud flaps, planning on getting them, but right now it didn't save my rear quarter panel. Thanks for any help you guys can give!

-Jeremy

Don't do any of these!!!! I had white lane paint on wife's gray VW and it all came off with a clay bar. It will take time and patience but it is the safest and best method. Won't work on unpainted plastic.

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Maverick1309

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jul 29, 2013

Alright thanks a million guys. Looks like I'm going to try the clay bar first and see if that works. If not I'll move on to using some sort of lacquer thinner. Sounds like with either of these it just takes some time and patience, so I'm going to dedicate at least a day to it since the splatter is spread out all over the driver's side. Too bad it's not localized in one spot lol. Thanks again for helping me out before I did something stupid!

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Maverick1309

Discussion Starter · #6 · Aug 14, 2013

Alright so a quick update to the "paint" splatter problem...A couple weeks ago before I went on vacation I took my car to IAG Performance to get the windows tinted, while I was there the body shop guy Mike offered to take a look at it. Well, when I came back to pick it up he walked me through what the real problem is. Instead of it being paint that got splattered all over the car, it's some sort of dark colored chemical that ate through the clear coat and into the paint. Yup. So in short, he suggested talking to my insurance company and paying the deductible because they'll have to completely repaint the hood, front and rear bumpers, and the entire driver's side of the car which of course is going to be a lot more money than the deductible. FML. Thanks again though for all the help guys, much appreciated.

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