Removing gunk from paintwork

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DefTrap
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Removing gunk from paintwork

Post by DefTrap »

Some time after the NY my nicer car was sprayed with something (looked like some sort of foam) by a passer-by as part of some sort of high street revelry. Probably not genuine vandalism, there's not enough of it really. Anyway, It sort of dissipated and I've ignored it up till now as it's been too cold and wet and I'd sort of assumed it had mainly washed off in the days and days of rain.

However now having been to the jetwash it's obvious that what remains isn't coming off easily, it's dried almost like a hard varnish. Doesn't seem to have damaged the paint, yet. So far I've tried hot soapy water, various mild detergents, even wd40 - not shifting, doesn't even want to come off picked with a fingernail

What to try next?
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Re: Removing gunk from paintwork

Post by v8-powered »

Fallout remover may work, get from valeting suppliers.
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DefTrap
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Re: Removing gunk from paintwork

Post by DefTrap »

Moderately more successful using a bit of white spirit and lots of elbow grease. But I feel I'm in potential massive fuckup territory going this route.
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Re: Removing gunk from paintwork

Post by wheelnut »

DefTrap wrote: Sun Feb 05, 2023 3:38 pm Moderately more successful using a bit of white spirit and lots of elbow grease. But I feel I'm in potential massive fuckup territory going this route.
White spirit is pretty mild and should be fine. It will prob need tcut and wax after though.
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Re: Removing gunk from paintwork

Post by Yorick »

I use petrol for everything.
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Re: Removing gunk from paintwork

Post by mangocrazy »

TFR (Traffic Film Remover) will shift most stuff. It's used diluted, but is still pretty aggressive. It's used on commercial vehicles that work in shitty environments, so stands a good chance of shifting your contaminant.
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Re: Removing gunk from paintwork

Post by ZRX61 »

clay bar.
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Re: Removing gunk from paintwork

Post by weeksy »

mangocrazy wrote: Sun Feb 05, 2023 5:24 pm TFR (Traffic Film Remover) will shift most stuff. It's used diluted, but is still pretty aggressive. It's used on commercial vehicles that work in shitty environments, so stands a good chance of shifting your contaminant.
Similar thing, autoglym tar remover.
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DefTrap
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Re: Removing gunk from paintwork

Post by DefTrap »

Finally got around to sourcing some of this Traffic Film Remover stuff. Hugely sceptical. I'd already tried soap, white spirit, tcut, acetone after all - at which point I'd bailed as the last time I'd used acetone in any anger on the car, paint started to come off.

But this TRF stuff, used neat, got all the crap off in a jiffy. A little bit of careful finger nail picking to finally dislodge it but that's all. I'll be thoroughly washing the car after mind, in case the residue dissolves the entire thing ....

:banana-dance:
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Re: Removing gunk from paintwork

Post by Mr. Dazzle »

Bit late to the party now, but I'd have gone clay bar :lol: It's remarkable what they shift!

I do like a story with a resolution though :thumbup:
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Re: Removing gunk from paintwork

Post by DefTrap »

Mr. Dazzle wrote: Sun May 14, 2023 9:00 am Bit late to the party now, but I'd have gone clay bar :lol: It's remarkable
It's a 20yo TT! I mean I like it, looks great from 50 yards away, but it's inevitably kinda scruffy and it lives outside in the SoF sunshine .... so ... the amount of effort I'm putting in is limited.

My post was mainly how bloody surprised I was! ;)
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Re: Removing gunk from paintwork

Post by David »

Mr. Dazzle wrote: Sun May 14, 2023 9:00 am Bit late to the party now, but I'd have gone clay bar :lol: It's remarkable what they shift!

I do like a story with a resolution though :thumbup:
A proper resolution would have involved finding the little fuck that foamed it in the first place and foaming him to a wall. Very high up.
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Re: Removing gunk from paintwork

Post by DefTrap »

David wrote: Sun May 14, 2023 9:15 am
A proper resolution would have involved finding the little fuck that foamed it in the first place and foaming him to a wall. Very high up.
I have my suspicions but inevitably it's one or all of the neighbours, or their kids, in the Impasse. I could investigate but they're likely to blame each other.

And by now they've all seen me grumbling and stomping about trying to resolve it, so they've either had their fun or are terribly guilt ridden.
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Re: Removing gunk from paintwork

Post by Count Steer »

Had some very persistent black spots on the bonnet, roof and boot of a previous car. (It was usually parked partly under an oak tree so I think it was sap/pollen or insect poo related). A clay bar would probably have done the trick but I raided the cupboard under the sink and used the wife's beloved Bio-mex https://www.lakeland.co.uk/23680/bio-me ... eaner-300g.

It's little short of miraculous, no scratches or matt finish. Very gentle, even though we use it on stainless pans and removing stains from tea mugs (Steradent works but this stuff removes the limescale too).

I suspect it's the equivalent of a clay bar paste so you can be v localised with it.

5* Recommended. :thumbup:

Edit: Here you go. It's non-abrasive.

'Our customers love Bio-Mex and use it to clean all kinds of things, from the more standard stuff – baking trays, ceramic sinks, stainless steel saucepans – to a whole host of things that hadn’t occurred to us. The greasy film on the top of kitchen cupboards, cat footprints off windowsills, grubby trainers – even the whole outside of a caravan!

Super-Concentrated to Last a Long Time

Because Bio-Mex comes in the form of a cleaning stone, it’s much more concentrated than many other cleaning solutions, so one tub will last a long, long time... great news for purses, and just another reason to invest in a tub of this miracle cleaner.'
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Re: Removing gunk from paintwork

Post by Mr. Dazzle »

My brand new car - which features a £1500 paint colour I fortunately didnt have to pay for - currently has some lovely paint damage from bird shit :(

I was away for a week so said crap sat there unnoticed for that long. Bird poo is actually pretty acidic.

I doubt a clay bar is gonna shift it :lol: A 12 bore is probably the tool I need.
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Re: Removing gunk from paintwork

Post by ZRX61 »

Not sure what Bio Mex costs over there, but here's it $30 or more for a tub of it.
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Re: Removing gunk from paintwork

Post by Count Steer »

ZRX61 wrote: Sun May 14, 2023 3:53 pm Not sure what Bio Mex costs over there, but here's it $30 or more for a tub of it.
£14.99 but a tub lasts a while.
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