Dealing with Redwood Staining

[ebnash]

Hello all,
New member here looking for advice and some education on detailing.

My wife's new Wrangler was attacked by Redwood Tree fallout after a short rain last weekend. We noticed the staining on Sunday evening and had it washed the next day, but it had no impact on the stains.

I've done some internet searches and reading on the subject and it has been pretty conclusive to use Clay Bar to remove the contaminants. I purchased a Meguiars Clay kit. Hand washed the hood and noticed I was able to get some of the staining up with soap, microfiber towel and some elbow grease, but it was still everywhere. I clay'd the hood and it had absolutely no impact on the stains. After claying, it was a little easier to remove the staining with soap and water, but the evidence of staining is still there.

The vehicle is only a year old and has had paint seal and waxing. I wanted to avoid poilshing with abrasive if possible, so I was hoping there were some other ideas on how I could attack these stains. I can't believe how harsh it penetrated the surface in less than 24 hours. I have read a little about using products with Oxalic Acid to attack the staining but wanted some advice on what you all think, plus I have no idea what brand name products have the right mix of this acid

Thanks,
Erik

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Dealing with Redwood Staining

Hi Erik, and welcome to MOL.

Sorry to hear about this problem with such a new vehicle, but since you have been able to make some progress with the processes you've mentioned, then we're confident that the entire problem can be resolved in fairly straightforward fashion.

What you're dealing with is classified as a "below surface defect", as opposed to an "above surface bonded contaminant". Everything that can and will attack paint can be classified in one of these two groups, but the two groups need two different processes to correct. Clay is designed to do one thing only, and that is to remove above surface bonded contaminants. It will do nothing for below surface defects - swirls, scratches, oxidation, etchings and stains. That explains why the clay did nothing to correct the staining you're dealing with, but probably also explains why subsequent cleaning performed a bit better.

To remove below surface defects you need a paint cleaner, which generally means an abrasive of some sort. There are very mild chemical based cleaners on the market, which is what our old - and since discontinued - Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner was. Don't let the mere fact that an abrasive exists in products like SwirlX and Ultimate Compound scare you off of them though. They are far safer to use, easier to obtain, and easier to work with than Oxalic Acid.

Our recommendation: pick up some Ultimate Compound from your local auto parts store or Walmart, and use that to fix the problem. Apply it with a soft foam wax applicator pad, working in small areas at a time - no more than about 18" square - and wipe off the residue when it becomes just a thin film on the surface. Don't let Ultimate Compound dry on the paint - wipe it off before that happens. This should quickly and easily remove the staining and restore the color and gloss that you expect from the car. You will have to wax after doing this, however, as this process will remove any existing wax from the surface. The good news is, this staining is likely to be easier to remove than swirls would be, so you shouldn't have to use too much elbow grease to make this happen. If you own a DA buffer, or even an orbital buffer, by all means employee it in this process - it will just aid in the process and make things go faster.

[ebnash]

Re: Dealing with Redwood Staining

Michael,
Thank you very much for the comprehensive detailed response. I picked up a bottle of Ultimate Compound anda pack of foam sponges on the way home from work today. I'll give it a shot on a dicrete area tomorrow afternoon or this weekend and report back my results.

Thanks again

Erik

[ebnash]

Re: Dealing with Redwood Staining

So before I take cutter to my vehicle surface, can anyone comment how redwood water stain could go so deep into my finish with 24 hours? The vehicle was never in direct sunlight after being exposed to the redwood fall out from the tree.

I'll be honest that I am a little nervous to use an aggressive compound on a new surface. I am assuming this will also remove the paint sealer that was applied by the original detailer, as well?

[The Guz]

Re: Dealing with Redwood Staining

Ultimate Compound and Ultimate Polish will remove the dealer sealant. Follow up with a coat of wax.

Since you are doing this by hand you will be fine in using ultimate compound. New cars can have just as many defects. It doesn't take much for a contaminate to etch the surface. You can try ultimate polish first as it is a little less aggressive and if you need to get more aggressive then move to ultimate compound.