Removing another cars paint from bumper?

[EdJ]

Removing Paint Transfer
(Removing another car's paint from my car's bumper)

My mothers car was scraped by another car and its paint was transfered into her bumper, the scratches are not deep but the other cars paint is sitting on top of her paint. Whats the easiest way to remove this without causing any further damage? Any help greatly appreciated.



Ed.

[Mike Phillips]

Hi Ed,

Usually you need something with a little abrading ability to bite into and move the transferred paint off the original paint. The safest way to go would be to apply some ScratchX with either a microfiber applicator or a peice of terry cloth towel and put a little passion into it. You need a fiber type applicator because it offers a little more bite than a foam applicator which will tend to glide over the paint versus kick it off.

If that is too gentle then something that has worked for me is using our M04 Heavy Cut cleaner with a peice if terry cloth as the M04 Heavy Cut Cleaner uses a fairly aggressive diminishing abrasive that you can easily feel with your fingers. What this diminishing abrasive does when worked against the transferred paint is to bite into it and remove it. The problem is however that this is a product intended to be applied with a rotary buffer only and it will tend to scratch and mar the finish when applied by hand. The way I've used it successfully is to remove the transferred paint, and then remove any scratches, dullness or marring left by the M04. I usually do this with a rotary buffer.

The end result is the transferred paint is removed and gloss is restored. I know this can sound sort of like a backwards approach but it's the larger size diminishing abrasive characteristic of the #4 Heavy Cut Cleaner that you are leveraging to remove the transferred paint as this can sometimes be what it takes to successfully do this.

I have some pictures of doing this exact same thing off a black bumper on a BMW I can try to find and post.

Safest thing to try, and first thing to try however is the ScratchX by hand using a fiber type applicator. If you find your aggressive rubbing with the fiber type applicator removes the transferred paint but leaves some marring then you can come back and remove the marring by re-applying the ScratchX only switching to a foam applicator for this procedure.

Always use the least aggressive product to get the job done and be ever mindful that simply changing product, applicator material or application process can change the aggressiveness of the procedure.

[Bama]

Mike gave you some good advise. I would try the Scratch X first with a terry towel or applicator. I have used this regimen several times to remove transfered paint. It may take several applications and a little passion, but it will generally take the transfered paint off. If this doesn't work, then you will have to go the power route. Hope this helps.

[Accumulator]

Less aggressive approach that you might try first: see if you can use clay to remove the paint transfer. My late father seemed to pick up a *lot* of paint transfers and I was almost always able to remove them with (only) clay, did it many, many times.

[EdJ]

Thanks guys, I used ScratchX with a MF towel and the transferred paint was taken of very quickly with little force put behind it. Worked great!!!


Ed.