Motor Oil On Paint

[Steve_S]

I own an antique car which has the habit of drooling on itself a bit. Motor oil occasionally finds its way out the side vents of the hood and onto the fender and running board. The obvious solution is to fix the "drooling" problem but that's easier said than done.

So my question is, what is the best way to remove the oil without harming the paint? I try to keep it waxed which hopefully holds up against the oil and allows easier removal, but using a degreaser would strip the wax and I can't see myself rewaxing the fender every time I come home from a drive... I drive it a lot.

I've been gently wiping with a shop towel and then using quick detailer and a microfiber cloth to remove what's left. I'm sure this is NOT good for the microfiber cloth any more than the shop towel is good for the paint.

Suggestions?

[the other pc]

Hi Steve_S,

Hope you didn’t lose too much oil on the “drive” over from BCF.

Anyway, the first thing to do is to STOP using shop rags. They will scratch your paint. If you don’t want to sacrifice any “good” microfibers to the oil spirits just get some cheap discount store microfibers. Any microfibers will be better than shop rags.

I don’t think there are any products that will remove motor oil without removing wax. Heck, the motor oil itself will probably remove the wax. (Maybe a chemist could weigh in here?)

After you get the bulk of the fluid off a cleaner/wax like #12, #6 or #66 should remove any stains an leave wax protection behind. As long as you put it on thin you’ll be surprised how fast and easy it is to use on localized area. (I use #6 for removing bug splats all the time.)


PC.

[Steve_S]

Hiya PC, I see you here now and then but I'm mostly a lurker on these boards. But at least I admit it, right?

It's at least couple "capfulls" of oil with bugs and dirt stuck to it so I'm definately hesitant to use my good microfibers. Good idea on the cheapos, I'll probably do that.

The previous owner didn't take care of the car how he should have and there are a few stains that I've been unsuccessful at getting out so far. I'm using clay, speed glaze and NXT wax with quick detailer between waxing. Sorry, I don't have the product numbers memorized but I'll try to correct that!

[Murr1525]

Dont worry, consumer products dont use the part numbers