Removing big oil-based paint stains

[patsy22]

Hi

It seems that I ran over a paddle of oil-based paint and now I have a big splash of paint on one of the side panels of the car. I could remove easily by hand with water some little skid marks but the bigger stains are quite dry and cannot be removed.

The car has a paint protection coat so I'm afraid of using any harsh product that may smear it.

Any help will be appreciated!!

Pat

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Removing big oil-based paint stains

The car has a paint protection coat so I'm afraid of using any harsh product that may smear it.

Do you mean the dealer you bought the car from applied a paint protectant?

If so, maybe in the warranty it covers this? Take it the dealer and check.

Besides that you're going to need a chemical that will dissolve or loosen the splattered paint but not hurt your car's clear coat. Meguiar's doesn't really make a product like this but a lot of people have good luck with mineral spirits, Goo Gone, Goof-Off and even WD-40

Usually when you're in this situation you have to try all your options till you find something that works. Just be sure to first test anything to a small section of your clear coat to make sure it doesn't hurt the clear coat.

Another option would be to seek out a true professional detailer ans ask for their help.

Just to note, anything you rub on the paint hard enough to remove any paint splatter is going to remove any paint protection film you or anyone else has applied.

Sorry to hear of your mishap and seeing how this is your first post...

Welcome to Meguiar's Online!

[patsy22]

Re: Removing big oil-based paint stains

Thank you for your suggestions!

Well, after four hours and two people working on it, we've managed to remove all the stains. For the record, in case someone has similar problem, let me describe what we did:

1) Started by washing and drying the area thoroughly.

2) Applied mineral spirits to the whole area. This seemed to soften up the stains.

3) Small stains were removed by using good'ol "nail technique", constantly keeping the area soft and full of mineral spirits.

4) Rubbed quite hardly mineral spirits on the big paint splashes.

5) Tried a couple of products (e.g., scratch and swirl remover) but limited result.

6) Heavily wrapped microfiber towel around a screwdriver and gently rubbed on area to break it a bit. This allowed peeling the thickest deposits of paint.

7) The best results were achieved when applying "bug and tar removal" product (I had an old sample bottle I was given for free at the garage). After rubbing, this managed to remove all paint residue.

8) Interestingly, a clay bar did not help at all at any stage in the process.

9) Finsh off by applying Meguiar's TechWax.

10) Thought over some revenge plans for the guy who purposely or negligently spilled paint on the road :-)

Hope this is of some help to other potential victims....

Cheers

Pat

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Removing big oil-based paint stains

Glad you removed the paint splatter. Some of your methods would scare the bejabbers out of me. Glad they worked for you.