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Thread: How to remove road paint overspray?

  1. #1
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    How to remove road paint overspray?

    ok so the other day the city repainted the roads and my car was parked a couple feet from a giant 'STOP' on the ground. I noticed all these tiny white specks on my car and i suspect it's road paint

    i can scratch them off with my fingernail but there has got to be a faster way that won't damage the paint too much



  2. #2
    SEi User gp02a0083's Avatar
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    Re: How to remove road paint overspray?

    you could use preps-all to remove it or use laquer thinner but be very careful it could ruin the clear coat ( if theres any left on there and ur paint is in ok condition) then your could give the car a good wax and it will be ok, theres probally some other product made for stuff liek that possably something liek a bug and tar remover or something , mabye another member has ideas

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    Re: How to remove road paint overspray?

    use rubbing alcohol. if you use acetone, it will also remove your paint. for some reason rubbing alcohol works wonders. just make sure you work it in

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    LXi User TheWatcher's Avatar
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    Re: How to remove road paint overspray?

    Quote Originally Posted by frantik
    ok so the other day the city repainted the roads and my car was parked a couple feet from a giant 'STOP' on the ground. I noticed all these tiny white specks on my car and i suspect it's road paint
    i can scratch them off with my fingernail but there has got to be a faster way that won't damage the paint too much
    Claymagic RED (not the regular BLUE, which is much less aggressive) may do the trick. I haven't tried it myself, since the RED is supposed to be pretty aggressive (like the stuff used in body shops).

    Anything that might remove the paint overspray may damage/marr your car's paint/clearcoat (like the suggestions in the previous posts). I would stay away from acetone, since it's really corrosive.

    BTW, the lower bumper is not protected by clear coat very well, so be careful.

    Peace.

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    Re: How to remove road paint overspray?

    a clay bar. preferrably one with little or no abrasive. i use either mequiars or mother's claybars. it takes a while, but it works wonders. you can buy them at parts stores like autozone and advance auto.

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    Re: How to remove road paint overspray?

    i was thinking a clay bar might do the trick...

    im not sure if it's actually paint or what cause most of it is on the side away from the painted street but it's something similar even if it's not paint

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    Re: How to remove road paint overspray?

    i had to use it on my truck for the same thing. a lotta work, but probably less than most other things

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    Re: How to remove road paint overspray?

    Quote Originally Posted by Vanilla Sky
    a clay bar. preferrably one with little or no abrasive. i use either mequiars or mother's claybars. it takes a while, but it works wonders. you can buy them at parts stores like autozone and advance auto.
    Claymagic IS a claybar. That's why it's called CLAYmagic.

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    Re: How to remove road paint overspray?

    yes, but the way you worded it, you implied that it was an abrasive claybar. i'm advising him against an abrasive bar.

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    Re: How to remove road paint overspray?

    Say no to super abrasives. Also, in spots where the spray paint will not come off (window trim or some weird spot), Goof Off can work wonders. Just be careful with it.

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    LXi User TheWatcher's Avatar
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    Re: How to remove road paint overspray?

    Quote Originally Posted by GhettoAccord
    Say no to super abrasives. Also, in spots where the spray paint will not come off (window trim or some weird spot), Goof Off can work wonders. Just be careful with it.
    Goof Off is not as bad as acetone, but it's gonna take off clearcoat if it takes off the dried paint. He's better off using a claymagic red, where he can control the abrasiveness, rather than using a Goof Off IMO.

    Goof Off is an adhesive remover, it's not designed to remove paint overspray. Claymagic Red IS designed to remove paint overspray.

    Nuff said.

    Quote Originally Posted by Vanilla Sky
    yes, but the way you worded it, you implied that it was an abrasive claybar. i'm advising him against an abrasive bar.
    All Claybars ARE abrasive, by definition. That's how all claybars work. A regular claybar is NOT gonna remove the paint overspray on clearcoat, A regular claybar may work on the lower bumper, where there is little or no clearcoat, but removing paint, but not on the clearcoat. You need the more aggressive clay, like claymagic red, to remove paint overspray from clearcoat. Try dropping a small (tiny, pinhead sized) drop of paint on your hood, let it dry, then try to remove it the next day w/ a mothers/meguiars claybar (as you suggest), it will NOT remove the paint drop.

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    Last edited by TheWatcher; 12-29-2005 at 07:56 AM.

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    Re: How to remove road paint overspray?

    i used a mequiars on my truck to remove road paint from my truck...

  13. #13
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    Re: How to remove road paint overspray?

    Quote Originally Posted by frantik
    ok so the other day the city repainted the roads and my car was parked a couple feet from a giant 'STOP' on the ground. I noticed all these tiny white specks on my car and i suspect it's road paint
    i can scratch them off with my fingernail but there has got to be a faster way that won't damage the paint too much
    a cheap wax....any type of wax will do it, just gotta rub it in
    Sam


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    LX User blahblahblah's Avatar
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    Re: How to remove road paint overspray?

    ya..just a cheap cleaning wax will work
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