Paint and Body Care

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  • hawiianavownerhawiianavowner Member Posts: 76
    From an out-of-print book called How to Keep Your Car Running Forever-or something similar, the idea of putting wax for protection and not buffing it out was just to keep a thicker layer on places where you won't see it-like the rim/edges of your hood and trunk lid (and I guess under bedliners). These happen to be places where water can sit for awhile, without you noticing-try washing your car and then popping your trunk. I did this on my Corolla and 8 yrs later when I sold it the wax streaks were still visible. And no rust in those places, but that might be attributed to the manufacturer. Correction-I did not use wax, I laid a layer of Nu Finish and let it dry.
  • khefnerkhefner Member Posts: 10
    I have some small rust marks on the rear end chrome bumper of me 1999 Tahoe. (my wife drives the car)
    Looks like small scratches that caused the rust. Is there a do it yourself method of fixing this which looks halfway decent?
  • sddlwsddlw Member Posts: 361
    I don't have much experience with rust, being a so cal boy, but toothpaste is one of the most under-rated cleaning coumpounds there are for paint. Toothpaste (regular, not the very abrasive whitening kind)has very fine silica in it, which acts much like a fine or very fine glazing compound. If you don't want to go buy a glaze at the auto part or body part store, toothpaste is an alternative.
  • mike_542mike_542 Member Posts: 128
    RUST REMOVAL topic.
  • bcloughbclough Member Posts: 97
    They're essentially short sections of ribby rubber tube, and you slide them onto the edge of the car door. They're supposed to keep the edge of the door from getting nicked in parking lots, etc.

    Anyone have any opinions, good or bad?

    Brenda
  • mrh3108mrh3108 Member Posts: 41
    Could someone please tell me the best way to remove road tar from my white vehicle. It was driven down a road that was being paved and it is sprayed all along the bottom 2/3rds of the car.

    Thanks.
  • automophileautomophile Member Posts: 780
    1) Turtle Wax Bug and Tar Remover
    2) WD-40

    Wash thoroughly and Re-wax after the tar removal. Good Luck!

    You may want to look into mud flaps if this may happen again.
  • dnuggetdnugget Member Posts: 17
    ...can somebody tell me the right color paint code for a dark green 1994 toyota corolla ? if you are an owner of one, can you tell me the color code number off the car's manual ? I bought this one used and needed to retouch some areas. thanks !
  • vernlewvernlew Member Posts: 87
    Agree with automophile's recs...gasoline will also work...but, of course this is not as safe as the other 2 products mentioned. Putting a good coat of wax back on afterwards is also important, so that next time, just washing after a similar incident will remove much of the tar.
    Vern
  • silly1040silly1040 Member Posts: 48
    On the driver side, open the door and there should be a metal plate or covered piece of paper along the inside. This will usually list the color code. Call a dealer and ask what pattern their color codes are in, so you can more easily find the code. Some cars have it listed as "9b7", which makes no sense to you and me.
  • mover1mover1 Member Posts: 9
    I have a '99 Accord with fading black rocker panel trims (long strips along bottom sides) turning grey/white. I had one side replaced by the dealer at 3k miles, now the car has 14.5k miles with this replacement piece also fading. No problems with any of the other black trim. I have been taking good care of the car, Zaino-poly treatment every 6 months. Applying Zaino polish on the trim as advised on the bottle directions does not help, seems to worsen (or highlight) the problem. Rest of the car looks great. Appreciate your suggestions. Thanks.
  • hawiianavownerhawiianavowner Member Posts: 76
    In the past I have used the cheap plastic ones that slide on, and just as easily come off; and rubber ones that had glue on them-they lasted longer and left a mess. But at that time i did not think to try tar and bug remover, which probably would have worked.
    Anyway what they really do is protect OTHER cars-when you or your passenger open/s the door too quickly-you wish everyone, esp. people with kids, would use them so YOUR car doesn't get damaged. They will afford your car some protection against nicks, but only for that small area they cover.
    Right now I am trying clear (like tape) strips that go on like window tint. They are almost invisible (if thats important) but again they protect other cars more than yours.
    They are available for free from www.clearmask.com
  • silly1040silly1040 Member Posts: 48
    I just finished putting on a "Clear Bra" on our new 2001 Lexus RX300. I ordered the front end, front bumper, side mirrors, and headlight protection from www.xpel.com

    You must be patient, if you are a "Give it to me now" person, you should do this yourself. It took me approximately 6 hours to install all of it.

    Recommendations: I used the "Slip" solution on almost every piece. The slip solution lets you position the product exactly where you want it before you make it stick. Have a hair dryer ready, for the curved surfaces. Remember that this should last at least 4 years so don't be in a hurry.
  • automophileautomophile Member Posts: 780
    Try removing all the wax and polish (These DO make it worse as the plastic has gotten porous), and rubbing in some tire or rubber treatment - this may help.

    Also there are some trim restoring compounds out there, such as "Black Jack" and 3M Scotchguard Protectant Gel for trim. These may restore some of the natural oils to the plastic and make it black again. It may take a bit of rubbing to get the treatmetn into the pores of the plastic.

    Good Luck!
  • pblevinepblevine Member Posts: 858
    I'm also a Zaino user and have a '98 Accord Coupe EX V6. I think the Z2 got into the micro-pores of the rubber trim and the residue is hard to get out. In addition, I too have noticed that Honda's rubber trim tends to age too quickly. My cure has been to apply Zaino's Z16 (Perfect Tire Gloss). It will penatrate, protect, and revive the rubber quickly. It dries to a semi-gloss shine. Thus far, a single application has lasted over 4 months.
  • bcloughbclough Member Posts: 97
    Thanks for the tip, hawaiianavowner!

    I've also put some Rain-X on my windshields. Of course it is a record-dry fall in my region, so I won't get to see it work for a while.

    Brenda
  • pokeyjoe17pokeyjoe17 Member Posts: 8
    I use a product called Tannery all purpose cleaner and conditioner. I started using it to remove wax that would get onto the trim. It does a great job on the plastic trim and an ok job on the the vinyl. It comes in a black spray can and costs about 5 bucks.
  • pokeyjoe17pokeyjoe17 Member Posts: 8
    Anybody have any tips for cleaning the small space between the truck cab and bed. I have a power washer but I can see dirt still present after washing it down. I know it may sound a bit obsessive but any ideas would be great.
  • automophileautomophile Member Posts: 780
    Maybe a sponge on a stick? I assume that you are talking about the back of your cab behind the bed, yes?
  • pokeyjoe17pokeyjoe17 Member Posts: 8
    I was talkng about the space between the back of the cab and the front of the bed. I can't see using a sponge and a stick to effectively. Also, I'd like to get some sort of body protectant down there too. Anybody else have ideas?
  • automophileautomophile Member Posts: 780
    Maybe - Get a large, soft sponge, thicker than the gap. Cut a deep slit on the end, and glue it onto a long stick, like a yardstick Hot glue would work great. Dip it in the car wash solution and rub it around in the gap. ???
  • bcloughbclough Member Posts: 97
    Another thought -- get a pair of tube socks, the kind that have padded toes and soles. It should be possible to slide a sock over a yardstick or metal tube and polish with it. You could pad the bottom even more by dropping a piece of sponge into the toe of the sock. Hold the sock onto the tube or stick with a rubber band. Then you could disassemble the whole thing and wash the socks for reuse.

    Brenda

    Brenda
  • jlim1jlim1 Member Posts: 50
    I own a 2000 Hyundai Elantra which has recently been hit, resulting in a 4-in long of minor, shallow bump along the right-hand rear passenger door. Apparently, while my car was parked in a lot someone must have backed off his/her car and had the front bumper hit along the door. There is no scratch mark on the paint, just the bump which is quite obvious in silver body.

    My insurance might not cover the body repair costs because of my deductible.

    Can the bump be fixed easily and at a reasonable costs? Does it have to be done at a body shop instead at a general car shop/dealership? Thanks.
  • gladicheckedgladichecked Member Posts: 93
    Check to see if you have a Dent Wizard or similar company that does paintless dent removal. They are fairly reasonable in price and if the dent is minor you can't tell where it was after the repair...if it's done right.
  • fortunate2001fortunate2001 Member Posts: 21
    I have been thinking of getting a clear bra also- may I ask what color is your Lexus and how noticable is it? Thanks.
  • mike_542mike_542 Member Posts: 128
    I own three BMWs all with clear auto bras which I bought all from Bavarian Autosport. You cannot see a slight hint that it has been installed. In addition, the colors of the X5 and M roadster is blue, while the 530i is aspen silver.
  • silly1040silly1040 Member Posts: 48
    Our Lexus is White. You have to be within three feet of the bra AND looking for edge of the bra to notice it. All you can see is the edge, UNLESS you are more then three feet away. The edge is the only thing you can see, the bra doesn't effect the color you see through the bra. The wife was really surprised at how transparent it is (It's really her car).

    I bought my bra from www.xpel.com but that was the only company that I found on the net. If you can get it cheaper from Bavarian Autosport, do so. Just insure that it's the 3M product. I visited the auto show that was just out here in Las Vegas and 3M was the only manufacturer that I saw that offered the clear bra.
  • sddlwsddlw Member Posts: 361
    In San Diego, we have used Dent Pro with excellent results. As long as the paint is not cracked or the metal creased. Ask your dealer who they use on their cars. Everyone uses these services nowdays.
  • isaluisalu Member Posts: 1
    I bought a new car in March of 2000. Now the paint is coming off. It's not peeling off or chipping off - it seems to be almost rubbing off. What I mean is.. it looks like it is just dissolving whenever a bug hits it or something. I'm interested to know if you've heard any other complaints about the 2000 Hyundai Elantra (mine's a wagon).

    If not, tell me this... could oven cleaner compromise the integrity of the paint? I ask because when I bought the car, having waited a couple of months for a standard transmission in a decent color to come in, the dealer decided to pinstripe it for me even though I never suggested that I wanted such a thing. So after some hassle they took it off, from what I was told, with oven cleaner. Could they have ruined the paint on my car? If so, what can I do about it?

    A couple of other things... the paint that is gone is mostly in one spot about 2 inches wide by 1 inch. The other spots I've noticed are much smaller and not very many (7 or 8), but they are all along the area where the pinstriping was. When I had my car in for service a couple of weeks ago, I asked the service guy to look at the dissolving paint (the large area). He said it looked like someone threw an egg at my car and it dissolved the paint. Is he trying to throw me off or what?
  • sddlwsddlw Member Posts: 361
    I would recommend that you find a high quality, independent paint shop and have them look at your car and make recomendations.

    I am no paint expert, and would not begin to guess what such a high alkaline product like oven cleaner would due to paint, but eggs do not disolve paint. They will make a mess, that can be very difficult to get off without damage to the paint, but the eggs themselves will not disolve the paint.
  • jlim1jlim1 Member Posts: 50
    I went to two body shops of two renowned dealerships in the city and after a free estimate on the so very minor dent, it came to $300 and $400, respectively... one of them requires three days of service while the other would like me to come back by the 20th because they are fully booked now. Both shops thought of taking the pieces apart, which accounts for the pricey service. I'm beginning to think if it's worthwhile taking that route since the car has already had a low resale value to begin with :(
  • automophileautomophile Member Posts: 780
    I Agree with sddlw. First - the add-on pinstriping is usually a tape that can be peeled off. Can't imgine using oven cleaner on a car! See what the independent says and use this to get the dealer to fix your paint. This IS a warranted item.
  • joe166joe166 Member Posts: 401
    It is common to use oven cleaner to remove the painted graphics on boats. It dissolves the painted art and doesn't seem to harm the gel coat. I would not have thought to use it to remove pinstriping, but it certainly would work, although at what cost I am not sure. If the pinstriping was painted rather than taped, they may well have used oven cleaner to remove it as it will cause new paint to bubble and come right off with a plastic spatula. It probably wouldn't hurt really cured paint, but a new car, even if the paint was "baked" on, might be a problem. Although it would not be my choice of solvent, it probably worked. I would demand they make it right.
  • mlt73mlt73 Member Posts: 6
    I took delivery of a new vehicle, however call me stupid, I accepted it with a dent because the salesperson indicated that the repair was easy. This was also the only car on the lot with my specs.

    I wouldn't be worried if the dent was on a smooth part of the sheet metal, however this dent is on a steeply angled piece of metal. For those familiar with the latest Accord Coupe, it is on the angled piece of metal near the door handle.

    The dent isn't severe enough to visibly damage the paint, however I am guessing the damage occurred during transport while the protective plastic sheet was on the car's exterior.

    Any thoughts? Thanks!
  • graphicguygraphicguy Member Posts: 14,154
    Did the dealer say that they would fix the dent? Or, did you get a deal based on the fact that the car was dented? If you agreed to bring it back later for them to fix, will they give you a "loaner"? They should. Your car should be perfect if it's brand new.

    Usually, dealer's will have you sign a sheet before you drive off that the car was inspected by you and you agree that it is "OK". Did you sign this sheet?

    If you accepted the car "as-is" then you probably don't have much recourse. If they agreed to fix it, make them do it.
    2024 Kia EV6 GT-Line AWD Long Range
  • mlt73mlt73 Member Posts: 6
    "Live and learn" is the quote of the day for me.

    I signed the inspection paper after an inspection with all of the plastic still on the sheet metal. Yes, I know, very stupid! Upon the discovery of the damage, I had the sales manager sign a brief note that the dealership would fix the damage. The sales rep also indicated that he would provide a loaner free of charge.
  • mlt73mlt73 Member Posts: 6
    Can the repair be made to perfect condition without disturbing the paint?
  • hawiianavownerhawiianavowner Member Posts: 76
    How will it be fixed? In my recent accident, the appraiser had proposed replacement of the door PANEL (not the whole door) because the dent was also on the "beauty" line, and he didn't want me to be dissatisfied with the repair. He said that beauty line dents are hard to fix to original looks (in my case a brand new avalon).
    The autobody shop owner recommended that he NOT put in a new panel, as this could compromise the factory welds and seams which could lead to rust problems later on. He was able to repair the dent to my satisfaction without cutting out and replacing the old panel, and without disturbing the factory welds. Don't know if the paint was disturbed, the area required refinishing anyway because of little nicks and cuts from glass, although the dent itself had no broken paint. In the end the appraiser let me keep the little money saved from not having to buy a replacement panel, although there was some additional labor.
    So I would ask how the autobody shop is planning to fix it, although it would probably be whatever will cost the dealer less.
  • mlt73mlt73 Member Posts: 6
    Thanks so much for your insight. That information is very useful.

    I am taking my vehicle to "Dent Wizard" which is the shop my dealer referred me to. I'll let everyone know how it turns out this afternoon.
  • mlt73mlt73 Member Posts: 6
    Great job! Good as new. Took 30 minutes. I would recommend this company to anyone with this type of minor body damage. I believe they have franchises all over the US and possibly Canada.
  • tjhsmithtjhsmith Member Posts: 25
    I recently drove under a highway construction project and my car got splattered with wet concrete that cured before I had a chance to rinse it off. How can I remove the many small splatters of dried on concrete without ruining the car's finish?
  • hawiianavownerhawiianavowner Member Posts: 76
    plain water first...and I think most people would say to use clay next-with lots of lubricant and constantly folding the clay.
    But when a similar thing happened to me (and I didn't know about clay then, or these forums), I just used lots of water and my fingernail-yeah took a while but I found that doing one spot at a time with your finger was the only way you could tell if the grit was coming off, and floating away. If you use a brush or sponge/similar, you can't tell if you are rubbing the loosened grit right back into the finish. This happened to my corolla that was 6 years old. I think I would freak out if it happened to my new car.
  • joe166joe166 Member Posts: 401
    Although I am a clay user and have no problem with using it, I can't imagine using clay for the purpose of removing dried cement residue. I don't see anyway of doing that without some pieces of grit rubbing into the finish. I would try anything before that. Strong streams of water, putting a wet towel on it to try to soften it, using the fingernail technique with lots of water, ANYTHING that doesn't involve rubbing pieces of cement into the finish. Maybe you should try to use some sort of WD-40 or CRC type of lubricant to penetrate the cement and loosen it's bond on the paint after which you will have to start from scratch (no pun intended) to wash off any residue and build up the shine and protection with whatever your product of choice is. As hard as it is to get cement to bond to anything that is slick, I can't believe that it would not come off somehow, but be careful with rubbing the particles into the finish, you might end up with more damage than you think.
  • bretfrazbretfraz Member Posts: 2,021
    This topic has been discussed at length over in Store Bought Waxes right here at M&R. Come on down and scroll thru a few posts.
  • automophileautomophile Member Posts: 780
    The cement story also happened to me while I was on vacation in Hawaii. They were stuccoing an office building next to the lot where I parked the car. Thank God it was a rental and not mine!

    The points out another reason to keep your car well protected with a good wax or polymer finish all the time!
  • hawiianavownerhawiianavowner Member Posts: 76
    ...I'll defer to joel66, since I did not use clay to remove it. And the cement that was on the side of the car came off a lot easier than what splattered on the hood- bec. the hood was not as shiny. But it all came off, just go slowly and carefully.
  • tjhsmithtjhsmith Member Posts: 25
    Thanks Joe. Your suggestion to try a penetrating oil to loosen the concrete's adhesion works. I had tried the "flood with water and gently scrape with my fingernails" method and although it worked, it was much too slow and tedious. I'd wear off all my nails before I'd get it all clean. I tested a few spots and the oil makes the job go much faster and easier. I plan to finish the job this weekend. My truck is splattered across the hood, roof and entire left side. What a mess. It's only 5 months old.
  • pat455pat455 Member Posts: 603
    What kind of oil are you using? Let us know how it all turns out.

    Five months old? Yikes.

    Pat
    Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conferenc
  • brettgibsonbrettgibson Member Posts: 1
    I have a similar situation. I park my 1998 Lexus GS300 at work near a 3 story building. They have been doing some rehab work on the building for several weeks. Yesterday was a windy day. I came out at 6 pm to find my car covered with a rough, sandy, grainy residue that will not come off unless I use my fingernail. Does anyone know of a technique to remove this type of residue?
  • sddlwsddlw Member Posts: 361
    Although I would generally recommend against using a high pressure washer on your car for week to week washes, in these cases it might be warranted and might avoid scratches. Whatever you do, do not rub the grit so that it scratches the paint. I've never tried this myself, but vinegar (being dilute acetic acid) should eventually disolve small splatters of concrete, and should be dilute enough to leave the paint undamaged. .... But if it was me, I'd make a trip to my local body/paint shop and talk to the pros for ideas.
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