White paint on black car nightmare - HELP!

jasonc

jasonc

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I'll get straight to the point - front of my car currently looks like this:

PC270049_zpsc56ae0fa.jpg


PC270052_zpsb1a50cec.jpg


These pictures were taken after the car has been washed (twice), blasted with a pressure washer for a solid 5 minutes and attacked with every car cleaning product in my garage.

I work on Slough Trading Estate and in the run up to Christmas they have been repainting everything - windows, doors, lamp posts, signs and the roads. Most of it is silver so my best guess would be that this is the white paint they use on the road to mark out the parking spaces which has been spilt by a clumsy painter (or chucked on the car deliberately by somebody taking offence at a nice car but I prefer to assume it was an accident!).

I don't know how long it was on the car before I noticed it and when I first spotted it I just assumed it was bird mess so it was only when I washed the car just before Christmas that I discovered the true horror. This means the paint has been on there for at least a week now and is looking like a pretty permanent feature.

To be honest I haven't got a clue where to start with this - how do you remove the white paint from the car without removing the car's black paint? I'm a bit concerned that the only answer is to respray the bonnet and bumper and replace the headlight cover but that's going to cost a fortune - any better ideas?
 
you need a detailer to look at it, if it's the paint used to mark out parking spaces its harsh stuff and goes on hot
 
A detailer would most likely polisher the white areas until they get to the paint underneath. Will take some doing though...
 
I amagine a detailer might be able to wet sand the white paint until its gone and then polish it back up but only a detailer could tell you. They would need to remove the light to get to it all but that's not really a big issue.
 
Dude, feel for you. Such a horrible thing to happen!

Well firstly I would try to see if there is any CCTV where you park you car to see if you can see the incident. Why should you have to pay for somebody else's negligence?

Maybe it's the picture but the area on the bonnet looks like its damaged the paint. Much like if you leave bird poo on for too long.

I would take the headlight and try some paint stripper on the the light. On a small area first to make sure it doesn't damage the plastic. That gets that sorted.

The bumper could be saved by a "good detailer". Maybe ask N8, FranA3 or JuicyJen on here for their honest opinion. It maybe just a bit too much to ask and might need to be rubbed down and re-sprayed.
 
I feel your pain. Seek professional help and don't discount your insurance.

I would steer clear of paint stripper on the lights though.

They are plastic, but most certainly will be lacquered ( think clear coat) so you don't want to strip or damage that coating either. Same goes for machine polishing which might do similar.
 
That's horrible! Looks a bit deliberate in my opinion. I had similar problem where a red car hit my car once, it was silver and left a large red paint transfer on it, i used everything i could to get it off but it wouldn't budge. I took it to my local hand car wash and asked them if they could get it off when they washed it, he came out with a bottle of something and sprayed it on and straight away it came off. Not sure what it was but the paint was fine after so it might be worth giving it a try! Hope you it sorted ok!
 
PaulS3 said:
I feel your pain. Seek professional help and don't discount your insurance.

I would steer clear of paint stripper on the lights though.

They are plastic, but most certainly will be lacquered ( think clear coat) so you don't want to strip or damage that coating either. Same goes for machine polishing which might do similar.
Click to expand...

Ok... Go with this. Don't use stripper :)
 
I would wet sand it to get through the white paint but would try some white spirit to see if it would break it down as the layers were thinned out. Then DA polisher session after that.
 
Hi

Hi have you tried any cleaning products?

autoglym paint renovator or Tuttle wax color back maybe. Both these are used to to get out paint imperfections or over spray etc. your original paint will be set a lot harder than new white marks so should work well. I'm no professional so maybe google before hand, try in an area out of site and use a soft cloth. Shoud be fine on the glass too but again maybe try a small area under the bonnet first.

hope you get sorted.

mark
 
Get abit of g3 cutting compound on there, see if the paint is coming off onto the rag. Make sure the cloth is damp.

You should in theory be able to cut the white off, and get to the lacquer, all depends on if its sunk through the lacquer and burnt the surface.

Try G3, I know it will sort the headlamp out no issues.
 
I've used Label remover once when I had paint stuff on a car! got most of it off and didn't affect the paint work! But Don't know if it would work on that kind of paint!
 
Thanks for all the advice guys - much appreciated!

I think I'm going to have to get a quote from a pro and go from there - I've tried ringing a couple of garages this morning but I think the body shops are all closed until the New Year.

If I'm feeling brave later I may try and tackle a small area of the bumper with some T-Cut and maybe try some gentle scraping on the headlight but after another look I suspect the bonnet is a lost cause - it looks like the lacquer is all bubbled up and that's definitely not something I'm going to be able to put right.
 
1800 grit wet sand paper with compound polish followed by a a good application of a good wax treatment. or you can just CALL dent master
 
Looks like paint stripper to me? The way the bonnet has bubbled and the lens looks a bit melted?
 
JS3 said:
Looks like paint stripper to me? The way the bonnet has bubbled and the lens looks a bit melted?
Click to expand...

doesnt look good, sorry

My first thought was brake fluid, but that usually takes the paint right back to bare metal just like paint stripper would

Get a bodyshop/detailer to have a look...
 
Hi Jason

I've been a Pro detailer for around 3 years now with over 8 years experience in machine polishing, I will be brutally honest with you here that it will just be trial and error to remove the damage as we don't know the chemical balance of the product that has been split onto your car.

I am located in Solihull just outside Birmingham, your welcome to travel up to me and I will assess the damage, take thorough paint readings and then proceed to try an remedy the damage to help a fellow ASN member.

Drop me a PM :)

Regards
John
 
Dam thats terrible. Id be suprised if that was an accident hopefully you can get it sorted. I remember local council were re surfacing road with fresh tar and gravel. Forced me onto it when I got off I stopped car was coated in tar, gravels you name it luckily Council paid for it to be sorted by audi :) but GOOD LUCK PAL
 
Bit of an update - looks like I was wrong in assuming that the damage was done at work. The car was parked outside my girlfriend's house last night and this was the sight that greeted me this morning:

second_zpsbe0d0310.jpg


Today I've had the car into an independent bodyshop and an Audi dealer. The Audi valeting guy reckoned he might be able to do something with it but after an hour or so admitted defeat - apparently it's not white paint but some kind of adhesive. After the Audi guys efforts it now looks like this:

afteraudivalet_zpsf544709c.jpg


Expected repair cost (new grill, new Xenon headlight, respray bonnet and bumper) is about 2k so clearly it's now an insurance job.

I was annoyed about this when I thought it had been done by clumsy painters at work but now I know that it is clearly deliberate (and targeted since no other cars in the street have been attacked) there really aren't words to describe my feelings on the subject!

Most irritating is that I fitted a Blackvue camera in the car which recorded some lovely fireworks on New Years Eve but decided not to record anything last night when the car was attacked!
 
That is ****ing shocking. Scum... Really makes me angry that kind of thing regardless there is no need to damage property cowardly *******s
 
What!? That is ridiculous. Some people lead utterly pathetic little lives!

Seeing as though "the damage is done" and it's had to become an insurance job, I'd have that BlackVue set on ultra-high sensitivity and try to catch this scumbag in the act. Park the car in the same place, maybe try get another camera on the car from your girlfriend's house, and essentially turn it into a bait car.

I hope you catch this lowlife in the act.
 
I had some glue thrown over 1 of my cars last year,I tried all sorts to get it off. The only way it came off was with thinners on a cloth. It didn`t affect the lacquer either luckily.
 
ouch! that's hideous. The kind of jealous filth that does this kind of thing needs neutering.

I suppose it's lucky you didn't get it fixed yet or you'd be starting again. I have to agree with Jameze, you need to catch them before you get it done or there could be a 3rd attack.

Don't understand how the BlackVue didn't record anything? Turn up the sensitivity in parking mode - it should be possible to catch them if they walk in front of the camera, as mine sometimes activates when it rains if the motion sensor is high enough ...or maybe it's the camera that's provoking the attacks??? are the camera's LED's on view?

...and I still think a pro detailer would find a way to get that off without damaging your paintwork - Main Dealer valeters are generally crap in my experience, & don't understand or care about your paint like a detailer does. Tried Tar & Glue remover?
 
Jameze said:
What!? That is ridiculous. Some people lead utterly pathetic little lives!

Seeing as though "the damage is done" and it's had to become an insurance job, I'd have that BlackVue set on ultra-high sensitivity and try to catch this scumbag in the act. Park the car in the same place, maybe try get another camera on the car from your girlfriend's house, and essentially turn it into a bait car.

I hope you catch this lowlife in the act.
Click to expand...

I was thinking the same thing but I reckon that it was actually 3 weeks between the first and second attacks (and the car was parked in the same spot loads of times in between) so it could be a long wait for it to happen again and I want to get the car sorted. Plus, I'm not sure that I could sleep with my car parked there again and would probably end up crouched behind the front door with a bat which is not going to end well for anyone involved!

thebambam said:
Mother truckers!. You gone around local houses see if anyone has cameras etc...
Click to expand...

Yep, no cameras and nobody saw or heard anything. I actually got woken up by a loud bang in the early hours which was probably when it happened but didn't investigate because I didn't hear any noises afterwards - sure they would have been long gone by the time I got outside anyway.
 
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Artimus said:
ouch! that's hideous. The kind of jealous filth that does this kind of thing needs neutering.

I suppose it's lucky you didn't get it fixed yet or you'd be starting again. I have to agree with Jameze, you need to catch them before you get it done or there could be a 3rd attack.

Don't understand how the BlackVue didn't record anything? Turn up the sensitivity in parking mode - it should be possible to catch them if they walk in front of the camera, as mine sometimes activates when it rains if the motion sensor is high enough ...or maybe it's the camera that's provoking the attacks??? are the camera's LED's on view?

...and I still think a pro detailer would find a way to get that off without damaging your paintwork - Main Dealer valeters are generally crap in my experience, & don't understand or care about your paint like a detailer does. Tried Tar & Glue remover?
Click to expand...

I think the Power Magic battery monitor must have cut the power to the camera - the car had been parked up for about 3 days (with just one brief 5 min drive midway) and there are recordings for the first 2 days but then they just stop.

The camera wasn't installed when the first attack happened but I have all the LED's turned off anyway.

I tried Bug and Tar remover on the original damage - it did nothing. The pictures don't really do it justice - the affected areas of paintwork are pretty f**ked.
 
Have you parked it there since the first time or was this the second time and it's happened again?

Would it be worth you waiting for the SCUM BAG to come along and damage it whilst your filming?

Why let some scum do this, when they'll do it to someone else car! Should of been shot at birth!
 
Just to add, have you tried tar remover? Clay bar, IronX? Take the car to a detailer not Audi, detailers will be able to wet sand and take a layer of paint off without respraying
 
MattyW19 said:
Have you parked it there since the first time or was this the second time and it's happened again?

Would it be worth you waiting for the SCUM BAG to come along and damage it whilst your filming?

Why let some scum do this, when they'll do it to someone else car! Should of been shot at birth!
Click to expand...

Yes, it has been parked in the same spot lots of times between the first and second attacks without a problem.

I totally agree with the sentiment of what you are saying and would try and catch them but I can only see two possible outcomes:

1. I catch them and take the law into my own hands - I get done, they walk away with a few bruises.
2. I catch them and report them - they walk away. I've already reported the 2 attacks to the police and to summarise their response was "a lot of cars get vandalized" and "we'll be in touch" i.e. you've been filed.

Life is too short for vendettas.
 
I understand :( There obviously just very jelous people who don't like to see others get on! Good luck with the car and for 2013!

And make sure you don't get caught when you find the t**t ;)
 
Be careful! Would hate for you to get this repaired and the same thing happen soon after...perhaps invest in some cameras on the outside of a building? More of a deterrent.
 
Hi Jason,

I hope this gets sorted for you and karma catches up with whoever is responsible.

With regards to future protection maybe you should consider those clear wrap things that many people use to protect against stone chips on their bonnet and clear lamin-x on the lights. I had this stuff on my VX220 a couple of years ago over the rear wheel arches and on the front bumper/bonnet. Could hardly see it and it provided some decent protection.

Ultimately it sucks that you have to even consider taking measures like this but unfortunately sh*t does happen (mainly because of scumbags)

All the best
Mo
 
I was planning on calling the insurance company today to make a claim but when I got up this morning I decided I really didn't want to hand over the 400 quid excess (+future increase in premiums) and figured I couldn't really make it any worse so attacked the car with whatever I could get my hands on.

With the combination of:

A very big bottle of White Spirit
A can of office label adhesive remover
A T-Cut Clay Bar Kit
4 hours of back-breaking graft

the front end now looks like this:

afterwhitespiritandclay_zpsac050703.jpg


I'm pretty happy with progress - the headlight is pretty much sorted and virtually all of the adhesive is gone from the bonnet and bumper. There are a couple of stone chips to touch-up on the bonnet and then I plan on doing the whole bonnet and bumper with black colour magic followed by the wax that came in the clay kit. The paintwork underneath all of the adhesive appears to be OK so I may get away with that.

Problem areas are all of the fiddly bits - the grill, fog light surround and around the headlight which you can't really get at properly.

Quote came through tonight from Audi to do the repair and it's £1827, so far I've spent 30 quid and 4 hours work on it so that can't be bad!
 
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its the white sprit that will have got it off, what ever it was must be petroleum based, so tar remover would have got it off too
 
Ste_Nova said:
its the white sprit that will have got it off, what ever it was must be petroleum based, so tar remover would have got it off too
Click to expand...

The white spirit worked great on the bonnet but it had no effect on the bumper, it took the clay bar and a lot of scraping with a credit card to get that adhesive off.
 
Just get the grill and fog surrounds off mate and get them matt blacked sorted. That really is looking good now mate I really did feel for ya mate when I seen the first pic it would have killed me I wouldn't have slept until it was sorted I like my car and bike mint at all times . That grill and fogs would only cost about £70 to have painted if you didn't want to do it yourself
 
southylad said:
Just get the grill and fog surrounds off mate and get them matt blacked sorted. That really is looking good now mate I really did feel for ya mate when I seen the first pic it would have killed me I wouldn't have slept until it was sorted I like my car and bike mint at all times . That grill and fogs would only cost about £70 to have painted if you didn't want to do it yourself
Click to expand...

Cheers, that might be a really good idea if I can't get them cleaned up properly. I was planning on trying to sort them out and as a last resort just replace them - I think that all in the grill + fog light surround comes to less than 200 quid so it would still be considerably less than the insurance excess. Painting them is probably a better idea and would certainly be cheaper!
 
Nice one mate I just matt blacked a grill I bought from fk automotive turned out very nice grand total £5 for the can will get it fitted soon as I get the time
 
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