Hello All,

This is my first posting so I hope I have this right. I have a 1988 red Corvette convertible. She is in really great shape. Unfortunately, a white outdoor speaker fell off a shelf in the garage and hit the hood of my car. No chips in the paint from what I can see, but the white speaker left several white marks on the red paint. There is no red paint on the white speaker.

A friend said to try McGuire's spray cleaner for tar and bugs. Unfortunately, I have been able to find all of McGuire's products at Pep Boys except the tar and bug remover. I am not sure if that is the best method to use either.

So I joined Corvette Forum so I could ask the experts. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

There are a variety of solutions to your problem, depending upon the severity of the problem/scratching. You can use a polishing compound, which varies from mild to severe, with the stuff you get at Pep Boys/Checker type stuff tending toward the more severe side, unless specifically labeled fine or mild (I know some people who also use toothpaste as a mild version). You can tell by looking in bright light from a side angle, the more aggressive will leave very easily seen swirl marks where you rubbed it on with your circular motion. If the scratch marks are clearly visible, use a "swirl remover" (the mildest) polishing compound ( also works well for those swirl marks you get just from washing/drying over time). It is usually best to go from the least aggressive to more aggressive so you don't remove paint and clearcoating unnecessarily. You can even go to sandpaper (wet or dry) but use a much higher grade paper ( such as 2000 or higher grit), followed by a series of polishing compounds. Or, if there are any car shows in your area, you can pick up some of the clay or gum products that basically work like and eraser on your car paint to clean/detail. It pays to find the nearest auto paint supply store to be able to get just what you need, and to have people who know what they are doing help you select the best products for your application.

It sounds like your scratches should be a piece of cake to get out.

 

sounds like the speaker left it's paint on the car.

i would try a swirl remover or you get bug and tar remover of a different brand than meguiars if you can't happen to find it. dish soap might also help remove it. i would just put some wax back on the car after you are done since all of these will remove the wax.

just make sure you go over it lightly and don't press to hard.

on a side note:
i use meguiars products for all of my waxes, soaps, and shines.
for polishing i use 3M products.

 

Try a pencil eraser. Usually works for situations like this. Afterwards, just wash/wax the affected panel (or whole car)

Good luck!

 

I use s Turtle Wax scratch remover.....says its safe for clearcoats...just dont press too hard...I use it with a microfiber rag and it seems to get those little "abrasions" without scratching or deeper damage to finish. A little steady gentle rubbing seems to work fine Patience is the key here.

 

I use lacquer thinner for things like this. You have to just wipe it a few times and quit, no hard or lengthly rubbing. To give you a idea of how strong it is, it will disolve dried gum in nylon carpet, but won't hurt the carpet. I think this is easier on the paint than rubbing it out, and it is very fast. Just follow up with some wax. Works well for road tar or smears of grease also. The only time you don't want to use it is for new paint (less than 30 days old), it will take it right off. You can try acetone first if lacquer thinner scares you, it is not as strong. The next step down is alcohol.

 

Post this in the detailing section of the forum and you'll get some great advice to help you on the marks

 

I sometimes (don't kill me) use purple cleaner...just spray some on a rag, and use your finger in the rag (not the whole rag) to rub the spot. since it's engine degreaser, you don't want to get it on anything else. Ive used this for years on all my cars and it never hurt the paint, wax, finish or anything else. Just a note, since its obviously not made for paints, i'd be very careful and take my advise with a grain of salt on this matter.

i do have to say though,that stuff takes EVERYTHING off... other car's door bumper marks, bugs, tar, grease....ANYTHING. just don't let it sit on any surface for more than a few secs as it can eat the finish off if left on too long.

 

Thank you. Where do I find the detailing forum?

 

]Thank you. I tried this first, but unfortunately it didn't work on the speaker marks. Thank you for the suggestion

 

I've done this a number of times. Usually if I get a car door mark where paint has been left from teh other car, but there's no dent or anything.

I have the hose handy, then quickly wipe the mark off the car with the lacquer thinner. (Not pressing hard or rubbing.) Usually one or two quick wipes is all it takes. Then I hose it down really good to get the thinner off and apply polish over the area.

 

Laquer thinner is dangerous stuff, and usually a last resort for me. Before I try it I will see if mineral spirits (usually called paint thinner at the hardware stores) will work first, especially on things like road grim, tar, bugs, etc. If ms doesn't work then I carefully use laquer thinner. Sounds like you need to use some rubbing/polishing compound to get the marks out. Just like using thinners, start with the mildes/least aggressive, and work your way up. The coarser/harsher/more aggressive you get, the more of your paint you are actually removing along with the marks.

When we use paper (dry or prefferably wet) we start detailing the factory or new paint job with a 2-3000 grit paper to minimize the removal of paint, while still cleaning the oxidation, mild scratch marks, hazing and smooth the roughness (usually called orange peel) of the paint and/or clearcoat. So the sandpaper you are using is a far less aggressive than anything you might have sitting around the house - the best source would be an auto paint supply store.

For the polishing compound, you could even try some toothpaste to see if it works, followed by a coat of wax if it comes off. If not, taking a pinch of the compound and rubbing it between your fingers will tell you how course/aggressive it is.

Have fun with it. You can make an old finish look years newer by learning a little about polishing and detailing a cars finish.

 

Try Meguiars 'Deep Crystal System Paint Cleaner'.

 

Theres this stuff called FW-1, comes in a spray can. Its kinda like those car wash in a can type of things, but different. I use it to get small scratches, paint, or other blemishes off cars. It does not harm the car's paint at all.