Hey guys..

On my 1994 LS 400 there is paint on the lower part of the car:

Specifically Behind Passenger front tire, and in front of passenger door (in that area that collects dirt , say when you go down a dirt road)

Probably an area of about a foot or so, by 6-8 inches from bottom. (At an angle)

It is splattered white paint, that looks just like the little bit of dirt one would wipe off.

I just bought the car, and this is on there, so I don't know how long it has been this way, suffice to say it is on pretty good.

My basic question for you guys is:

How would I go about removing this paint without ruining the clearcoat/paint job on the car in that area?

What product(s) do I use? What tools? Do I buff? Is this only a job a professional could do?

Thank you so much!

 

Post some pictures. Your words mean nothing to us :P We have horrible sense of direction

 

Yeah, I agree, pics would help. But based on your description, I'd start with a claybar and some elbow grease. Claybar will almost always work with paint overspray, but if yours is more than overspray, you may need more.

Post some pics and we can get a better idea and advice for you.

 

Ok I'll post a picture right away -- be right up.

Claybar eh? Where can I get one of those at? Walmart? Or?

I was thinking maybe some rubbing compound , that not a good idea? -- Its on there very good, and is textured, it sticks out (you can feel it running your hands across it)


Anyhow, your right, pictures do ALOT more than any description. I'll try to get a straight shot, and an angle to show texture.

 

be very careful with rubbing compound. You can remove the car's paint with that stuff. So I'd start with the clay, which you can get at Wal-mart or an automotive store. Mother's or meguiars are good, Clay Magic (if you can find it OTC) would be my recommendation.

 

Ok immediately I took 3 shots of the paint I am speaking of:







Hope that helps you help me

Thanks,

 

Nah, I think the clay should take off most of it. Try it and let's see what's leftover after you're done. Good luck!

 

Ok great -- its something where I get my finger nail and scratch it doesn't want to come off.. I hope the clay works well.

If you don't mind,.. is there anything to using the bar?

Do I just wet it and rub the area like I'm washing my own body with a bar of soap?

Do I put immense pressure on it? Or do I just keep it steady and it slowly wears off?

Thanks a million

 

While I've got you monitoring my thread -- I know I can search for this and have -- But there are a million answers:

What is *your* personal preference (or preferences) of Hard wax's? I don't like the liquid, I prefer to use the hard wax, let settle, then buff off.

Also, just give me a run down of what you use for your lexus --

IE: Brand/products for:

General soap for washing outside
Leather care
Carpet care
Dash
Tires
Windows
and whatever else I'm leaving out.

Reason I ask, is you seem to be pretty knowledgable, and I'm about to leave out to go buy a new 'supply' of items to take care of this vehicle with -- So recommendations would be fantastic!

 

Just make sure its well lubricated with water, quick detailer, or clay lube.

 

just go to pepboys...and get the meguiar's smooth surface clay kit...comes with 2 clay bar...the quik detailer as the lube and a microfiber towel...

 

I went to Walmart and got mentioned brands of everything -- Not all of what was mentioned above, but 'favorite' products of people..

I did find the Meguiars Clay Kit.. I bought it,.. Ended up spending about 100$ on detail materials, but it will go for a long time.

Today and tommorow I plan on working on it,.. I think I have enough to make a good dent in things. The car itself is fairly clean already -- So the wash should be easy enough,.. focusing mainly on the lower extremeties.. Then I'll use the Clay bar kit on the areas that have the paint on them.. and do the best I can. I understand the pieces come off and get absorbed by the clay bar. Hard for me to believe it is that simple, but maybe so!

Then when I'm comfortable with that, its coating her down with some hard wax, and letting it sit for a bit. Then buff time. I love a freshly buffed/waxed automobile.

Thanks for the help

 

Update -- I washed/waxed, and claybarred the area. (I also used some Scratch remover in vain) -- Nothing removed even the slightest bit of it.

So what is the next step here?

I've got to get this off..

Thanks,

 

Porter Cable Buffer should get it off.

 

You're going to need to step up to a paint safe solvent and hope for the best.

If this is an epoxy road line paint, time is of the essence. If fairly fresh, it'll be easier.


5 Star products sells a canister of 'overspray wipes', I've never tried it, but I've see it in body shops. You might want to visit a paint supply store and ask about it or the equivalent.

If you can find it, try gasoline. You'll have to use a sponge to allow small areas to soak a bit. The gas won't hurt the factory paint-it will dull it slightly-but that can be polished up later.

I know someone that WAS successful with gasoline on yellow road epoxy paint. It was a LOT of work though.

Last ditch solution; Try Lacquer thinner. This is riskier and although *most* cured urethane factory paint will easily tolerate it, you need to test it on the underside rocker part of the car, or somewhere else not visible. I myself used it to remove painted pinstripes on my GS400 years ago, with no ill effects.

It's much stronger than gasoline at breaking down paint, but has some potential to break down certain paints (lacquer of course) and paint shop mixes, so use this as a last resort.

I don't recommend wetsanding here because you'll take too much good paint away and might not get all the bad before you break through the clear.

Best wishes,