[EastYorkF80]

I ended up with what is almost certainly white paint overspray over the majority of the passenger side of my car. The city of Toronto is to blame, but while they decide whether they will do anything to compensate me, I'd like to make my car blue again. I searched these forums, and found several threads suggesting that a clay bar would remove overspray, so I got a kit and tried it. As I moved the clay I didn't feel or hear any resistance, as the instructions suggested I would. After about 30 minutes on the fuel filler cap, I think some of it came off, though it could be wishful thinking. My question is, should I expect that it will take countless hours to do this, or is wet sanding my only option...

[sawzall]

Try using some isopropyl alcohol. Just put some on a soft cotton towel then try rubbing it off. It that doesn't work you'll probably need to wetsand.

[kevin@bavarianx]

I would suggest getting a aggressive/medium clay bar.

[MMachines]

I think there are a few things to try between the clay and the wetsand if the clay doesn't work out. I'm no pro though so I'd go get a professional opinion. If it were my car I'd break out the polisher and see where I got with it.

[kevin@bavarianx]

Trust me medium or aggressive clay gets things out mild clay bought over the counter can't. But if all else fails MovinUp is right that some light compound and a cutting pad should help remove it.

[picus]

What kind of paint is it? If it is road paint (as I suspect) it will be larger droplets. You can use lacquer thinner and it will take it off in ~5 seconds. Road paint is lacquer based, your cars paint is not.

If it is a waterbased paint, like from some construction crew spraying or something, claybar should take it off pretty easily.

I generally don't claybar road paint, since the dried paint sticks in the claybar and can scratch the hell out of the car.

Oh, and I will say this; I have never, ever, run across a case of *paint* overspray that required wetsanding. That's like using a jackhammer on a finishing nail.

[Andy M]

I would think if you had a good layer of wax it should come off quite easily.

But I would go with the medium compound first before trying anything else. I would give the rubbing alcohol a try too. I use it for prepping a surface before painting since it does a great job in cleaning and leaves no residue behind.

[bigup]

Negative on wet sanding; unless you know what your doing, this will be very harmful to your clear.

Go to your nearest Toyota dealership's parts counter and ask for "Toyota Touch clay bar and spray wax". IMHO this is one of the most aggressive clay bars you'll find, so use lots of lube and it should clean up anything in it's path with minimal marring.

A plastic razer blade and lots of quick detailer might work too -- but this will probably induce light scratching and require buffing after (Meg's ScratchX will kill marks like this easily).

[EastYorkF80]

Originally Posted by picus

What kind of paint is it? If it is road paint (as I suspect) it will be larger droplets. You can use lacquer thinner and it will take it off in ~5 seconds. Road paint is lacquer based, your cars paint is not.

If it is a waterbased paint, like from some construction crew spraying or something, claybar should take it off pretty easily.


I'm fairly certain that it was a construction crew marking the sidewalk with spray paint. The droplets are very tiny, probably < 1 mm


I generally don't claybar road paint, since the dried paint sticks in the claybar and can scratch the hell out of the car.

Oh, and I will say this; I have never, ever, run across a case of *paint* overspray that required wetsanding. That's like using a jackhammer on a finishing nail.

I'm glad to hear this, I only mentioned it because I saw it in other threads. I will try the lacquer thinner/alcohol, and if it doesn't work, I will hand the job off to a pro.

[mshahidz]

Originally Posted by jpfletch

I'm glad to hear this, I only mentioned it because I saw it in other threads. I will try the lacquer thinner/alcohol, and if it doesn't work, I will hand the job off to a pro.

that pro would be picus

[picus]

Originally Posted by jpfletch

I'm glad to hear this, I only mentioned it because I saw it in other threads. I will try the lacquer thinner/alcohol, and if it doesn't work, I will hand the job off to a pro.

Good call. You can dilute the lacquer thinner too, it will probably still work and less danger of it drying on the paint. Do it in a shaded area, lots of ventilation, LT on a microfiber (damp it), put on spots and let sit ~15 seconds, wipe with another mf. That normally does it if its road paint. Cheers.

[CalgaryX3]

Just wanted to throw in my 2c. I have an older CRV that we use as a DD. Recently, I had the front end (hood and fenders) painted due to the road rash it has accumulated over the years.

When the V got back, it was covered, literally covered in overspray. The windows, roof, trim and everything else that wasn't supposed to be painted, got painted *sigh*.

I started out by using a blade on the glass which seemed to work well, but was taking too long. I transitioned to Varsol (paint thinner) which also worked both on the glass and paint, but needed a lot of elbow grease to remove the spray. I was worried, because I didn't want to mar the original paint which is old and delicate to begin with. The Varsol, even in a diluted form scared the bejeezus out of me.

In any event, I switched again to Zaino clay bar, which was used in conjunction with Meguiars Quick Detailer as a lubricant. Lo-and behold, within an hour, I had clayed all of the affected areas, and the overspray is no more. I followed up with a good paint cleaner and polish just to enhance the appearance, and protect the now naked paint finish.

A good clay bar should work for you.

Good luck!
Asif

[dimisa1977]

Originally Posted by sales@bavarianx

I would suggest getting a aggressive/medium clay bar.

i agree, this is a great first resource. any updates?

[picus]

I think a lot of people in this thread are confusing waterbased paint overspray (as in, re-spray overspray) and road paint overspray. I am not sure what the OP has (I assumed road, since he said he can see it, and re-spray overspray is generally clear). Claybar is great for re-spray overspray, but ime it is not my first choice for road paint overspray.

[CalgaryX3]

Originally Posted by picus

I think a lot of people in this thread are confusing waterbased paint overspray (as in, re-spray overspray) and road paint overspray. I am not sure what the OP has (I assumed road, since he said he can see it, and re-spray overspray is generally clear). Claybar is great for re-spray overspray, but ime it is not my first choice for road paint overspray.

My bad; thats exactly what I had in mind when I posted. And agreeably, you'll be lucky if claybar will remove road paint. A little gasoline will take it off if used properly; i.e. in a well ventilated area, away from cigarettes or other accelerants. My suggestion would be to use a Q-Tip dabbed in gasoline, and tackle each drop of paint individually as compared to blanket cleaning the body panel.

Once again, follow up with a good paint protection system as the gasoline will strip the paint of any waxes or polish.

A

[EastYorkF80]

I finally found time to give this a shot. Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. I got some lacquer thinner, and it is working like a charm. It will take some time, give the sheer volume of droplets, but a little hard work never hurt anyone

[picus]

Originally Posted by jpfletch

I finally found time to give this a shot. Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. I got some lacquer thinner, and it is working like a charm. It will take some time, give the sheer volume of droplets, but a little hard work never hurt anyone