Well I have tried goo gone, wd 40, simple green, bug and tar remover. Whatever this is its stuck good, does not scratch off with a finger nail either.

Any ideas what to try? It's on the rocker covers and the rear bumper.

On the 87 S4.

 

Can you try to get a clearer shot of it? Would hesitate to suggest anything else until seeing a better shot.

 

Clay bar, about the only paint contaminant I've come across that does not work 100% with clay is really bad tree sap.

I prefer any Medium clay bar, but it can be difficult to source locally.
The White "mild" clay should be at every auto parts store, I would start there. Just follow the directions on the package and don't be afraid to use a lot of lube, usually some kind of quick detailer.

I bought a couple of these I'm playing with, supposed to be a substitute for using clay:

http://www.autogeek.net/nanoskin-aut...ine-grade.html

Works great, but I worry about contaminants imbedding them in the mit and scratching later. So now I'm really only using them on glass.

Rennlist sponsor "detailersdomain" sells various kinds of clay and the Nanoskin:
https://detailersdomain.com/

 

Buy a polisher and compound. Or simply use your elbows with the compound. Clay afterwards.

 

ha...I couldn't get my eyes of the avatar..... Just sayin'

 

What was the question anyway ?????? ....haha

 

+1.

 

^^^ this. That looks a lot like the crap we get around here, just after the local unpaved road gets sprayed with "Dustac" to keep the dust down and mess up cars. It's a nasty, sticky mixture of tree sap and water which binds the dust and fines into a hard coating. Or, if you drive on it before it dries, coats rocker panels with sticky brown **** that dries on your car.

It seems more soluble by soap and warm/hot water than anything else. Tar remover won't touch it, it just laughs at clay bar, polish makes it shiny.

For the chemistry majors out there, the formal name for this crap is calcium lignosulfonate. What dissolves it, that is also safe for paint?

And yes, Afshin is correct, we need a better picture of Adam's avatar.

 

Jim, the car was purchased out in the boonies, so would have been driven on many rural roads that are tar and chip. But this does look lighter than tar I have seen before. I wonder if they use that tree sap compound here as we'll.

I'm going to try warm water and soap tomorrow.

If that fails I guess rubbing compound and a polisher will be my next step. Or I may just take it to a detailer. I really don't want to screw up the paint on this car.

 

Any paper or pulp mills around that area?

 

Like everyone above said... if it doesn't wash off, try CLAY BAR. Rubbing compound is the perfect way to screw your paint up big time.

3M Scratch Remover works well too.

http://www.autobarn.net/3m-sctratch-...FYaDQgodxj4Akw

 

Right, if you don't have experience or are not a 'hands on' kind of person, you could damage your paint.

Take it to a detailer, by the time you buy everything they'll have it done.

Try the hot water and soap with heavy rubber gloves first though.

Funny, I've been restoring cars for 20+ years (started in '92) and have never used a clay bar.

I always thought of it as a detailing product for minor stuff rather than one to correct major blemishes. I will try it.
I have always used the appropriate 'cut' compound or polish for the problem or have wet sanded first and then compounded/polished.
There are very fine compounds available BTW.

 

if you tried all those you may want to try to use an orbital polisher and compound then finish out with a final polish.

or you may just want to try by hand first if you don't want to invest in a polisher.

maybe its paint from stripes or something like that.

 

I would try the following:

1. Lacquer Thinner and elbow grease followed by a good rinse with water. If that fails;
2. Rubbing compound and elbow grease - rubbing compound and a machine buffer are tools only for the experienced who happen to be insured. Do a small section at a time. You will need some lighter grade swirl/scratch remover to bring back the gloss; or
3. Clay bar. There must be something about clay bars I don't understand. They work, but the time and effort involved leave me convinced that there are disturbing parallels between using a clay bar and extended foreplay. I imagine that the afterglow involves reaching into the garage wine cooler and uncorking a chablis while admiring the deftness of your paint correction;
4. The nuclear option - Easy Off Heavy Duty Oven Cleaner. Unlike lacquer thinner, which is much more benign than it sounds, this stuff is every bit as nasty as its name. Do a google search on removing pinstripes and oven cleaner. Spray into a cup and apply to the target material with a q-tip. Leave on for few minutes max and rinse off well.

OR

Just take it to a good detailer and pay him/her. Presumably we all have a list of things large and small that we need/want to do on our cars. Time is a resource and paying someone qualified to buy yourself more time is not a sin.

Finally, don't use your fingernails. They are remarkably efficient gouging tools.

 

After clay and before rubbing compounds I would try paint thinner, mineral spirits, and lacquer thinner... probably in about that order.

Also, PB Blaster has some amazing cleaning properties, but I believe that is because it may contain acetone which I don't use on paint. Might test in a small area or go the with rubbing compounds first.

Years ago, I drove over an unmarked freshly repainted road side line. It was a mess that required mineral spirits and lots of elbow grease. Still never got it completely out of the wheel wells.