Oily marks on red paintwork

cepheus

I finally bucked up the courage to give my car it's annual wash :eek: since it's back from the MOT. Anyhow there are quite a few oily marks which refuse to come off, possibly caused from dirty fingers all over the cars paintwork.

Has anyone any ideas for applying a common household solvent to these spots which might remove them without too much rubbing, to avoid damaging the paintwork? The only thing I can think of is WD40 with a sponge. I could apply it to a lower panel to start with. Then wash it off with conventional shampoo.

chrisw

I would have used t-cut or t-cut metallic followed by a good wax polish.

cepheus

I have some Tcut which I used to get rid of scratches. Didn't realise that could be used to remove oil or dirt, wouldn't it just smear it out?

BeenThroughItAll

cepheus wrote: »

The only thing I can think of is WD40 with a sponge. I could apply it to a lower panel to start with. Then wash it off with conventional shampoo.

WD40 is light oil carried in solvent, so could just end up creating a more smeary problem.

An alcohol wipe such as that used for cleaning LCD screens will almost certainly be fine.

Iceweasel

I would be trying the Mr Muscle Multi-Purpose De-Greaser first.

Failing that the already mentioned T-Cut would be one answer - but then you would have to polish the car and then apply a wax coat. Not the best idea.

I would suggest that Autoglym Super Resin Polish would be the best answer as it would remove the greasy marks, mask any scratches or swirls, and leave a glossy finish which should last for at least 6 months.

It gives great results with the minimum of hard rubbing so wont damage your paintwork.

If you give it a quick wipe over with another AG product - Extra Gloss Protection - then it will definitely last 6 months and any other finger-marks or greasy spots will just come off with normal washing.

albionrovers

Is your red car starting to fade yet? I'll never buy another.

cepheus

Seems to be OK but don't drive it much. A problem I find is that it attracts the wrong sort of Birds, probably Robins who bomb the scarlet colour with their !!!!!!. I damaged the paintwork once getting this off. That's why I have the T-cut!

It's been raining most of today so not been doing much on the car cleaning front.

londonTiger

albionrovers wrote: »

Is your red car starting to fade yet? I'll never buy another.

if you machine polish a red car it can come out look amazing. you have to look after red cars though, seal it down after washing.

OTOH you can go for a safe colour like silver and never worry about dirt but it will never look great after polishing like it would a red or black car.

Iceweasel

londonTiger wrote: »

if you machine polish a red car it can come out look amazing. you have to look after red cars though, seal it down after washing.

OTOH you can go for a safe colour like silver and never worry about dirt but it will never look great after polishing like it would a red or black car.

Very true - red car paint tends to fade if not well protected.

My best suggestion to to renovate the paint and seal it.

Washing with a 'shampoo conditioner' will not remove the top sealer layer or the underlying resin coat - it would actually top up the shiny protection layer.

To get best results you need to have all 3 products co-ordinated - easiest achieved by getting stuff from the same manufacturer.

As I mentioned in my earlier post I use AG stuff - but there are several other brands that will do much the same.

Halfords frequently do a 3 for 2 offer on car cleaning and detailing products.

WTFH

My red car is sealed with ventureshield, which makes washing it a breeze. Rinse off after and the show room polish shines through the plastic.

Not cheap, but it protects the paint very well.

DUTR

albionrovers wrote: »

Is your red car starting to fade yet? I'll never buy another.

My red cars never faded, that said I kept them waxed.