substance on roof paintwork

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Tue 24 Mar 2020 16:16
substance on roof paintwork - concrete

During this self isolation period and this nice weather we have I decided to wash our vehicles today. All fine. I use a proprietary brand of car wash/wax which always does the job well. When drying off I noticed a small blob of material on the roof. It has gone quite hard though not solid and appears to have been sticky, like tree resin. No trees near the car or haven't parked under any that I can recall. Haven't actually used the car for 10 days anyway. I got some of it with my finger nail but don't really want to scrape it off. I am thinking of white spirit or methylated spirit to clean it off. I will try some on a blind spot of paintwork first. Any ideas from the forum. Maybe a problem that has been solved previously by someone. Your comments gentlemen please.

Cheers Concrete

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Tue 24 Mar 2020 16:34
substance on roof paintwork - catsdad

It probably won’t work but the first thing I would try is leaving a wet towel over the blob overnight. At least it will (probably) do no harm whereas any chemical solvent might react with it. And it will buy you time while others make more informed suggestions!

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Tue 24 Mar 2020 17:58
substance on roof paintwork - Andrew-T

You need to identify the stuff if you hope to guess what remover to use - aqueous or non-aqueous. But something intended not to damage car paint such as T-cut (or Brasso if you have none) should be a safe bet. Or Swarfega ?

Edited by Andrew-T on 24/03/2020 at 17:59

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Tue 24 Mar 2020 19:39
substance on roof paintwork - bathtub tom

Isn't brasso abrasive? Hate to think what it would do to the lacquer coat.

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Tue 24 Mar 2020 20:41
substance on roof paintwork - FP

Both Brasso and T-Cut are abrasive, but have their uses if applied and rubbed sparingly.

I would be trying a solvent first. Neither meths nor white spirit should harm paintwork. Lighter fuel could also be tried. Cellulose thinners - use a small amount and with caution.

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Tue 24 Mar 2020 21:03
substance on roof paintwork - sammy1

I would try something like fairy liquid and hot water first

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Wed 25 Mar 2020 07:02
substance on roof paintwork - veloceman
I would use a clay bar.
Prob is you’ll be so surprised at the result you may end up with doing the whole car.
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Wed 25 Mar 2020 07:35
substance on roof paintwork - paul 1963

lighter fluid or white spirit should shift, suggest you wax the roof afterwards though!

Do not use T cut or Brasso and while I can heartily recommend claying it won't help in shifting a "blob".

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Wed 25 Mar 2020 09:14
substance on roof paintwork - Andrew-T

lighter fluid or white spirit should shift, suggest you wax the roof afterwards though!

Do not use T cut or Brasso and while I can heartily recommend claying it won't help in shifting a "blob".

(a) organic 'solvents' are fine for organic deposits, but we haven't been told what this blob is.

(b) don't see why T-cut, made for use on car paint, shouldn't be used on car paint - but again, only when milder things have failed. Brasso is much the same stuff, perhaps a tad more aggressive. Work up the scale.

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Wed 25 Mar 2020 09:33
substance on roof paintwork - paul 1963

T cut imho is far to aggressive for modern paint and in any case concrete is not trying to correct the finish he's trying to remove something from the surface that hasn't been removed by washing hence why I suggested a mild solvent.

Oh and please post a picture of your paint if you do decide to clean it with Brasso....

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Wed 25 Mar 2020 16:15
substance on roof paintwork - concrete

An update. Firstly, thank you for all the suggestions and the concern for the paint finish. That is why I asked the question. I seem to be aware that modern paint finishes are not as hard as in previous years, therefore maybe more vulnerable to surface damage.

Anyway, i did soak the blob, but to no avail. It is definitely a resin type material. Tried some meths and white spirit on some paintwork that is hidden away. No damage. So I tried the white spirit first. Soaked a tissue and left to on for a few minutes. Bingo, it softened the material so that I was able to peel it off and clean away the smear. A wipe over with a damp cloth and then dried. Can't tell where it's been. Job done. I presume my paintwork is a generic type of paint so this should work on other vehicles. The substance seemed similar to the glue they use on some labels etc. the type you peel off and roll into a sticky ball.

Cheers Concrete

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Wed 25 Mar 2020 17:27
substance on roof paintwork - Andrew-T

Production cars have used water-based paint for years now - no idea of its composition but presumably an emulsion of some sort like PVA. Also not sure how that stands up to solvents, but you seem to have sorted your problem easily.

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Fri 27 Mar 2020 15:59
substance on roof paintwork - concrete

Production cars have used water-based paint for years now - no idea of its composition but presumably an emulsion of some sort like PVA. Also not sure how that stands up to solvents, but you seem to have sorted your problem easily.

Hi Andrew, the white spirit or meths did not seem to affect the paint finish at all. However it was not prolonged exposure. It may be the case that a long exposure may result in surface damage. Same as bird poo. Alright if washed away within a day or so, but any longer and it does leave a slight shadow in certain lights and viewing angles. Anyway sorted now thank you. Cheers Concrete

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Sat 28 Mar 2020 15:53
substance on roof paintwork - Senexdriver

I’d bet that what you are dealing with is pine resin. Maybe you parked close to a pine tree for a while without realising it. We have a Scots pine next to our driveway and our cars stand out underneath it. During the summer, dollops of resin on the roofs of our cars are a constant issue. We also have to deal with hefty deposits of wood pigeon poo - but I digress.

I tried various solvents and liquids to remove it and my solution is meths. I’ve used it on several cars over the years with no ill effects on paintwork, so rest easy that you will not damage yours.

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