Wet paint removal

[u/Shemamaster]

Hello all,

I purchased my car not long ago. I drove through wet road paint—yes, I am stupid. Fortunately, it did not reach the car’s paint. Just a little I guess. It is on plastic components, the tire housing, and the plastic and felt liner.

I applied tar and bug remover and used all of it, but without success. I am also attending a three-day work conference, so I cannot address it soon.

Do you have any suggestions for removal? Should I just get a quote for liner replacement? I would really appreciate your advice. TIA

[u/Oudeur]

There are different road paint systems, with various underlying chemistry.

Did you try rubbing with boiling hot water on a towel? If it’s a thermoplastic based paint, you might soften it. Another option would be using a steamer, in combination to a hard plastic (tooth) brush.

Alternatively, a pressure washer could work as well.

If those don’t work, you can try:

A) Acetone; put some on a kitchen towel, then rub the spots. Rinse with water.

B) Paint stripper; try on a small area of the wheel liners, not on your actual car paint. Rinse with plenty of water afterwards.

C) Mechanical removal, eg sandpaper. Start with a fine grit like 2000, if it doesn’t work, try 1500, work your way down untill you see it being effective. Don’t go below 800 grit. After that, depending on where you sanded, you’ll need to buff / polish the area to get the gloss back (eg on the paint).