Spray Paint



I was on the freeway on my way home from work.  I saw a strange yellow cloud come from under the front of a car that was in the lane to my left, about three car lengths ahead of me.  As the car drove on, the cloud became huge and somthing came flying at me.  Because of the speed we were traveling and the surrounding traffic, I couldn't take evasive action.  I drove straight through it.  The flying item bounced off my bumper and kept on going.  Initially I was relieved because I didn't hear a "clunk" when the thing hit me.  Then I realized there were yellow dots on my windshield.  I had a sinking feeling when I saw that the wipers were not taking them off.

I got home and looked at my car.  It was covered in fluroscent yellow dots!  My guess was that the other driver ran over a can of fluorescent yellow spray paint.  It burst open and the cap was what came flying at me.  Luckily it wasn't the can.  However, now my black car was covered in yellow spots.

I washed the car, hoping that the grime on the surface would have prevented the paint from sticking.  Some of the smaller stuff came off, but most was still stuck to the car.



There are a couple of ways to attack this:

• Live with it.
• Use a buffing compound/polish.
• Use a clay cleaning bar.
• Use a paint remover/solvent.
• Repaint the car.

Leaving it was not an option.  Realistically, repainting it is equally out of the question.  Using the clay bar is a lot of work and contrary to what they say, it does remove a layer of the clearcoat.  Compounding/polishing the car does as well.  So I was going to try the solvent route.

I had a can of 3M General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner (part number 051135-08984) that I have used on other projects.  Soaked a cotton rag with it and gently wiped the surface.  All the yellow paint came off.  I wiped down the whole car and removed all the fluorescent paint.

Of course, the 3M product removes all the wax too so after another wash, I had to re-wax the car.  Seemed like a small price to pay after removing the spray paint.

One final note.  Before using ANYTHING on your car, read the directions carefully then apply to an inconspicuous test area.  I have used this product before so while I didn't know if it would remove the spray paint, I did know it would not damage the finish.  I know of a few "As Seen On TV" products that really ruined the paint jobs of cars after a while.