safe solvents (lacquer thinner) for removing paint over spray

**ron7000** · 05-31-2010, 10:06 PM

have white specs of paint on rear trunk lid of my blue 2005 altima,

i`m guessing it`s the white paint they use to do the lines on the road, although it`s weird that it`s on the top of the trunk lid and on the rear window glass.

I detailed the car this weekend and noticed it, it didn`t come off.

I`ve tried clay, the clay i have is old yellow pinnacle clay. Would an aggressive clay work?

what solvents would be worth trying? How safe is lacquer thinner? What about lacquer thinner on the rear window?

I also tried using some 3M wax & adhesive remover but did nothing.

**metalwax** · 05-31-2010, 11:05 PM

Originally Posted by ron7000

have white specs of paint on rear trunk lid of my blue 2005 altima,

i`m guessing it`s the white paint they use to do the lines on the road, although it`s weird that it`s on the top of the trunk lid and on the rear window glass.

I detailed the car this weekend and noticed it, it didn`t come off.

I`ve tried clay, the clay i have is old yellow pinnacle clay. Would an aggressive clay work?

what solvents would be worth trying? How safe is lacquer thinner? What about lacquer thinner on the rear window?

I also tried using some 3M wax & adhesive remover but did nothing.

if its road paint you will have to use lacquer thinner. i use it all the time to take off paint overspray. just pour it on the rag and wipe it on and off do not set the rag on the paint our the car for that matter. for the glass use a single edge razor blade and glass cleaner for lube. do not go in a back and forth motion with the blade the back stroke is what scratches the glass. just go foward with the blade and then lift and go foward again.

**Accumulator** · 06-01-2010, 10:47 AM

ron7000- Most *factory* autopaint withstands lacquer thinner OK, but any repainted areas probably will not.

**MI Mike** · 06-01-2010, 01:50 PM

I had a similar thing happen. Except it was the yellow paint. When I contacted a paint shop about it. (It had already dried). The body/paint shop said to check with my insurance company. When I did they told me that if it was a state or local highway to check with the approriate identity, because they (the people applying the paint stripping) should have insurance and be liable to cover the cost of repainting the car. The body shop helped with verifying the paint was actually the paint used and the company paint the cost of redoing the entire side that was damaged with paint. In this case it was a state highway. Good Luck. I hope this helps.

**David Fermani** · 06-01-2010, 03:40 PM

Originally Posted by Accumulator

Most *factory* autopaint withstands lacquer thinner OK, but any repainted areas probably will not.

I`d believe that if the vehicle was freshly painted and still soft, but other than that how will a resurfaced *cured* finish be more sensative to thinner? Explain that concept to me Mr. Accumulator. :nixweiss

**bryan** · 06-01-2010, 04:58 PM

factory paint is baked, water based body shop clear coat is not, tends to be softer and more susceptable to solvent damage

**David Fermani** · 06-01-2010, 05:08 PM

I think you`re mistaken Bryan:

Factory paint is waterborne...

How can waterborne paint be softer when clearcoat in a refinish setting is all solvent (Akzo/Sikkens has a water clear in Europe, but not avail in US)....

Paint is baked so it can cure/flash/harden faster.....

Wether paint is baked or not has nothing to do with how soft it is once cured....

Waterborne paint still uses solvents....

**imported_advs1** · 06-01-2010, 09:08 PM

yeah i dont think now a days it matters whether or not it is a repaint in regards to holding up to lacquer thinner. most body shops use a special air system for waterborne paint. its not the same as the older solvent based paint, even though it still has some in it.

unless some guy repainted it in his backyard. LOL

**clintj** · 06-02-2010, 12:04 AM

It`s the clearcoat that you would be concerned about. Basically all clears are solvent based even over a waterborne base coat.

If the clear has had a full cure time (90+ days) you will be fine using lacquer thinner.

I work in a body shop and we use lacquer thinner for stuff such as double sided tape and stripe removal on repainted panels all the time.

**ron7000** · 06-02-2010, 08:33 AM

i ended up using lacquer thinner last night on a rag and got it all off. It took a lot of pressure using my fingernail through the rag but the white paint lifted, without hurting the clear coat. I did leave a lot of scratches but was able to get those out with the buffer. I still have a few specs on the rear window and didn`t have the patience to scrape each one off.

**Accumulator** · 06-02-2010, 10:00 AM

Originally Posted by David Fermani

I`d believe that if the vehicle was freshly painted and still soft, but other than that how will a resurfaced *cured* finish be more sensative to thinner? Explain that concept to me Mr. Accumulator. :nixweiss

My caveat about post-production paintwork was not based on first-hand experience (or knowledge), but rather came from the Paint/Body guys at Stoddard (Jeff and Mike). IIRC, it was Mike (head painter) who said he`d accidentally "discovered" some repainted areas by wiping with lacquer thinner.

Shame of me for passing along hearsay I suppose, but I thought it might save somebody an unpleasant discovery.

**David Fermani** · 06-02-2010, 11:03 AM

No biggie - I`ve never heard or experienced it and wanted to understand how it could happen. I wonder what caused it to react? Might have been some strange paint?

**Accumulator** · 06-02-2010, 11:10 AM

Originally Posted by David Fermani

No biggie - I`ve never heard or experienced it and wanted to understand how it could happen. I wonder what caused it to react? Might have been some strange paint?

It was apparently a case of where he was wiping down some panels with the thinner and suddenly "uh-oh...the previously gliding-along rag is dragging now because the paint is suddenly softening, oh [expletive] I`ll have to redo that...". He expressed it as "finding post-production paintwork" by the way the thinner messed it up.

With all the paintwork on my vehicles, I guess I`m an easy sell for "better safe than sorry" advice like that.

**David Fermani** · 06-02-2010, 11:22 AM

Oh yeah, I could see that happening like that. I`ve had my monkeys leave damp solvent towels on a car overnight to come in the next morning to find it glued to the paint. Ouch!