Help Needed for Road Rash

[OGauge4Me]

I will be attempting to remove this road rash in early April from a friend’s car. See Pic below. The car is located in near Lake Erie and sees a lot of salt and cinders. I have not seen the car in person so all I have is this pic. My questions are:

1. Does it look like the clear coat is too far gone to be salvaged?

2. If it can be salvaged what do I need to try?



Here are the products I have available to use:

Full line of Einszett polishes.

3M Swirl Mark remover for dark color cars.

Zaino Fusion.

I have a Porter Cable with a full LC pad assortment.





Any help would be appreciated.



http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a71/singscountry1967/roadrash.jpg

[White95Max]

That looks like the paint is scraped right off. I don`t think you`re going to have any luck fixing that, regardless of polish or machine. How exactly did this happen?

[BobD]

It is VERY hard for me to tell from the pic but it looks like either the paint wore right off or somehow the paint became oxidized in that area only? Is this a repainted car?

[White95Max]

Since he said "road rash", I`m assuming that that section of the paint scraped against something.

[BobD]

Since he said "road rash", I`m assuming that that section of the paint scraped against something.

Good call. ;)

[Hey, Moe!]

Allow me to take a guess at the problem, though I don`t know the solution. It is a "scuff area." Given the nature of the winter weather where this car lives, the front tires kick up a lot of debris (salt, anti-skid material, etc) in the wintertime. This debris hits the area of the car in front of the rear wheel wells where you see the "rash." Cars that have a bit of a "flare" in that part of the body are susceptible to it (Ford`s Focus is a big offender).



I`m gusessing that there is paint under there. It`s the clear that is all scuffed up. I had a black Focus with a similar problem. The paint would look black when washing the car, but after I dried the car, the "rash" was visible. Mine was getting to the point where I needed to attack the problem when I traded the car.



I`m guessing here, but would a plan attack include a PC and polishes? I`m betting there are people in this forum who have a better answer than what I could attempt.



PS-Though I hate splash guards, my new Focus has a set of (unobtrusive) OEM guards. In fact, my dealer gave them to me and installed them for free. Of course, when I trade the car, it will be one less problem for him.

[White95Max]

The picture seems to show an area that was scraped, rather than making contact with flying debris. If it was caused by debris from the front wheels, I would expect the damage to go all the way out to the edge. And the door jamb seems to be free of dirt/debris, with the exception of the bottom corner.



But you know how we could find out for sure? If the owner tells us what happened!

[Hey, Moe!]

White95Max--You could be right, though it might depend on the fit of the door, too. If it was a scrape, it would be interesting to find out what the car scraped.



Anyway, some info from the owner would speed up an answer.

[OGauge4Me]

Thanks to all. I think Hey Moe is probably right on. I have not seen the car except in this photo. I will ask the owned if the color returns to normal when it is wet. I hope it is not down to the plastic on the body cladding but as many of you have said it is hard to tell from the picture.

[OGauge4Me]

[quote name=`Hey, Moe!`]I`m gusessing that there is paint under there. It`s the clear that is all scuffed up. I had a black Focus with a similar problem. The paint would look black when washing the car, but after I dried the car, the "rash" was visible. Mine was getting to the point where I needed to attack the problem when I traded the car.QUOTE]



I just checked with the owner and you are correct with your assessment.



Will using the least abrasive polish and working up to the polish that fixes the problem be the way to fix this problem?

[Hey, Moe!]

Well, I`m glad that at least we`re on the right path. Living in the path of winter, I have seen it happen to a number of cars that I have owned. My `02 Focus was the worst.



Just as I became an Autopian, and started to research the problem, I traded the car. So, I will defer to the countless people on this forum who have tons of experience and knowledge. I`m thinking that your thoughts about polish may be on the mark, but I am *by no means* an expert.



Best of luck. I will be interested in the response, because I have a new Focus to look after.



BTW, OGuage, are you a model train fan? I used to do HO, but the stuff is now in storage (apartment living). I like the "big stuff," too, and the real ones, as well.

[OGauge4Me]

BTW, OGuage, are you a model train fan? I used to do HO, but the stuff is now in storage (apartment living). I like the "big stuff," too, and the real ones, as well.

Yes I am. I am into MTH and Lionel trains. More of the toy train rather than scale trains. I have also been bitten by the Standard Gauge bug. Standard gauge is not for the faint of heart or low budgets. However there are decent deals if you are patient.