Car wash soap stained PPF

[Sizzle Chest]

Hey all, a client of mine contacted me after he took his Turbo S into a do it yourself car wash. The soap had a blue tint to it and stained his PPF. The entire car is covered with PPF.

I tried some APC, light polish and compound to no avail. Anyone have any ideas? Thank you!

[Ronkh]

[Justins00ss]

Was just going to say that it needs to be replaced. If polishing it didn`t get it then time for new film. Expensive lesson learned for him.

[Swanicyouth]

Was gonna say - that don’t look like “car wash”... Looks like purple acid Wheel cleaner or a basic APC (Purple Power?). Either way - my guess is that ain’t coming out. But, would polish it & try.

I swear this stuff is 10x more likely to happen on a Porsche

[Accumulator]

Ronkh- That TSB on the Hydrofluoric Acid reminds me of another Ron`s frequent rants about the [stuff] many Detailers use without really knowing/taking seriously the potential downsides.

[Accumulator]

Sizzle Chest- Do you think the car`s owner had an "oops!" or did the Carwash put the wrong stuff in the wrong tank? If the former, then gee...Blame the Victim; people don`t think. If the latter, then blame the Carwash; people don`t think. Not that being able to assign blame will magically fix the problem.

[mobiledynamics]

I`ve said it a couple times.....those who have PPF think it`s the godsend. Marketing at work.....

I`ve stopped PPF full wrap but only do the ones which need it - lowers, etc. No more hoods, etc.
PPF is porus IMO. If this was a black car, the owner might not have even noticed it...
Remove ppf and compare the color or clarity of it to new PPF and there is a optical difference.

[Sizzle Chest]

Thanks everyone. Appreciate the input. Ron, thanks for the TSB.

He took it to a local `do it yourself` wash place with the wand and that great brush that foams. I don`t know how long he let it dwell/sit on the surface.

Polishing it did not remove it. I informed him earlier that my fear was that it is permanently stained and that his PPF will need to be removed or replaced.

He is now looking at getting it removed and having me coat the vehicle.


Thanks again for the input!

[Stokdgs]

I have never seen purple car wash soap at any of the do-it-yourself-car washes, and I used them starting in 1967..
Had to use the one at the Chevron Station a lot when I worked for the Independent German Car Shop; the city of Issaquah, WA., does not allow businesses to wash anything outside..
So I saw this place a lot for a few years, and never saw anything but white soap bubbles, never had this issue..
I used them primarily to get the engine and compartment, underhood, wheels, grill, moldings, that yucky algae growing under the tail light lenses, etc., and still hand washed it in the stall...
Hope his Insurance people are going to help.. They will go after the Insurance people for the car wash, I think..

Oh boy, taking off all that plastic!!! It usually comes off pretty easy with steam or a carefully used heat gun, but all the glue that remains.... Takes a long time...
Use your bare hand a lot to feel those little balls of it.. Need really good lighting, which I can see you already have..
Dan F

[rlmccarty2000]

We have the blueish/purplish stuff here in my local touchless car wash. I always thought it was some kind of wax solution. The car wash does not give you the option of wash without wax. At one time or another I have driven almost all my cars through (no convertibles) the wash with no ill effects. I will warn my friends with PPF about this. Thanks.

Since the PPF is already toast, how about trying a bleach solution on it?

[JSFM35X]

Not sure this is the case but years ago I had a white M3. It was an alpine white 1988 and it was before I found this place. I took it to a no touch wash and it was wearing liquid glass. It was perfectly white and when it came out of the wash it was gray. I called the manager and he said that it’s bmw paint and that was the problem. I went into the chemical room with him and wrote down everything used to wash the cars. Sure enough it was an acid bath that messed up the paint. I needed to hand polish it with a polishing comping and never went back to a car wash ever again.

[Sizzle Chest]

rlm, he texted me that he tried bleach...did not touch it.

I`ll be advising him of a few options, insurance being one of them, possibly an attorney.

Dan, I know man. It`s a ton of PPF to remove. I am even hesitant to take it on and want to refer him to a PPF installer!

Thanks again to everyone`s input!

[rlmccarty2000]

If he tried bleach first he may have ruined it before you tried anything. Bleach will harden PPF. That’s why I suggested it as a last resort. Please keep us updated if he actually finds something to remove the chemicals.

[Stokdgs]

If he tried bleach first he may have ruined it before you tried anything. Bleach will harden PPF. That’s why I suggested it as a last resort. Please keep us updated if he actually finds something to remove the chemicals.

Well, hopefully he used a Q-tip to do one tiny spot....
Dan F

[The Driver]

If it`s self healing I`d try to heat it then rub it with an plastic/tar remover like tarX. Thats just my guess if you have nothing to lose.