need advice

Hello Ken and welcome to Truth In Detailing. Does it look like this maybe?



If it does and the way it sounds like you may have paint contamination. It could be tiny metallic particles from brakes linings, when it was rail when it was new, fall out or industrial pollution. I would wash the car and then try claying it to see if it will remove it for you. You might need a aggressive clay bar to remove it if a regular one doesn't.

Here is link about this for your review: http://classic-motoring.stores.yahoo.net/claybars1.html
 
Sorry to hear about your new challenge.

We have similar stuff like you described, and its a type of stuff that comes off of trees, leaves a little round ball, and comes off with some difficulty, depending on how long it was on the paintwork.

Angelo is giving you sound advice, and if you can take the time to try it, you might be able to get this off.

You say you have hundreds of these ? Wow, that is too bad.

Have you tried any type of auto body solvent? These are safe to use, and are made to remove all grease, oils, tar, etc., off of paint, in preparation for sanding, etc., and then, right before it goes to the painting stage.

Did you try Goof Off yet? I have had great success with it removing sap on paintwork. I only use it with a Q-tip, agitate the spot, remove, and quickly blot off the product with an absorbent towel. The brown stuff ends up on on the Q-tip so you have to have alot of them..

Good luck with this, hope you can get it all back to normal again.

Dan F
 
zoomzoom mazda5 said:
Hello Ken and welcome to Truth In Detailing. Does it look like this maybe?



If it does and the way it sounds like you may have paint contamination. It could be tiny metallic particles from brakes linings, when it was rail when it was new, fall out or industrial pollution. I would wash the car and then try claying it to see if it will remove it for you. You might need a aggressive clay bar to remove it if a regular one doesn't.

Here is link about this for your review: http://classic-motoring.stores.yahoo.net/claybars1.html
Click to expand...

Hi
Thanks for your reply. I'm quite sure it's not any metallic substance. The pattern is concentrated on the rear portion of the top on the right rear upper section of the body and around in the direction of the rear hatch. There are hundreds of these tiny black specks. I have pics, but, cannot figure out how to attach them.
I tried my clay bar, but the heads of these black pimples are hard so the clay doesn't seem to "grab". If I remove the head and try it on the remaining brown residue, a more aggressive bar may work.
Perhaps you recommended aggressive clay bar will work.
As this car is only 6 months old, I have yet to add any after market barrier, I.E. hard wax. Maybe it's time?
Perhaps, while I'm at it, you can recommend something along these lines

Thanks for you help!
 
Silverbullit said:
Hi
Thanks for your reply. I'm quite sure it's not any metallic substance. The pattern is concentrated on the rear portion of the top on the right rear upper section of the body and around in the direction of the rear hatch. There are hundreds of these tiny black specks. I have pics, but, cannot figure out how to attach them.
I tried my clay bar, but the heads of these black pimples are hard so the clay doesn't seem to "grab". If I remove the head and try it on the remaining brown residue, a more aggressive bar may work.
Perhaps you recommended aggressive clay bar will work.
As this car is only 6 months old, I have yet to add any after market barrier, I.E. hard wax. Maybe it's time?
Perhaps, while I'm at it, you can recommend something along these lines

Thanks for you help!
Click to expand...

Sounds like Artillery Fungus, the stuff is a PITA to remove. Look around on the siding of your house for the same thing. Clay it the best you can and then polish to remove the stain.
 
Stokdgs said:
Sorry to hear about your new challenge.

We have similar stuff like you described, and its a type of stuff that comes off of trees, leaves a little round ball, and comes off with some difficulty, depending on how long it was on the paintwork.

Angelo is giving you sound advice, and if you can take the time to try it, you might be able to get this off.

You say you have hundreds of these ? Wow, that is too bad.

Have you tried any type of auto body solvent? These are safe to use, and are made to remove all grease, oils, tar, etc., off of paint, in preparation for sanding, etc., and then, right before it goes to the painting stage.

Did you try Goof Off yet? I have had great success with it removing sap on paintwork. I only use it with a Q-tip, agitate the spot, remove, and quickly blot off the product with an absorbent towel. The brown stuff ends up on on the Q-tip so you have to have alot of them..

Good luck with this, hope you can get it all back to normal again.

Dan F
Click to expand...

Hi
Thanks for the reply. I tried every solvent in my garage, to include contractor's solvent, body clean (grease removing agent used prior to shooting auto paint), the usual home paint solvents. Thus far, the best has been green polishing compound and a Meguire's clay bar an soapy water.

I'm going to order one of your more aggressive clay bars.
Thanks
 
I've dealt with that fungus for years. I remove them when I wash, not when the paint is dry. As I wash the car with my big sponge, I just slide the side of my hand over the paint as the sponge goes by. As I feel the little nubs, I finger-nail it up, give another pass of the sponge and wash it all away. I've found that since switching to BFWD, they come off a lot easier. Adds about 10 minutes to the washing of the car, nothing more.

It's a PITA, but not as time consuming as washing, then drying, then claying the whole car for the same result and going through valuable product. Going with the solvent or compound, then having to repolish and reseal everything is another can of worms!

I've found the stuff grows more on the North side of the car. So you may save yourself some time by parking your car in only one direction, with the smallest surface area of your car facing North!
 
pjvosotas said:
I've found the stuff grows more on the North side of the car. So you may save yourself some time by parking your car in only one direction, with the smallest surface area of your car facing North!
Click to expand...

It seems this stuff comes from mulch. Could it be that you have more mulch on the north side of your house? I only have mulch on the south side of my house and that's the only place I get the fungus on the siding.
 
Well guys,

Between what you guys have mentioned and reading on the net is appears to be the artillery fungus. I do live is a wooded area, but, do not have any fresh mulch nearby. However, based on it's location on my car, and having driven very near a neighbor, who recently, spread a huge volume of fresh mulch, it would not surprise me that I got "ambushed" when driving by.
The majority was on the right rear, back hatch, and top. The local landscapers were spreading this stuff on a hilly area. This would explain the top being bombarded.
I did use a little "goof Off", which was very successful, once the "black heads" were removed. As it appears time is of the essence, I wiped the area down, then shot it with a detailing spray until I can finish cleaning al;l of the affected areas. Then, I'll go back and apply a good wax, I guess.
Anybody have a good finishing technique, that I can apply that will cause this crap to release easier? Just, in case, bush whacked again.

Thanks guys,
 
pjvosotas said:
I've dealt with that fungus for years. I remove them when I wash, not when the paint is dry. As I wash the car with my big sponge, I just slide the side of my hand over the paint as the sponge goes by. As I feel the little nubs, I finger-nail it up, give another pass of the sponge and wash it all away. I've found that since switching to BFWD, they come off a lot easier. Adds about 10 minutes to the washing of the car, nothing more.

It's a PITA, but not as time consuming as washing, then drying, then claying the whole car for the same result and going through valuable product. Going with the solvent or compound, then having to repolish and reseal everything is another can of worms!

I've found the stuff grows more on the North side of the car. So you may save yourself some time by parking your car in only one direction, with the smallest surface area of your car facing North!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the recommendation, but, what is "BFWD"?
 
Silverbullit said:
Well guys,

Between what you guys have mentioned and reading on the net is appears to be the artillery fungus. I do live is a wooded area, but, do not have any fresh mulch nearby. However, based on it's location on my car, and having driven very near a neighbor, who recently, spread a huge volume of fresh mulch, it would not surprise me that I got "ambushed" when driving by.
The majority was on the right rear, back hatch, and top. The local landscapers were spreading this stuff on a hilly area. This would explain the top being bombarded.
I did use a little "goof Off", which was very successful, once the "black heads" were removed. As it appears time is of the essence, I wiped the area down, then shot it with a detailing spray until I can finish cleaning al;l of the affected areas. Then, I'll go back and apply a good wax, I guess.
Anybody have a good finishing technique, that I can apply that will cause this crap to release easier? Just, in case, bush whacked again.

Thanks guys,
Click to expand...

I knew thats what it was ;)

Silverbullit said:
Thanks for the recommendation, but, what is "BFWD"?
Click to expand...

http://properautocare.com/blacallfinpa.html
 
It sounds like just your simple tree sap droppings, not rail dust or sticky sap but the little brown spots that you scrape off and then a Fine clay bar will remove your little stain. you shouldn't have to use an aggressive bar. or polish.
 
White vinegar, Eh? Fortunately, between my finger a terry cloth towel, and "Goof Off" I was able to eradicate those little tar balls. Now I'm on to preventing them from sticking with such tenacity.
Sounds like the BFWD product may help with that.
Thanks to all who replied.
 
armed and dangerous

Thanks to all who responded with advice and assistance.
Now, I will be "pack'in" awaiting the next ambush by the artillery fungus.
 
Artillery Fungus

Here is an article I did for Professional Car Wash and Detailing Magazine back in 2008 on the subject.

Spots Spots
Author: Gina Budhai
Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Even if you?ve never heard of artillery fungus, also known as shotgun fungus in the genus of Sphaerobolus stellatus, you may have seen it, particularly in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states. It appears as sticky tiny black or brown spots on your house, decks, plants or paint surface of your automobile. They look like bug droppings and are often misdiagnosed in the detail industry as tree sap, but are actually scaly spores.

Without getting too technical, these spores come from a fungus which establishes colonies in and on organic materials such as rotting wood, wood-based mulch, and animal manure when temperatures are between 50 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit during the spring and fall seasons


Artillery fungus spores grow inside tiny cups that burst when they?re exposed to bright light. The spores emit an incredibly sticky liquid that rivals Super Glue, enabling them to glob on to anything they hit up to 20 feet away ? including your car. Because they are light-sensitive, you?re most likely to find them on reflective surface of white or silver colored vehicles.



Artillery fungus isn?t corrosive, or an allergen but causes millions of dollars of cosmetic damage to paint surfaces and is an annoying eyesore that?s almost impossible to remove. The longer it remains bonded to the paint surface of an automobile the harder it sticks. Even if you can pry off the dark little bumps, a brown stain often remains. And if you don?t catch the little bumps and destroy them, they can survive for up to 12 years and reinfest the ground wherever they fall.

Scrubbing and scraping the black spots from the paint surface of an automobile with strong chemical cleaners is a time-consuming chore that can scratch and damage the paint. In fact many detailers have been known to speed up the process by blowing them off the paint surface by closely aiming the pressure washer directly at them, of course we all know this type of pressure can fracture the clear coat, not to mention that entire pieces of clear coat can be ripped from the surface of the vehicle. Removing the fungus safely is possible with hot soapy water and scrubbing gently on each spot with a micro-fiber towel making sure to properly dispose of the spores.

Once you?re rid of the spores, the best way to avoid a re-appearance is to advise your client to stay clear of wood mulch. If you use it in your yard, don?t have it near the house or driveway, turn it and break it up regularly to aerate it and dry it out, and completely replace it every year. If that sounds like too much work, use stones for landscaping instead.
 
I bought BlackFire on a lark, but find it to be a really an exceptional product. Not only an unbelieveable shine, but my lord is it slick!

I have a Porsche 944 turbo- it's 21 years old with original, single stage paint. Overall, it's in really great shape, but there are still chip marks and little holes bored into the paint from bugs and small rocks. Making matters worse, I take the car to Sebring Int. Raceway for track days 4-7 times a year. If anyone has ever been there, you know lovebug season is all year around! We also have this stuff we call "clag" (rubber balls that collect on the track, also called "marbles") that gets shot at your car from the cars ahead. At 130+mph, the stuff ads up to the point where if enough collects on the inside of your wheels, it can throw the wheel balance off. Between the bugs and the clag marks, you are looking literally hundreds of black marks all over the front and sides of your car.

After each track weekend, I normally drive home, park the car and do a wheels off wash down, making sure I get all the bugs and brake dust off. The clag is another matter. You have to strip the paint, use bug and tar remover or goof-off to remove the clag, then polish and reseal. I leave that for the yearly full detail (polish, seal, wax) in the winter, after track season and during hockey season (my wife is a huge hockey fan, which affords me plenty of time to work on my car). But I did not buy BF until late spring of this year, so while I found the time to do the top and front of the car with BF, the sides of the car were sealed with Meguiars Nxt and P21S from the winter detail.

Guess what- the clag marks and bugs came right off where I had sealed with BlackFire.
The sides of the car? Good luck. I tried P21S TAW with a bug sponge combo to no avail. I'm going to forget it until hockey season starts again!

Clag, bugs, evil spores... they just don't stick to the paint anymore. Love BF
 
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