Need Big Time Help

S

swannyj

New member
There is so much road construction going on, I have no idea where this occurred; Evidently I drove thru an area where a cement truck (or something similar) had been washed out and the washout is now all over my car. I have tried compound & wD40 but the flecks of cement does not budge. My brother in law is now suggesting a liquid that is used to clean brick.....he thinks at this point we have nothing to loose. So, prior to doing this I wanted to check in with specialist for any suggestions/recommendations you can offer. Of course bucks are tight so I'm hoping for something we can do ourselves but if not I am interested in other suggestions. I can't afford to have it painted so if that is the only solution I guess I'll live with it. BTW it is a 2006 Subaru Forester.



Suggestions will be much appreciated.
 
Since this is your first post to Autopia,



Welcome to Autopia :wavey





Sorry to hear of your bad luck, is there any way to find the company responsible and hold them accountable?



Concrete on paint is going to be hard to remove without causing further damage, so no matter how it's fixed or who fixes it it's not going to be easy and it's not going to be fun.



A picture would help a lot so we can see what you're up against.



Claying is for removing above surface bonded contaminants but if there is actual concrete stuck to the paint then this might risk putting scratches into the paint.



Chipping it off with your fingernail or a plastic razor blade is time consuming but an option. The problem with anything that scrubs it off is the concrete particles may rub against the paint and instill scratches and you clear coat paint is hard and thin and difficult to remove defect out of.





Maybe check with these people?



Mötsenböcker’s Lift Off®







Besides the flecks of cement on your paint, the wash residue highly base, that is it has a pH of around 10 or higher and this wash residue solution has undoubtedly dulled the clear coat down.



Here's an article on this topic taken from here,



CONCRETE WASHWATER



HARMFUL INGREDIENTS

ph.jpg




Concrete or cementitious (mortar, grout, plaster, stucco, cement, slurry) washout wastewater is caustic and considered to be corrosive with a pH over 12, essentially the same as Liquid Drano®, Ammonia or other household cleaning detergents. The primary ingredient in ready mixed concrete is Portland Cement, which consists of Portland Cement Clinker, Calcium Sulfate, Calcium and Magnesium Oxide, heavy metals and potassium and sodium sulfate compounds, chromium compounds and nickel compounds. Some of the contaminants contained within concrete washwater include; Aluminum, Barium, Chromium, Hexavalent Chromium (Chromium 6), Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Nickel, Potassium, Selenium, Sodium, Vanadium, and Zinc. The washwater may also contain trace elements of petroleum products, admixtures and other materials from processing or treating the material. The graph to the left outlines the contaminants and their respective levels.
Click to expand...







So once you figure a way to get all the flecks of concrete chipped off the paint you'll want to do some polishing work to the finish to restore the clarity and gloss of the clear coat and hundreds of people on this forum can help you with this, basically you'll want to decide if you want to work by hand or machine or even hire a detailer to do it for you but be careful as some detailers can do more harm than good.





:)
 
I am a mason contractor, use vinegar straight. It is a mild acid and i use it to clean the cement off my levels.



I would advise( Edit: Dont use) from using muriatic acid. The vinegar will work eventually, put it in a spray bottle and let it soak.



Dont use anything to rub it, and if you must, properly tape off the area and gently try to clay it off after the vinegar has had time to weaken it.



Top of the Line used to have a concrete remover if it just wont come off. Not sure if it is stronger than the vinegar though.
 
Home depot sells "ZEP Concrete Remover" which I have used before with some success, however I was removing concrete that was stuck on there for months. If that doesn't work Top of the Line sells a concrete remover that isn't acidic based which may work well.
 
Thank you for the suggestions. At the moment, I don't have a cam that will take a decent pic to post but will post one if situation changes. Clay did help the lightly covered areas but no go on the majority. I am now trying the vinegar on an area and keeping my fingers crossed. Will try the Zep removal if that does not work and have bookmarked top of the line product (seems to be based on a compound found in sugar).



I'll be posting the results. Oh, btw the plastic razorblades seem a good thing to have on hand, thanks for the suggestion.



Thank all,.....we'll see.
 
I second the suggestion to use vinegar. I got some on my F150 about a year after I got it. Use regular White Vinegar from the grocery store. I pre sprayed the area with vinegar and then I soaked a large grout type sponge in the vinegar, squeezed out some but left it very wet and held the sponge in place over the spots to soften it up. You can agitate the sponge very gently after you feel the spots soften up.



Hope this helps
 
Thank you, thank you. You saved me $$'s and frustration. I've only done a small segment but enough to confirm it will work for me! Thank you so much, I love forums!
 
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