Stain on Paint?

D

Drinyth

New member
After years of neglect on my car, I finally broke down and treated my baby to a nice wash, clay, and polish yesterday. I'm happy with the results, but on my hood I did notice what seems to be a stain on my hood. I'm not really sure how to describe it other than it looks like something spilled onto it and ran maybe 1-2 feet down my hood. So there is a very skinny, long line of something that looked like it ran down my hood and caused it to stain.



The area around the stain is smooth and the clay didn't seem to remove it. Do I have any other options to remove this stain other than having me entire hood repainted? I don't have an orbital polisher or anything, and I'm pretty new to detailing so the idea of wetsanding stuff scares me. Should this be something that I can tackle myself? Should I take my car to a professional detailer? A bodyshop??



Thanks.
 
Without a picture it is hard to tell. It could be a failure of the clear coat, which would require a repaint. You could try a mild polish, and see what affect it has on the spot.
 
I can try and take a picture tonight and post it on here.



Do they usually sell mild polishes locally? Or is this typically something that you have to mail order?
 
I'm pretty green when it comes to this stuff. Which is to say that I understand the claybar, washing, and polishing process, but past that it's beyond me at this point. :)



I haven't tried anything abrasive yet to remove the stain. I washed, clayed, and polished with Liquid Glass (which claims it's not abrasive, but I did try and polish that area with it anyway). But here is a picture of what I'm talking about. The stain is really faint. It's not very obvious from far away, but if you know it's there you can see it at the right angle. Click on the picture for a larger view.







Any more ideas? Thanks for all the help guys! :)
 
The pic is a little out of focus, so it is hard to tell. It could have been some bird poo. If allowed to sit on paint, bird poo can etch right into the clear. Since you do not have any experience machine polishing, I would take it to a professional. They may be able to polish the etching out. If it is clear coat failure, nothing can be done, short of a repaint.
 
Yeah, sorry about the focus. My camera's AF couldn't lock in and I wasn't doing a much better job trying to dial in that section of the car either. :)



I'll take it to a pro, I guess. Is there a difference between professional detailers and body shops folks? Which should I take it to if there is? And anyone have any idea how much it would cost to try and get this polished out? I have no idea, and don't want to get ripped off.



It's hard to see unless you're looking for it, so if it requires a repaint I'll just live with it. Thanks!!
 
Dont take it to a body shop, take it to a professional detailer. BTW, where are you located? Try and find someone from this site near your area. If all you want, is to get the defect polished out, it should not cost too much. If you get your whole exterior wash, polished, and waxed, it might run you up to $150. A good detailer should be able to look at the defect and tell you it it can be repaired or not. If the clear coat is failing, you would need to talk to a body shop.
 
Alright. I'll look up a professional detailer in the area then. Unless you know one in my area. I'm in Minneapolis, MN.



Thanks a bunch for the help! It is very much appreciated!
 
I dont know one in that area, but most likely someone on this site is located near there. Start a new thread titled, looking for good detailer in Minn area.
 
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