stains on my white paint, please help.

[tbathke]

Hello,



I have a 2010 VW GTI (white) with a little problem. I parked the car outside near a tree and came out several hours later to see what appeared to be a greenish colored substance splattered on the rear hatch and bumper. I washed the substance off the next morning (appx 12 hours later) and it left these greenish tan stains on the paint. I have been to the dealer's service department who recommended removing the bumper and repainting. I have visited 3 separate auto-detailing shops in the Minneapolis area and all reached the same conclusion- repaint. The methods they tried included everything from acetone to heavy duty compound which seemed to lighten the stains by about half but they all expressed concern about melting the plastic bumper.



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Any ideas on how to fix it?

 

[Street5927]

I would try to clay it. If that didn't work, I would try some Pinnacle Paintwork Cleansing lotion, which is good for removing stains. If that doesn't work, I would try wetsanding (which shouldn't be a problem since it is a 2010), but be careful of the paint thicknesses.

 

[tbathke]

One of the detail guys tried clay and wet sanding neither of which worked very well, if at all.

 

[Scottwax]

Unfortunately, you've learned a tough lesson. Avoid parking under trees. Nasty stuff (sap and bird bombs) falls out of them and can cause permanent damage that can't be detailed away. Don't park within 25' of grassy areas either, unless you don't mind getting hard water stains from the sprinklers.