A couple of nights ago my wife had to park for an hour under some kind of concrete walkway or something that dripped a white chalky substance onto the roof, windshield, and hood of our Rondo (which is black, naturally.) Rain took it off the windshield, but a touchless car wash didn't do much for the steel. As soon as the current freezing rain melts I will go after it, but I really have no clue what I'm dealing with or how to reverse it. Before I do this wrong, what should I do that's right?
Start with the least invasive method and continue working more aggressively until it's gone.
Start with a dishwashing liquid bath, if that doesn't work go to bug and tar remover, then polishing compound, then a running compound and so on.
A clay bar would probably be the best bet. Clay Magic, Mother's, or Meguiar's are all good options and readily available at most auto parts stores, Walmart, Target, etc.
A white chalky substance(from concrete) I would assume would be a base. I would start with something very mild as others have mentioned, but from there utilize a mild acid. Vinegar might be a good choice, just make sure you neutralize and wax it after you have cleaned off whatever stuff has gotten on there.
Another possibility are plastic razor blades. That way it can be scrapped off without harming the paint.
-Rob
Thanks, all. It's supposed to be +10°C here on Sunday, so I'll try some of these ideas.
Call a concrete company? They might now exactly what that stuff is, and how to get it off.
My arsenal includes Simple Green and bathroom Scrubbing Bubbles cleaner (which works surprisingly well on grease and oil but doesn't affect the paint). Not sure how they work with your mess but wanted to throw out ideas not mentioned yet.
As a fellow Rondo owner, I can understand your concern. Before you begin, is this a concourse-quality Rondo? You may want to take it to a Rondo specialist to ensure that the original paint is not marred so that it holds it's value. There are only 2-3 shops in North America willing and able to handle Pebble-Beach level cars like the Rondo.
Clay bar would be the way to go, as the others mentioned a good bug and tar remover is a good option as well. If that doesn't work you may want to hit it with compound and polish. From the sounds of it a clay bar and patience should do the trick just fine.
pinchvalve wrote: As a fellow Rondo owner, I can understand your concern. Before you begin, is this a concourse-quality Rondo? You may want to take it to a Rondo specialist to ensure that the original paint is not marred so that it holds it's value. There are only 2-3 shops in North America willing and able to handle Pebble-Beach level cars like the Rondo.
How was I the first person to "+1" this post?
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