Buff streaks of paint off my truck door with Rotex?

Brice Burrell

Brice Burrell

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Joined
Mar 13, 2007
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7,385
Last year my local municipality was kind enough to plow the snow off my street, too bad they also decided to plow very close to my truck.  Too close, if fact they left plastic or paint from their plow behind on my door.  A call to the municipality was as fruitful as banging my head against a wall.  The damage: there are plastic or paint streaks about 2’-3’ long on door.  My paint isn’t scratched as far as I can tell.  There is some very, very slight denting here and there.  When I first saw the streaks I thought they could be plastic since they seemed to have some stringy pieces hanging on some of the edges.  

So the question, is it worth trying to buff/polish off these streaks with the Rotex or am I asking for trouble?  I have no experience polishing paint on vehicles and I’m worried I’d do more damage than good.  So any feedback you guys have I love to hear it.  
 
Alan m said:
24 grit saphir  [tongue].
Click to expand...

Yeah, but use the RAS115 instead... [big grin]

Seriously though, if it's plastic (like off a plastic bumper) then you could try scraping it off with an old credit card or similar. It should lift the plastic, but be soft enough to not damage the paint.

If it's paint from the other vehicle, then you can use white spirit on a cloth to rub it off, but use it sparingly & don't leave it on there long. That's what I did when my girlfriend came back from shopping one day with red go-faster stripes down the passenger door of our (blue) car. She'd gotten too close to a concrete pillar in a car park - luckily it had so much paint on it that it didn't do any further damage!
 
You could try clay-bar. Cheap and affective for many paint issues. Sold virtually everywhere in the automotive sections.

Now really, having rode in your truck, I think it is time to trade up!!  [poke]  A man of your position and fame  [not worthy]  should be cruising in a King Ranch or Escalade!! Would give your customers a reason for respect of your success. I mean, anyone who polishes their Festools should have a vehicle to match!  [thumbs up]
 
Brice, that's actually paint what appears stringy and plastic.  What I have done for customers in the past when I had my business, was use a razor blade almost flat to carefully take off any bulk amount, then use lacquer thinner (not on a original lacquer paint job) to clean off the remainder.  Then a light rubbing compound if necessary and a buffing compound.
 
It depends on how far you want to go -

Starting with the least aggressive method is best.

1. Wash the area thoroughly to get any dust and grit away.

2. Detailing clay is the least aggressive. You spritz the panel with some soapy water and then rub this clay across the discolored area. If it's plastic or loosely attached paint, the clay bar should lift it off while causing no additional damage to your paint.

3. If that doesn't work, I'd try hand polishing with a product like Meguiars ScratchX. It's a pretty mild polish available at a lot of retail stores, which is meant for use by hand. Use a microfiber cloth for doing this. It should polish away the 'transferred' paint.

I wouldn't use a 'rubbing compound', as they can be pretty aggressive and leave behind fine scratches in your paint that would then need machine polishing to clear away.

If you really want to use the rotex, you could - but you'd need an appropriate foam pad and some paint polish meant for use with a polishing machine.
 
Sounds like an oppurtunity to do a Shinex RAP 150 video / demonstration / review

Sorry to hear about the paint damage and wish I had some value to add to this conversation but I suck at polishing and lack the knowledge to be of anyuse in this conversation. However, I am interested in hearing some good solutions.

Good Luck
Dan Clermont
 
AW,

Not all rubbing compounds are the same.  3M and Meguiars are milder and break down with use so they don't do the damage of a traditional rubbing compound.  Clay bars are not meant for that.  They're meant for light accumulation as they grab the light dirt build up on the paint's surface.  They don't take paint off.

Start with the least abrasive first.  Polishing compound might be the only thing needed.
 
I agree with Ken's first advice. Use a very sharp scraper, ie one with a razor or stanley blade. Then use white spirit to remove the remainder of the paint. You shouldn't be too worried about using this method, properly hardenend car paint (older then 6 months) is very hard stuff. You will not dissolve it with white spirit and it won't scratch easily.

Forget about buffing, won't help except for making your streaks nice and shiny.
 
DO NOT use anything metal to scrape this off your paint ! More than likely you have a 2 stage clear coat finish. First try some denatured alcohol on a rag. If no success, try (by hand) a white polishing compound (Dupont #7 was my favorite) then a rubbing compound,  if white is too fine, followed by white.
You are definitely asking for trouble trying to machine out a paint defect with no experience !
Stop at an auto body supplier, they would have the most current, factual advice.
JMHO
SteveC
Painted jets for Uncle Sam for 4 years and cars for 12 years.
 
Guy Ashley said:
I no expert but I have removed similar scratch marks using T cut

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Carplan-tct375-T-Cut-375ml/dp/B0001OZI8E

just use a damp cotton cloth to apply and then a dry one to remove.

Guy
Click to expand...

What Guy said!  I have used T-cut when I noticed a red line across my door one day! D head must of hit me and drove off!   I bought a proper twin polisher I decided to do my entire car make it look all new again!    
This is the Polisher I got ---> http://www.cyclopolisher.co.uk/product.php?productid=17540

Bit of topic!
Properly should not be telling you lot this lol! Just its the reason why I bought the Cyclo polisher above and a few other things!

One day I decided to get a little drunk umm maybe very drunk!  It was about 5 in the morning I wanted to go back to my mates but my mates where up for stayin out till it was day light!  So I decided to walk home it was very cold freezing!  I always leave my keys inside hide them incase I do something silly and decided to drive!  

Well any way! My mates house was locked and no one was in! I looked ALL round called him but no luck! So for some reason! I thought if I broke my car passenger window I could get inside and sleep lol! Not thinking once I broke the window it will be very cold inside my car aswell not having the key to turn my heaters on but I dont think you think logically when your DRUNK!   So I got onto the wall a Karate kicked my window! Well I kinda missed and hit my door panel! I it has a nice foold along the top of the door line! Well not it was all dented in!  I decided to kick the glass standing still with not much luck!

So for some reason decided to go round the other side of my car and do the exactly the same thing!

I then went round my mates house again looking for a way in!  I found a window which lead to their ''flat'' area under the house.   Well it was not LOCKED!  Yes I was able to get into his house!  I stepped through the window not knowing! They had removed their kitchen work tops as they where having a new kitchen down stairs! Well I fell right through all the units pulling doors and everything with me! It kinda hurt and I had a few scratches on my back arms legs!

I woke up feeling a little ill! I read a few Txt's on my phone from my Girlfriend calling me D head cus apparently I was on the phone to her as I was kicking my car in telling her what I was trying to to and she was telling me to stop cus ill regret it!

Well I thought it was all I dream untill I read that! So I RAN out side to look at my car and oh no it was not a dream!   ALL my glass was scratched from my shoes deep enough to catch your nails on them both my door panels where dented it.  [crying]

So I bought  the Cyclo polisher to remove the scratches on my paint work which worked very well but I could not get the dents out as they where kinked cus I bought this dent removal kit which was rubbish! I then decided to use my polisher to remove the scratched from glass so I bought some glass compound stuff and away I went it took HOURS to get the scratched out!

I was dead pleased I got into my car and looked through the glass and everything was distorted kinda like them mirrors you stand in front off and they make you look funny! Well thats what my glass was doing!

Well in the end decided to get it repaired was going to cost me ALOT of money!

So decided to sell the car the car company deducted 600 quid for the damage properly more but just made out it was just that.

JMB
 
Okay, thanks for the advice guys (and the story JMB).  I'm going to take a conservative approach when we get some decent weather.  In general my normal operational procedure is pretty safe, procrastination followed by eventually forgetting about it...... [huh]
 
Brice Burrell said:
Okay, thanks for the advice guys (and the story JMB).  I'm going to take a conservative approach when we get some decent weather.  In general my normal operational procedure is pretty safe, procrastination followed by eventually forgetting about it...... [huh]
Click to expand...

lol! Kinda how I do things aswell!

The sharp metal thing mentioned above seems a scary method to remove the paint/plastic I know I would not even attempt using anything like that.

JMB
 
JMB,

You should have tried Dent Away in a can.  Spray it on, leave 27 minutes, go have a few drinks, then wipe off, then have a few more.

Of course we'll need pictures and hopefully audio of this event.  I'm building a scrapbook of your life for one of those late night shows on American television.
 
Brice, the Rotex is actually a very good buffer for autos. Its primarily the same as any of the RO buffers sold, ie the Griots.  I've have and used for several years as well the Cyclo(favorite) direct rotation like the Flex, I have and old Milwaukee and two of the RO griots. My humble opinion for the novice is the RO, unlikely to screw up. I've had that type of paint as well as highway paint and had to use a solvent first then three stage the polish like Ken mentioned mild compound first then to finish, it's not hard. Go to griotsgarage.com or autogeek.net I believe that's right(memory). Both have great how to's and tech support to ask questions etc.. and they respond quick.
Richard Griot is a great guy, he should be a Festool owner, and his techniques are directed for ones wanting to start or do their own detailing and his methods are pretty much goof proof. I've read on some sites that don't like his stuff because to mild of approach I guess.
I've learned the hard in past you can screw up paint job in a hurry with direct rotation and wrong methods and compounds. Hope this helps, or just toss it in the mental trash can! :)
 
I was just about to say that what you need JMB is a camera crew following you around, like one of those reality programes, i would be glued to it to see what you do next  [eek]
I would have loved to be a fly on the wall watching you come through the window expecting to stand on a worktop  [thumbs up]

Brice, i have used the Rotex with the foam pad & the Festool cutting & polishing compounds.  It worked really well, better than i thought.  Might be better if we could see some pics of the said plastic !
 
Side note about Rotex, Brice
Might want to blow out all the saw dust first:D
Unless you like that technique on your paint.
 
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