Road paint on plastic?

Zealot

New member
Hey gang, my Escape has what appears to be road paint (you know, what they use for stripes/lines in the street) on its lower cladding. The cladding is a semi-smooth texture plastic, and the paint on it appears to have reflective properties. Clay didn't touch it - but clay did get what little there was on the painted surfaces. I tried Meguiar's APC and a coarse brush and all that did was scuff the plastic dammit:mad: So has anyone ever dealt with this stuff before? What can I use to get it off and not damage the plastic? Thanks for any recommendations.
 
I still haven't got that stuff off my rocker panels. Clay didn't budge it, neither did some other solvents. The salesman at the dealership that sold me the car (the paint wasn't on when I bought it) suggested Vim. Vim is a "scouring lotion" usually used in the kitchen or bathroom. I haven't tired that yet, so I can't tell you if it will work. I would try it on an inconspicuous place first.
 
Taxlady said:
I still haven't got that stuff off my rocker panels. Clay didn't budge it, neither did some other solvents. The salesman at the dealership that sold me the car (the paint wasn't on when I bought it) suggested Vim. Vim is a "scouring lotion" usually used in the kitchen or bathroom. I haven't tired that yet, so I can't tell you if it will work. I would try it on an inconspicuous place first.



Hmmm...a scouring lotion. Maybe like Soft Scrub? I know my wife has some so I'll give that a shot and report back here on whether it works. Thanks for the inspiration :)



Dave
 
I do not think Vim is available in the states, but from reading their website Vim sounds like liquid comet or soft scrub.



Vim Website





Maybe call a local body shop or body shop or detail supply company for suggestions about what is available locally.



Eric
 
I've been putting it off since my last entry, but today I finally got 'round to doing something about it. Just 10 minutes ago, I totally removed every single bit of the road paint from the plastic cladding on our Escape. How? Penetrating oil spray - like Liquid Wrench and/or PBlaster. I used a whole can! I just sprayed it on the plastic where the paint was, and I saw the paint begin to run. I really doused the area, then wiped with a cloth and most of it came up. Some of the reflective bits in the paint were still lingering so I just sprayed some more and let it drip off. Once I had it all of, I washed it with Dawn and you'd never know it was there.
 
Good job Zealot, I was going to give my .02, but looks like ya dont need it ! The paint your referring to is thermoplastic paint. The reflective properties are miniscule glass beads, blown onto the paint just after it "hits the road." When your light hits the bead, the underlying color reflects back at you. Another good release agent is, and I hate to say it, but diesel fuel....Simple green works well too, but takes longer. WD-40 is another good one.....
 
Back
Top