Removing Spray Paint Graffiti?: Grassroots Motorsports forum: Grassroots Motorsports Magazine

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Aug. 16, 2009 10:42 a.m. alex HalfDork

Good news: Bought a very clean '04 SVT Focus from my buddy. Nice car.

Bad news: Literally the night before he brought it down from Chicago, someone tagged his hood with spray paint. (Not even a very good tag. Poor can control, lots of drips and runs. Shoddy work, really.)

So, I have a very nice, low-mile black SVTF with some punk's tag across the hood, bold as day. Not too cool.

How should I go about tackling this? Will I be wasting my time trying to buff it off? I have an electric D/A and a consumer-quality buffer, and I'm willing to put forth the elbow grease if I think it's going to do some good.

I don't do paint. Somebody tell me how to proceed here.
Aug. 16, 2009 11:06 a.m. alex HalfDork

Update: I found a pro-detailer's forum (the interwebs are amazing), and found some suggestions. Please rate in order of the likelihood of success, with the least risk that I'll have to wind up repainting the hood because I screwed it up and ate through the clear and/or paint.

-PrepSol
-3M Adhesive Remover (Is this an automotive product? where can I find this?)
-MEK
-a 'liquid, solvent-based express wax' like 'sunrise glaze, fast wax, express wax, seal brite, new car prep wax, etc.' Apply as normal. This seems too easy.

Other suggestions culled from the webs:
-Easy Off oven cleaner (this seems like a Bad Idea)
-Lift Off 4
-Goo Gone
-Kerosene
-Acetone

Thoughts and opinions?
Aug. 16, 2009 11:20 a.m. daytonaer Reader

alex wrote:

-3M Adhesive Remover (Is this an automotive product? where can I find this?)

This is great stuff, its sort-of like bug and tar remover on steroids. You can buy it pretty much any place that sells automotive paint supplies. I would start with this stuff. The sooner you attack this, the easier it will be.

I've had some good luck with acetone, but it was with in 24 hours of the cars getting "tagged" and the spray paint was over dirty cars.

Good luck
Aug. 16, 2009 11:24 a.m. alex HalfDork

Yeah, unfortunately, this stuff is really dry by now.
Aug. 16, 2009 1:42 p.m. cwh Dork

I used Easy Off on an old S-10 project to remove painted signs on a construction company truck. Came off fine, no discernable damage to the underlaying white paint. Signs had been on there for years. YMMD
Aug. 16, 2009 2:56 p.m. stuart in mn SuperDork

I'd stick with the 3M adhesive remover. It will also remove any wax on the surface so you'll need to re-wax the hood afterwards (hopefully the car had a recent coat of wax on it already, as that will make the paint easier to remove.)

I just used some to remove graffiti from my garage door last week; granted, house paint is different from car paint, but it removed all the graffiti without damaging the paint.
Aug. 16, 2009 4:07 p.m. alex HalfDork

Got it done today. Regular lacquer thinner and old-fashioned elbow grease did the job. There's a bit of a shadowy outline around one heavier spot, but I think a good polish with a cleaner wax will buff that out.

I'm pleased. Although the new car is a little less 'urban' now...
Aug. 16, 2009 4:08 p.m. alex HalfDork

You know, this reminds me: we don't tend to talk much about detailing around here. Not that that's a bad thing, mind you.
Aug. 16, 2009 4:33 p.m. ignorant SuperDork

Thanks for the ideas

I got a yellow stripe on the civic from a parking lot pole..... Yeah.. Sometimes I'm a tard.
Aug. 16, 2009 7:32 p.m. dean1484 Dork

Goof Off. Had a can of orange making paint let go in the back seat of the expedition. Got it all out and did not harm a thing. I have used it on car exteriors as well and it works really well with no damage to the paint.

Another thing to try is the 3M micro glaze and a buffer. If you are not good at it take it to any local detail shop / body shop and they should be able to get it off while you wait. Bring cash!
Aug. 16, 2009 7:52 p.m. Volksroddin Dork

Yea its weird, we really dont talk much about detaililg our cars here. Of course my wife thinks I like clean her car but I dont see the point in it. Really it will be just as bad if worse after three days. My car on the other hand is always clean. If a bird tag's my car it will be wash/taken care in a day or two. But still need to polish my P71. I think the first day my daughter go's to school next week sounds like a good way to spend the day.
Aug. 16, 2009 8:55 p.m. ratghia Reader

I used graffiti remover to take a 30 year old repaint off of my 1964 Karmann Ghia. I would spray the graffiti remover on let it sit for about 2 minutes then rub with ultra fine steel wool. After you got the paint off you then have to wash that area with warm water so it doesn't eat the next layer of paint. I didn't go through the original blue once on the entire car.
Aug. 16, 2009 9:27 p.m. Feedyurhed Reader

alex wrote:

You know, this reminds me: we don't tend to talk much about detailing around here. Not that that's a bad thing, mind you.

I think maybe because it's a grassroots forum, detailing get's overIooked a little. I like detailing actually and it's amazing how you can bring life back to a older finish by just doing a few simple things.
Aug. 17, 2009 8:52 a.m. grinch77 Reader

"(Not even a very good tag. Poor can control, lots of drips and runs. Shoddy work, really.) "

LOL

Have you tried clay baring it that stuff seems to work wonders.