Road lines are essential for guiding road users and prevention of road accidents. They are a necessary aspect of road construction and are generally made with paints(yellow or white).
Nowadays, drivers encounter wet patches of these paints while driving on the road and the car wheels gets splattered with paint along with the wheel wells.
Removing road paints from your car wheel wells could be a really tiresome process because some road paints are really stubborn and sticky.
How To Remove Road Paint From Car Wheel Wells?
There are many methods to remove yellow or white road paint from plastic or painted car wheel wells. These stains may be gotten from driving through construction sites or via freshly painted road lanes. However, I’ll be enlightening you on how to remove this without damages to any part of the wheel wells.
Pressure Washing
A lot of the paint can be removed by pressure washing if the paint is still wet. For better results, pre-wash the car with snowfoam first before rinsing with a pressure washer.
This process will loosen the paint, make it come off partially or completely and also cleaning the vehicle in the process.
Using APC and a Brush
Road paint can also be removed from car wheel wells by spraying APC on the affected areas and scrubbing it with a stiff brush.
The APC should be left on the spot for 60 seconds to break down the paint and then you can scrub with the brush. This method should remove the road paint in about 5 minutes.
Use a softer brush for the plastic parts although there is little to zero risk of damaging any car part from this process. Rinse off the wheel wells thoroughly after scrubbing and it should be back to normal.
Petroleum Jelly
In situations where the road paint has dried for several days on the wheel wells, apply a generous amount of petroleum jelly(Vaseline) on the paint and leave for a minimum of 12 hours to one day. This should soften and remove the road paint.
Wash the car thoroughly and if you notice that smaller stains still remain, you can repeat the process again and finally wax the affected areas. Do not scrub the finish with a scouring cleanser as it will lead to damages on the finish.
Use a Magic Eraser
Magic eraser is an abrasive tool and would not result in damages of the car wheel wells.
This method is effective for plastics parts mostly. Wash your car or do a pressure wash before starting. Start rubbing the magic eraser on the affected parts. The road paints should come off easily even without forceful scrubbing. Ensure to wash the vehicle again after using the magic eraser.
Repainting it
Sometimes, to minimize stress and time, all you need to do is apply a black spray paint as an overcoat and it’s done. Repainting will not only cover the stains, it will also give your wheel wells a finer and newer look.
How To Remove Road Paint From Other Parts Of The Car Body?
Wheels may not be the only parts affected when you drive through road construction sites, other parts of the car surface can be splattered as well.
Removing these stains on the car surface is trickier than the wheel wells because the car surface is susceptible to damages and removal of the clear coat.
In removal of road paint from the car surface, you’ll need to go from the least complicated method and then move further if the former doesn’t work.
However, before trying out any other method, carry out a pressure wash first. Here are some of the best and time effective ways to remove road paint from car surface.
Natural Carnauba Wax
If pressure washing of the car is ineffective, the natural carnauba wax method should work fine. You’ll need a microfiber towel or something similar and then some elbow grease
Apply some natural carnauba wax on the microfiber towel and start by gently rubbing it on the affected areas of your car. Move in slow circular motions and do not use too much force.
This method shouldn’t waste too much time as it leaves a fine finish that does not require wax application since it doesn’t damage the clear coat.
Clay Bar
Using clay bar is also a really popular method. If the volume of the stain is not too large, a medium clay bar size will suffice.
To minimize damages to your clear coat, ensure to keep the clay bar lubricated throughout the process. The clay bar is a tough substance hence you’ll need to reapply your waxes(because they’ll be removed in the process) after finishing the road paint removal. Wash the car after this process and you’re done.
Use a Plastic Razor Blade
A plastic razor blade is the best solution to the remove dried road paint from your car paint. It would work effectively even if the layer of road paint is thick, voluminous and very dried.
The first thing to do is wash the car, lubricate the car surface(with car shampoo) before you move on to scrubbing with the plastic razor blade. This method is very effective although it may leave swirl marks and scratches which can be repaired by light polishing.
FAQs
How Do You Remove Paint From Plastic Car Parts?
Rubbing alcohol, or isopropyl alcohol can also be used to remove paint from car plastic without melting the plastic or causing any damage to it.
What Adhesive Remover Is Safe For Car Paint?
The 3M adhesive remover helps to remove vandalizing compounds from your car surface without harming the car surface or using abrasives.
Does Vaseline remove paint?
Vaseline can remove thick volumes of paint from your car surface or wheel wells. Simply apply a liberal coating of Vaseline and leave it on till it breaks down the paint, then you do a pressure wash and finally wax the car.
Final Words
Car stains from road paints are a regular occurrence among car owners. Although some car owners may find it difficult to deal with, adequate knowledge of the paint type, texture and methods to apply to dissolve them are essential for easy removal of these stains.
This article has broken down those methods so you can easily pick a well suited option. However, it is advisable that you use the least abrasive methods first to minimize damages.