My apartment building has repainted the parking lot 3 times. They’re “not responsible for damage of unmoved vehicles.” I happened to be out of the country during the last notice, and my car is covered - every inch - in tiny white paint speckles. Does anyone know of a product that could help get this off??
you can try a polishing compound first. its not as harsh as a rubbing compound. your best bet is to bring it to a auto body shop and have a pro do it.
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Auto body or a detailing shop.
The solvent that might melt the spots depends on the type of paint used.
You might try mineral spirits on a small spot, alcohol or even acetone rubbing gently with a microfiber towel. The car.will.need a polish and wax when clean.
Gasoline on a rag might take it off. If it’s literally all over the car, I think a detail shop would be the better bet. If it’s just on one side, I might give it a shot myself.
I’d have a pro do it. You might ask around your apartment, somebody else probably had the same problem.
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Yeah I agree. Let a pro handle it. Either good detailer or body shop for that level. “They” say that the clay bar along with a scraper can remove over-spray but that requires skill. Parked at a motel in NY we got some kind of crap all over my new car. Never did figure out what it was but was almost like chunks of brown plaster and paint splatters. I worked like crazy when I got home trying to get it off. Clay bar, mechanical buffer with compound etc. I carefully used a scraper, plastic and razor, with the clay bar too. Just depended. But let someone else handle it with all of the tools.
Then when the bill is paid, I really really think you have a case against the painter/apartment. I don’t care what the signs said, they needed to take reasonable care to avoid damage. All they had to do was put a tarp over it. $2-500 bill, see ya in small claims court. Might change their attitude.
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+1
Signs disclaiming responsibility for someone’s actions are rarely supportable in a legal sense. Attendant-controlled private parking garages in NYC used to (and may still) have notices posted that they are “not responsible for any damage to your car while it is parked here”.
Guess what? If you file a court complaint against those parking garages, they do pay your damage claims. But, their bogus statements probably convince many motorists to not even try to collect.
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I think that you need to see an auto body shop. Some parking lot paints are water based acrylic and others are oil based. The latter could be more of a problem; as least in the oil based scenarios I’ve gotten involved with.
The legalities in your state are over my pay grade but IMO the apt. complex is a bit negligent. It might have been a good idea to foresee this since repainting has been done twice before and maybe a word with the apt. manager about your leaving the country could have been mentioned. I doubt the painting was spur of the moment.
What I don’t understand OP said every inch of the car was covered with white paint speckles which tells me they were painting the lines I could see getting some paint on the car but not the whole car that means they were spraying on a very windy day which is very irresponsible. Did apt. manager know OP was out of the country and could not move car and as Bing said the painter should have had and used a tarp in a situation like this.
I think they painted the building. Maybe a several story building, and the paint drifted.
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That would fit the story better but the OP said parking lot.
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Indeed he did, my bad. I read “apartment building” and just skipped right past “parking lot”.
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Hey no problem we all do it.
This is actually likely. They’ve been painting both the buildings and the parking lot for months off and on. It didn’t make sense to me either how it’s EVERY inch of the car! Yet there’s no speckles on the poles or other cars near ours.
I don’t necessarily subscribe to this theory 100%, but…
What if someone in the complex (maybe even the manager) may have intentionally done this as a get even move so to speak. Kind of a “Won’t move the car huh? At midnight I’ll show you…”.
I’d be looking at my insurance policy to see if I have comprehensive coverage that would apply to this situation. And check the deductible. Then go to a body shop or two and get an estimate and ask them about insurance, too. I’d do all that before I talked to the company or the agent, so you know enough to ask the right questions and push off the bs that can be used to make you just go away.
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