My old white car has a light stain from water draining down the side of the door near the side mirror. It is a light stain, but I would like to remove it. Does anyone have a product recommendation that might work in removing stains from white paint? Thanks!
oldsfan,
How old is olds?
Please post back and tell us what year this classic is, unless you know whether or not your car has a clear-coat paint system. That’s what we really need to determine.
Clear-coat or not clear-coat finish will help us understand the stain better. I don’t want to just assume there is none.
Have you tried anything on a small spot? I would start with a regular polish/wax on a cloth, rubbing just a small spot. Next if that does’t work then I would go for possibly a mild rubbing compound. Be careful though, you can rub through the finish and damage it.
A good all-over wax job could help your car resist stains in the future.
A collision or detail shop can advise you and possible remove the stain in a matter of minutes. If this is a real “classic” you may want to have the whole car detailed.
Please post back with information, first.
Thanks for the reply. I have owned the car for two months. It has been repainted once in its lifetime-- probably more than 5 years ago at least. The car is a 1988 Olds 98 Regency Brougham. It came with two stains — a discoloration (slightly grey) where water drains from the window area by the mirror and down the door (stain is on door) and a small spot on the roof (a little darker) – don’t know what caused the stain there. I have washed and applied Zaino car polish to car several times – I keep the car washed with a good coat of car polish. Not really worried about the stains, but if I can get them out, I want to try. Thanks
Doctor! Take a look at this!
I guess we still don’t know what sort of finish is on it. Here’s what I would do:
I used to manage a collision shop. I think I would take the car to a collision (body) shop or two and have an experienced car painter have a look.
Where I worked we would gladly look at people’s cars and offer advice. It never hurt to make friends with potential customers.
Someone who’s been in the business for awhile should know what he/she is looking at
and offer a solution.
Getting a second opinion can’t hurt and you may find a good shop for future needs, under conditions of this nature and not bent metal, we hope.
I am pretty sure it has a clearcoat finish. I will have a local body shop look at it. Thanks for your advice!