Working on cleaning up my Escort, and the paint is absolutely filthy- tar, pine pitch, and dirt. Looks better since I washed it, but it's still not real pretty. I wouldn't care much if it wasn't white, but it really looks pretty bad.

Thinking my plan of attack needs to be removing all the tar/pitch first (a commercial bug/tar remover, or ?) and buff out a few scrapes, then wash again (with what?) to remove any residual wax, then clay bar, then wax. Sound good? It's more work than I'm really interested in doing, but I don't think anything less will get me very good results.

Also, there's a couple decals on the back I want off- one's from the dealership, the other is AAA. What's the best way to get 'em off? Heat with a hair dryer, pull it off, and WD-40 for the sticky residue?

Thanks!

EDIT: also, there's tons of tiny flecks of something hard (I think it's pine pitch) on the glass- any tips for removing that?

The best way to get rid of those pesky decals is to lay a big fat FTF decal over the top of them

You got any colors other than white?

I don't put stickers on paint, anyway. Glass only. (Well, unless I get door stars made up. )

I wash my car with Dawn dish washing soap it cuts off old wax and must other junk. for the really stubborn I use Varsol it clean about anything.
The glass you may just have to take a razor blade and clean it off.

On older white paint , I used westley's bleche wite. It seems to cut thru the oxidation and shines up the paint a bit.

Spray paint it black

Ian I've got blue Kinda Ford blue actually

smokey said:

The glass you may just have to take a razor blade and clean it off.

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Even a razor blade won't touch this stuff. Looks/feels like it's something on the glass, though, not pitting.

And I know the razor blade was sharp because I sliced the top of my thumb wide open with it.

john112deere said:

...........................EDIT: also, there's tons of tiny flecks of something hard (I think it's pine pitch) on the glass- any tips for removing that?

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000 steel wool or laquer thinner or gas. Careful about spilling the thinner on the paint and don't try to outdo my neighbor if you use gas.

They make tar & bug remover for the tar and other thick dirt. It works!

Ryan

Get any bug & tar remover and soak the bad areas before giving it a good Dawn wash to remove whatever's on the paint. Then after you're done claying the paint you can try claying the windshield to see if it smooths it out at all.


As for the decals, a little heat and your fingernail should be able to remove the most of it. Any residue left can be removed with either your bug/tar remover or with a dab of Goof Off on a microfiber.

Just heat the decals, and you should be able to easily get them off. Then get the residue off with laquer thinner.

I use a product called OOPS! for glue, tar, sticker residue. Love the stuff.

Many years ago, for windshields, we'd use BON AMI cleanser.

Bon Ami is (used to be) the LEAST abrasive cleanser on the market.

Get/keep the windshield wet.
Make a 'paste' with Bon Ami and water (or mineral spirits). Be forewarned. . .IF you use mineral spirits, be prepared to wash the entire area several times, to rinse.
Using a cotton rag (shop rag) moving in a circular motion, 'polish' the glass.
Keep the rag moving and keep the windshield wet.
If this stuff dries out. . . it becomes more and more abrasive.

We used Bon Ami and a car polisher to (mostly) remove some windshield scratches, on an old '64 Chevy II, many years ago, when we were trying to get it to pass Maryland's vehicle inspection. (It passed!!!) Saved us over $100.


You might also try gasoline or acetone on a rag to get the crud off of glass.
Watch your paint!

After a more thorough examination of the windshield, and picking my brain about where the car used to be parked, I've figured out that they are, actually, little melted spots from "sparks" off a grinding wheel. They're raised, so I initially assumed it was something on the glass not pitting...but the pattern is too perfect for it to be anything else.

I still need to get one sticker off and wash the car really well again...like my truck, it's covered in greasy handprints that don't want to come off- my biggest complaint against white paint, actually, is the handprints I always leave on the front fenders and leading edge of the hood.

Alright...you guys are gonna laugh...but, my mom opened me up to a whole new world of getting stickers off. The new van I picked up still had all the UNC Charlotte stickers on them. I started off using WD-40, I got the majority of them off...but still had that black streaky residue. So Mom told me to use those Mr. Clean magic erasers...I was skeptical and wasn't gonna use it...she came out because I was being stubborn, and with a little elbow grease, you couldn't tell the stickers were there at all. I now swear by those Magic Erasers. There was alsways a residue I couldn't get off the tailgate of the Bronco, and some pine tar on the roof...used the eraser...BAM it was gone. Then I got a little ballsy, and decided to use it de-bugger on the front of Red...I swear by them now.



Note- This testimonial was neither paid for or endorsed by the Mr. Clean Product line.

I should try that.

There's an ugly circle on my tailgate where a sticker was removed a while ago, but the paint around it is dirty and you can seen the outline. Clay bar wouldn't touch it.

john112deere said:

I should try that.

There's an ugly circle on my tailgate where a sticker was removed a while ago, but the paint around it is dirty and you can seen the outline. Clay bar wouldn't touch it.

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Yep...I know that feeling. There were several places on the Bronco or Thunder that no matter how much buffing or clay barring I was doing would it come off. After Mom showed how well the erasers worked, I used it on those spots and at the very least, there was a dramatic improvement.

Do not use a Magic Eraser on your car. There are abrasives in it and some believe it even has bits of fiberglass. The box specifically says not to use it on "vehicle body." I just checked mine in the kitchen:

Skandocious said:

Do not use a Magic Eraser on your car. There are abrasives in it and some believe it even has bits of fiberglass. The box specifically says not to use it on "vehicle body." I just checked mine in the kitchen:

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Could I use it to get marks/dirt off of my dashboard?