A couple of weeks ago, I drove my C63 past a truck which was painting new yellow stripes on the road. The painting was by a spraying method, and quite a few yellow specks of paint got on my car, despite my best effort to swerve away.

It looks awful (especially now that I just got the car washed) and, needless to say, I'm rather ticked that the government/contractor were foolish enough to use this painting method while other cars were on the road. But the damage is done ...

Any ideas regarding how to remove the yellow spots? It seems like some sort of very adhesive "plastic" paint, so it can't just be scraped it off easily. I plan to take it to the dealer to ask what they can do, but I thought I'd ask here first.

Thanks.

Try buffing out one of the smaller areas with compound and a rag. Make sure you use polish afterwards.

Clay bar is your friend. :-)

Any particular compound to use? Is it the same as the dealer would use? I'm hoping that the spots can be removed if they detail the car, but this yellow paint is designed to stick to pavement for years, so I'm worried ...

I would use a rotary buffer like a Makita with variable speeds and some heavy duty rubbing compound.
Can you provide us with some pics so we see how bad the damage is?

Its on the clear coat not the paint. A small layer of clear coat can be removed, I wouldn't worry too much about it. I wouldn't bring it to the dealer, take it to a detailer that knows how to work with paint or an autobody shop to be sure the job is done correctly.

Personally I would run to the autoparts store and pick up any rubbing compound, polish and some micro fibre towels and do it myself. Concentrate on the spots using the compound, start out gently on one of the smaller spots to get an idea of how much pressure you need to apply. When the spot is gone apply some polish and work it until its shiny and scratch free.

If you've never used a rotary buffer I wouldn't recommend you lose your virginity on your nice new 63 and especially not with a heavy duty compound. NO NO NO!!

Unless you are very experienced with paint correction, do not use a rotary buffer! You can and will burn through your paint in mere seconds. If you contact the DMV for your state and tell them the date and location where this happened, they should pay to get it professionally cleaned up. I had line paint get on a car years ago and the DMV paid with no issues. That type of paint will require solvent to remove.

There was another post saying CLAY BAR. Use the clay bar first, but use water instead of the spray that comes with the clay kit.

-Spray water
-Lightly rub the bar over the spot, apply more force as needed.
-It will take time but it should come off.

This works wonders if anyone ever brushes up against your car and leaves their paint on yours.

And it leaves your clear coat in tact and eliminates the risk of compound, cutting, or buffing errors.

Agreed.

Exactly what I said a few posts up. Just not in so much detail. I had white paint spots on my car due to someone spraying some stuff outside and the wind blew it in my general direction. When I tried to rub a small test section off with some scratch removers I found light swirls left behind as each paint particle gently scratched the paint in the process. However, when I used a clay bar, it very easily took it off without any hassle. Though I used very soapy water to ensure smoothness on the surface, and the car was under a shade. I used Mother's clay bar. I don't remember the exact name, only the brand.

Thanks for all of the helpful replies. Given my lack of expertise (and time), I'm definitely going to take it to a professional detailer (not the dealer), though I am now hopeful that the yellow spots can be fully removed without damaging the paint.

I'll ask the detailer about their experience with removing this type of paint and the methods they plan to use. Sounds like clay bar could be suitable, and the idea of solvent also makes sense to me; this yellow stuff looks like it needs to be chemically broken down rather than just rubbed off.

This happened along Skyline Drive in Virginia, which may be a Federal road. But I'll start with the Virginia DMV to ask for reimbursement, and hopefully they can refer me to the appropriate Federal agency if it's not within their jurisdiction (though I somewhat dread having to go there). If I can get the problem fixed for under say $100, I might just pay for it myself rather than messing with reimbursement hassles.

Thanks again!

Just wanted to let you all know that I finally got around to taking care of this. I had a reputable local detailer work on it, and he was able to remove the spots using a combination of clay bar, wet sanding (super fine sandpaper), and buffing. Took him quite a while, much longer than he expected.

Apparently, dealing with this type of paint was new to him, and it seems like it's more a type of plastic than a traditional paint. His original plan was to use acetone as a solvent, but that had no effect at all (as I anticipated).

Anyway, thanks for all the input.

I am sorry to hear about what happened. I have found that some really oily wax like NuFinish or like Plexus or even WD40 works with tar and paint. Remember there is a buffer between the paint and the outside environment called clear coat. You can rub the clear coat pretty aggresively and continuously without doing any major harm. I find that a good rubbing with A LOT of patience will get these types of residues or paints off. Post a pic if you can.

Also, when flecks of paint or tar splatter, the surface area is so minimal that it usually comes off with some elbow grease...

Ok this works. Goo Gone. Seriously it will take the paint off and not hurt the finish. Just work it into the spot. I take all my cars to SA's top detailer and thats how he took some off my car one time. Your car has a level of clear coat that the paint spots are sitting on top of. Then just wash and wax after that. MHO.