Highway Lane Marking Paint - Ugh!

Coach Steve

Coach Steve

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A customer dropped his truck off yesterday for a complete detail (int/ext w/ full correction). He was on his way to the airport and we didn't have any time to talk or walk the truck like I normally do. He did mention that he must have driven through something "a while back..." :rolleyes: that didn't want to come off when he washed the truck.
The truck was pretty dirty so the dots of paint weren't immediately noticeable. As I washed it, I started to notice the paint which had been slung... slinged...? onto the fenders and all over the wells both front and back. There's even some stuck to the sidewalls of the tires. No amount of scrubbing did any good so I finished the rest of the wash and decided to come back to it.

My first attempt at removing the paint was with my little PW which did nothing. Next I tried a putty knife wrapped in a MF towel. Still nothing. Then I grabbed my Dewalt big boy PW that will cut through aluminum and shatter auto glass if left in one place long enough. I went after the paint that was up in the wells on this try so as not to harm the finish and see just how aggressive I was going to have to get. Some of it blasted off but not all of it and I certainly can't go after the paint on the fenders using this approach for obvious reasons.

To make matters worse, the truck is black so now that it's clean, the paint sticks out like a sore thumb. I don't want to use solvents and scraping had no effect. Do you think maybe plastic razor blades might be the right tool here? I've not used them before so I'm not familiar with how rigid they are and if they will stand up to applying any real amount of pressure - or at least the kind of pressure I think it will require to get under this stuff.

Luckily, I've got the truck for a couple of weeks while the owner is on vacation.

Your suggestions and advice will be most appreciated.

Thanks,
Coach
 
First you need to inform the client of the severity of the issue and charge accordingly or just don't do it.

From what I understand there are different types of road paint, and the epoxy type is the worst to get off. That may be what you have. There are products out there for road paint removal, but there seems to usually be a disclaimer that they don't work on epoxy paint.

The general answer floating around out there is lacquer thinner. It will work...usually but not all the time.

Definitely try a test spot first.

Plastic razor blades can be used on paint, but will generally cause some light marring. Be prepared to correct that issue.

I'm just giving my advice, from one AGer to another, don't take on this project without charging significantly more than what you quoted before knowing about this issue.


I'm wide open to any better answer out there. I will take on light road paint issues, but always turn down the bad ones because it's just so difficult and time consuming to remove.
 
statusdetailing said:
First you need to inform the client of the severity of the issue and charge accordingly or just don't do it.

From what I understand there are different types of road paint, and the epoxy type is the worst to get off. That may be what you have. There are products out there for road paint removal, but there seems to usually be a disclaimer that they don't work on epoxy paint.

The general answer floating around out there is lacquer thinner. It will work...usually but not all the time.

Definitely try a test spot first.

Plastic razor blades can be used on paint, but will generally cause some light marring. Be prepared to correct that issue.

I'm just giving my advice, from one AGer to another, don't take on this project without charging significantly more than what you quoted before knowing about this issue.


I'm wide open to any better answer out there. I will take on light road paint issues, but always turn down the bad ones because it's just so difficult and time consuming to remove.
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Thanks Jeremy. Yeah, this stuff's pretty nasty with regard to it's adhesion. I don't mind going after the problem if there's a simple solution, like "Do this, this and this and Voila!" As long as it's not too time consuming and doesn't cause me any stress while doing it, hey... why not. But, it sounds like this isn't going to be one of those situations. I'm going to try to find plastic blades here locally. Hopefully, someone carries them. Unfortunately, when it comes to detailing supplies, there just isn't a source locally that I've been able to find.

I'm curious if removing it would have been any easier back closer to when it happened or if this particular paint sets up so quickly that it wouldn't have mattered.
 
I've heard that If you wash it off immediately when you get home, it isn't too bad. When it's cured...good luck.

I get my blades from a local Meguiars/detailing supply distributer. You might try a body shop supply warehouse. My local lowes, home depot, hardware stores etc never carry them.

I hope somebody else chimes in with a definite answer for this paint problem.
 
It would probably have been easier immediately after it happened, but that depends on the type of road paint. For the most part they are water based emulsions or alkyd (solvent) based latex, other options are acrylic or epoxy; the latter tend to be more durable. I would try a bug sponge before plastic razor blades. A slow evaporating solvent would be your best bet, mineral spirits or laquer thinner.
 
I've got this issue on my Genesis, just a few small dots left but still bothers me. I will give it a try in the spring, too cold now in Chicago for this stuff.

I was able to remove some of it with a polish, but not 100%
 
I just did 5 or 6 vehicles here in my area , the fastest way is lacquer thinner. Put it on a rag soaked pretty heavily, press the rag and hold it to an area with the road paint for about 10-20 seconds then begin wiping thoroughly . It is a time consuming process and you should charge extra for this service. You will have to correct the paint when finished .
 
I've used straight 91% isopropyl and claybar to remove 2k clear overspray from a hard clearcoat with minimal marring. Takes a while though!
 
In Wisconsin, they use linseed oil paint. Thinner won't cut it. I would suggest doing a simple search on your states D.O.T. website. Wisconsin has a "TSB" related to road paint. Petroleum jelly can work on these types. not fun anyway you go about it.
 
Thanks everyone for your replies.

Called the local Napa parts house and they had plastic blades. Yesssss! Used quick detail spray - lots of it - as a lubricant and I'll be damned if they didn't work marvelously, like... way better than I had hoped for or imagined! Very minimal marring left behind and the surprising thing is after scraping for the better part of half an hour, the edge of the blade was still straight and looked just like it did when I pulled it out of the pkg. Those little paint dots were hanging on for dear life. As the blade would release them you could l;literally hear the "pop" sound they emitted.
Whew! Glad that's in the past!
Will definitely keep your suggestions in mind for the next time - and there will be a next time, and maybe the plastic blade solution won't work like it did today.

Thanks again!

Coach
 
Sweet, glad it worked. I've come across paint that the blades couldn't remove, but it usually works on lighter stuff.

I buy the plastic razor blades, 100 at a time. I can't live without them.

Oddly enough. I have a road paint removal coming in this coming Tuesday.

The spots are super small but widespread. I did a test spot when the client dropped by for inspection. Aggressive clay took about 75% of the spots off in a small section.

I figured that the other 25% most likely won't survive plastic blades and compounding. Lacquer thinner will be my last resort, followed by compound and polish.

I've found that clay only works on the very fine, almost misted on paint, anything larger than that and you have to bring out the big guns, and the client has to pull out the big bills.
 
Coach Steve said:
Thanks everyone for your replies.

Called the local Napa parts house and they had plastic blades. Yesssss! Used quick detail spray - lots of it - as a lubricant and I'll be damned if they didn't work marvelously, like... way better than I had hoped for or imagined! Very minimal marring left behind and the surprising thing is after scraping for the better part of half an hour, the edge of the blade was still straight and looked just like it did when I pulled it out of the pkg. Those little paint dots were hanging on for dear life. As the blade would release them you could l;literally hear the "pop" sound they emitted.
Whew! Glad that's in the past!
Will definitely keep your suggestions in mind for the next time - and there will be a next time, and maybe the plastic blade solution won't work like it did today.

Thanks again!

Coach
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Thanks for the follow up, i learned something new today :)

I'm gonna check with the local Napa store by me as no Home Depot, Menards or specialty art and craft stores carried it either.
 
GenesisCoupe said:
Thanks for the follow up, i learned something new today :)

I'm gonna check with the local Napa store by me as no Home Depot, Menards or specialty art and craft stores carried it either.
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Napa was the first one I called that actually had them in stock. AuroZone and Checker/O'Reilley both list them but they're a special order. And the price.... AutoZone wanted 6 bucks for a pkg. of 5 and Checker wanted $5 for the same amount. EXCUSE ME?!?!?! Napa got me for $3 . A little bit steep when you consider how cheap they are by the 50 or 100 pack online.
 
If the pressure car wash does not remove the road stripe paint, allow the water to dry and then spray the residue with WD-40 and allow the WD-40 to stay on the area for 1-2 hours and then rewash the vehicle. The WD-40 usually softens the road striping paint without hurting the vehicle finish. If there is a heavy concentration of paint the procedure can be repeated.
For paint that has dried for several days or very heavy accumulations, apply a generous coating of petroleum jelly (vaseline) to the dried road striping paint. Allow it to stay on for 8 to 12 hours to soften the paint and then take the vehicle to a pressure car wash and wash it. This should remove most of the road striping paint. If necessary, repeat the procedure.
Paint removal from wheel wells can be very difficult because they are normally a flat finish. Apply a liberal coating of vaseline to the area and leave it on for several days and then pressure wash.
Applying an alcohol like rubbing alcohol to the area in the wheel well may also help soften and remove any residue left after the vaseline procedure is completed. Again DO NOT SCRUB! Just apply with a very wetted rag or sponge. Remember that alcohol is flammable so please be careful.

Above is from Maine DOT website. Also look into CarBrite Road Paint Removal wipes.
 
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