How to get polish out of paint cracks?

[OCDetails]

Have you ever seen a hood where the paint has a million little cracks in it? It looks like lint was waxed into the paint or something. I see it on a couple cars per year and there is typically a lot of oxidation and other problems associated with the paint, so my guess is it is just what happens when paint isn't protected in a certain environment.

The problem with these cracks is that I can't polish the paint without whatever I'm using filling in the cracks and really making them stand out. I did an Avalon a couple weeks ago that had these cracks all over the fenders, hood, roof, and even in the doors. Typically it is just on the surfaces facing up, but this car had them everywhere. I didn't have much choice on how to avoid them, so I advised the owner (he was a friend and I was just polishing the car as a favor) that these cracks are likely going to be accentuated with polish in them, and he was ok with it. I tried a few things to get the polish out of the cracks and wasn't very successful. Anything I found that was remotely successful introduced new marks in the paint, so I'm just curious if there is anything that can be done with that type of thing?

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Joe aka Superior Shine said this is the one time he found a use for colored waxes.

Some people have had good luck power washing the residue out but it poses the risk of lifting paint off it the cracks are sever and it's kind of a catch-22 because a strong spray at close range probably removes some of the wax you've applied.


One option is to let another detailer have the joy of detailing the car and satisfying the owner and do like Kenny Rogers used to sing,

Know when to walk away...

 

[loudog2]

I use my power washer with the gentle automobile tip. Never had a issue. Just be smart, don't hold it one inch from the paint.

 

[DLB]

One option is to let another detailer have the joy of detailing the car and satisfying the owner and do like Kenny Rogers used to sing,

Know when to walk away...

And know when to run!

This is indeed the one time colored waxes have a benefit. I recently had a black truck that the owner just wanted to see shiny again, and it was in horrible condition. I did some test spots and while I successfully removed all the swirls and marring, what was left was the little marks you speak of. After a Mineral Spirits spray and wipe, they were still filled in with polish. The pressure washer helped, but after cleaning the paint, they were just too many and too deep.

For PBW makes a product for light and dark vehicles.

There are some OTC offerings as well.

For best results, I would guess you could top them lightly with a 'nuba - but it's going to depend on how much filler they have.

DLB

 

[OCDetails]

So I guess if removing the swirls and oxidation from the surviving paint is the goal, then there really isn't anything that can be done, eh? Would a colored wax after polishing do something with the white polish trapped in the cracks?

 

[David Fermani]

Here's what I like doing after every correction to insure there's ZERO polishing reminants left behind:

 

[OCDetails]

^^^ Does that really work? I've never thought about doing something like that because I figure if I can't buff it out, then water probably isn't going to do much either. I'm not using any type of high pressure system, so I would guess that just a hose attachment wouldn't produce the pressure needed to really be effective anyway, right?

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Great photography work there David!

I use my power washer with the gentle automobile tip. Never had a issue. Just be smart, don't hold it one inch from the paint.

That's the key and David's pictures point the way...

Would a colored wax after polishing do something with the white polish trapped in the cracks?

Maybe coat over and conceal?

I've never used the colored waxes but understand the frustration people experience with white residue in rock chips etc.

Like loudog2 has posted and David has shown with his pictures, forcing residue out with a strong blast of water is as about as effective as you can get because just about every other approach can lead to instilling scratches into the surrounding paint by trying to dig the residue out.