Stained hood paint help.

[Theholc]

I've got a 2004 vw jetta that has some weird hood stains from a worn out vinyl hood bra. Regular car washes don't do any thing.

I am just starting out in the detailing hobby so im not sure where to start. I was going to start with some kind of compound first. But I wanted to see if there was anything else I should try first.


Trying to upload pic.

[DaveT435]

Try a polish or paint cleaner first. Always try the least aggressive method first.

[Mike Phillips]

I've got a 2004 vw jetta that has some weird hood stains from a worn out vinyl hood bra. Regular car washes don't do any thing.

I am just starting out in the detailing hobby so im not sure where to start.

I was going to start with some kind of compound first.

But I wanted to see if there was anything else I should try first.

My guess is the brown staining you see is topical, that means it's only affecting the very top surface of your car's clearcoat finish.

If it were me I would apply either a polish or a paint cleaner and either should remove it.

In my experience, whether working by hand or by machine, you get more benefits to apply a true and high quality polish versus only a paint cleaner.

A true polish will do everything a paint cleaner will do and more. Since the work and time needed are the same might as well apply the polish.

Compounds and polishes contain abrasives so they will remove some damaged paint.

Paint cleaners are non-abrasive so they only clean light surface damage.

And if a polish is not aggressive enough then you can either use a more aggressive polish or go full bore and use a compound.

In order of aggressiveness from the most to the least,

1. Compound
2. Medium Cut Polish
3. Fine Cut Polish
4. Ultra Fine Cut Polish
5. Paint cleaner also called a pre-wax cleaner

ANY compound, polish or paint cleaner from ANY company can be placed into one of the above 5 categories. Stick with respected brand names and you'll be using good abrasive technology.


Hope that helps...

[Theholc]

Thanks for the replies guys. I will try a fine polish first since I have that in hand.