What are these spots on my car hood?

[joe6666]

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I found three gray spots on my hood.
Tried soap, wax, 92% alcohol, and fingernails, and none removes them. Their surface texture feels smooth, but not as slippery as the clear coat.
Any idea how to remove them?

[psnt1ol]

Questions for you....

Is your car garaged or sit outdoor prior to this?

Did you Park in a indoor parking Lot?

Did you recently drove under an overpass or a bridge under construction or road maintenance?

How long has it sat on the paint?

[luckydawg]

some type of etching- probably going to have to use a polish- try by hand first, but might have to break out the polisher

[Coatingsarecrack]

Agreed if doesn’t feel raised some thing etched into paint. As stated above i would try hand polishing with different levels of abrasive polishes. StRt with least aggressive you have


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[Desertnate]

Agree on the etching. To me they look like a bird dropping(s) that wasn't washed off in time and etched the clear coat.

[Mike Hoekstra]

Without knowing all of the contributing factors, I am going to say bird droppings and etching from that. Cut or polish them out.

[2black1s]

I'll disagree with all of the "etching" comments... If you look at the close up pics (especially #2) it appears that there is some type of material bonded to the surface. It appears "proud" of the surface, not "recessed" as would be the case with etching.

Exactly what the material is? I have no idea.

Some type of careful scraping/abrading action followed by a localized polishing would be my thought on how to remove, but only and after I exhausted some less aggressive attempts like solvent, polish, etc.

[Rsurfer]

Were you parked under a tree? Tree sap maybe?

[joe6666]

Questions for you....

Is your car garaged or sit outdoor prior to this?

Did you Park in a indoor parking Lot?

Did you recently drove under an overpass or a bridge under construction or road maintenance?

How long has it sat on the paint?

The car had been parked outside for an year since it's new, and it has been moved into a garage for 4 month until now.
I believe the spots are from times when the car was parked outside, and I would say it's about 10 months ago.

The are less likely from bird drops, since I cleaned bird drops if I see them, and the areas would be larger.

[Coatingsarecrack]

The car had been parked outside for an year since it's new, and it has been moved into a garage for 4 month until now.
I believe the spots are from times when the car was parked outside, and I would say it's about 10 months ago.

The are less likely from bird drops, since I cleaned bird drops if I see them, and the areas would be larger.

Do they feel raised as something on the paint, smooth or recessed(in the paint)?

If raised i would give a plastic razor blade a try. Their available on AG. Use alot of Lube.


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[psnt1ol]

The car had been parked outside for an year since it's new, and it has been moved into a garage for 4 month until now.
I believe the spots are from times when the car was parked outside, and I would say it's about 10 months ago.

The are less likely from bird drops, since I cleaned bird drops if I see them, and the areas would be larger.

it might be one of two things... tree sap or epoxy.

Since it has been on the vehicle for 10 months, the chances of finding a fix in a bottle might be hard. The best you can do is try to soften it up and scrap it off carefully. As for the chem to soften the tree sap... I had yet to come across one chem that works with all types of tree sap. you might have to experiment with a few products. I would use a cotton Q tip and lay the chem on the biggest spot without getting it on the paint as best as you can and see how it reacts. You may have to let it dwell a little bit. Tar remover, Simple Green, Lighter fluid, WD40, mineral spirit, and acetone are all that I tried in the past with various degree of success. make sure you rinse off the area well afterwards. As for acetone...wash away any residue with a paste of baking soda and water.

Epoxy is another animal all together. Any chem that can dissolve Epoxy will likely do the same to your paint. High Heat would soften up the epoxy but it is a very dicey procedure since your paint will also react to it negatively if not careful. the heat has to be focalize on the epoxy for best result.

I just wished it hasn't sat on the paint for that long. Even after successful removal, the likelihood of etching is great. Compounding and polishing might be require to bring it back to an acceptable condition.

I hope others with more experience can jump in and offer up an easier solution.