Reddish stain on paint

[Vdubs]

Hello,

Would anyone be willing to help me figure out what is on my paint? I noticed these reddish/orange spots all over my car the weekend after it rained/lightly hailed. I tried just washing it off, using iron remover and clay without any luck. I did end up finding that Meguiars compound will remove the red marks, but now the paint inside what was the red lines doesn’t look as smooth as the rest of the paint.

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

[ducksfan]

Follow up with a polish. Ten posters will rec ten different ones. Menzerna, Sonax, Griots Boss are three I would be comfortable saying most people/paint finishes will get good results with.

[vobro]

Compounds can scuff the paint, you need to refine with a polish

[IH8SPM]

Do you park under a tree or near a commercial manufacturering building? Looks like a leaf trials or industrial fallout. Use a light polish to get that cleaned up.

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[Mike Hoekstra]

Looks like residual rust staining from water dripping off of a building or a sign. Try clay first (90% of the time I have been able to remove it this way) and move on to your choice of compound and pad, then polish and pad.

[2black1s]

Hello,

Would anyone be willing to help me figure out what is on my paint? I noticed these reddish/orange spots all over my car the weekend after it rained/lightly hailed. I tried just washing it off, using iron remover and clay without any luck. I did end up finding that Meguiars compound will remove the red marks, but now the paint inside what was the red lines doesn’t look as smooth as the rest of the paint.

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Can't tell you what the original cause was, but whatever it was probably etched into the paint and that is the reason the finish isn't as smooth in those areas.

You're probably stuck with whatever etching you have left behind. The depth of the etching is the limiting factor as you must remove paint (clear-coat) to at least that depth to remove the etch marks. Only experience can help make the decision of "removable or not".

Even if you can remove the etching, you will then have areas smoother than the surrounding original finish. That's a trade-off decision only you can make.

Me personally. I tend to subscribe to the "I'd rather live with the original defect" camp more often than not. Don't let the cure be worse than the disease.