Goof Off Will ruin your paint

**AntC** · 04-15-2013, 09:51 PM

Hey Geekers,

I recently decided to remove the factory pinstripe on my truck, I researched and found the eraser wheel but noticed a lot of people saying that they had trouble because of their drill not having the power to turn the wheel, so I looked for a different option as all I have is a cordless drill.

I came across a forum string that said that Goof Off

could be used to remove pinstripe and since I had a bottle I decided to give it a try, BIG MISTAKE !!! it left etch marks in my clear coat all across my truck!!

I checked with the manufacturer and various websites and the all said the it was safe on vehicle clear coats, luckily I only did one side of the vehicle at a time and only etched the drivers side, but I still had to repair it.
I couldn't feel the etching so I was pretty sure it wasn't that deep so I decided to try and wet sand it

this was after a few passes with 2000 grit and a pad

I followed that up with the 3000 grit finishing pad on the DA to get a nice uniform level

once I had it done as far as I felt comfortable taking it, I started compounding with 105

I then followed that with Wolfgang total swirl remover

I followed that with some 845 for now to protect it until I have time to check the rest of the vehicle for swirls and correct those.
I don't have those pics of the 845 because my camera died and it was getting late, but as you can see from the second step I was able to remove most if not all the etching , I got lucky this time , but I definitely learned my lesson,

DO NOT USE GOOF OFF ON YOUR paint !!

**mjd91** · 04-15-2013, 09:55 PM

I've used it on paint multiple times and have never had a problem.

**bootstrap** · 04-15-2013, 09:55 PM

wow, I used the goof off in a can to remove adhesive from my truck and had zero issues, bummer you ahd this experience though.

**Pureshine** · 04-15-2013, 10:27 PM

Ya same been using for years and never a problem not sure what happen. One question why didn't you just use a heat gun and how much Goof did you use? Looks like you sprayed the hole panel with it. If it was just a pin stripe you should've sprayed some on a MF towel and not on the car.

**Mike@DedicatedPerfection** · 04-15-2013, 10:32 PM

Was the bottle past its shelf life?

**AntC** · 04-16-2013, 08:21 AM

Originally Posted by Pureshine

Ya same been using for years and never a problem not sure what happen. One question why didn't you just use a heat gun and how much Goof did you use? Looks like you sprayed the hole panel with it. If it was just a pin stripe you should've sprayed some on a MF towel and not on the car.

I tried that at first and dabbed across the pinstripe, it didnt budge.

**forrest@mothers** · 04-16-2013, 08:34 AM

How long did the product sit on the paint?

It looks like the runs of product dried on the paint surface. Possibly you worked too large of an area at one time?

**Hoytman** · 04-16-2013, 08:39 AM

Save as much clear coat as possible and move up in grit...way up...as in start with the least aggressive. A simple test spot will prove if a higher grit will do what is needed.

I'm glad you were able to get that off.

Don't be afraid to use it again if indeed the label says it's safe to use.

It looks like it dried on the surface. Keep a bucket of soap handy. After spraying a small area with the Goof Off, and before it dries wash the area, and rinse. That should prevent any of the issues you had.

**Caminoracer** · 04-20-2013, 03:14 PM

I can vouch for the damage Goof Off has the potential to do to clear coat/paint. The stock Brembo Pads on the CTS-V, while being really high performance, produce an amount of brake dust on par with a full race pad. So I tried to use one of those wheel coating products that claim to let you just rinse brake dust off with water. Well, it didn't actually work, and didn't dry clear, it had white streaks all throughout it. I then made the decision to Plasti-Dip the wheels, and wanted to take that wheel coating off first. Nothing was having success removing it, so I finally tried using Goof Off. It seemed to actually be removing it slowly, so I coated the wheels with Goof Off and let it work for a couple minutes. When I went to wipe it off, not only did the wheel coating come off, but so did the clear coat and silver paint underneath. It flaked off all the way down to the bare metal. Luckily it is all covered by the Plasti-Dip, but I would caution anyone from using it on paint. If you do, DO NOT let it sit, wipe it off right away, and rinse the area to make sure there is none left on there.

Dustin

**VroomVroom** · 04-20-2013, 06:33 PM

It looks like you ended up with a very nicely leveled and corrected finish. I've detailed that exact color on GM 1500 trucks a number of times, and it is absolutely gorgeous. So, well done there...

Not at all to pile on, but I have to think you used way too much (of the wrong product, but that's another story), and left it on the finish to generate the damage....and then went quite a few steps overboard in correction. Sorry to be so blunt about it...again, no intentions of being mean, just trying to reinforce the 'least aggressive first' mantra.