Removal of touch up paint

[Flex68 10+ year member]

Anyone have experience with removing touch up paint?

I just bought a car that the previous owner tried applying non-matching touch up paint to every small scratch on the car!

The vast majority of these places are ones that I could have buffed out, plus she used a "close, but not exact" color and blobbed it on too thickly, to boot. I need to get this shizz off the car so I can buff out what will buff, and reapply the correct color and thickness of touch up on what won't.

Suggestions of how to accomplish the paint removal; what to use; steps to follow; etc?

Thanks

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[maylar 10+ year member]

Most touchup paint is plain enamel which can sometimes be removed with laquer thinner without affecting the urethane OEM finish. If it's been on for a while and has fully cured that might not work but it's worth a try. If it's a catalized (2 part) paint you're screwed and you'll have to resort to abrasives.

 

[Flex68 10+ year member]

I thought about the thinner + 2500 grit sandpaper, and taping-off around each spot.

She put so many lines of it on the car, tho, I was hoping there might be a quicker and less-involved way to get there!

 

[Flex68 10+ year member]

Anyone had good luck using mineral spirits and elbow grease....?

 

[_S7V7N_ 10+ year member]

You have an orbital polisher or hi speed buffer ?

If so Meguiar sells a red abrassive pad for buffing. Use it with the product listed below.

Google search. Hi Temp 357 its a leveling compound but it also heats up paint I believe it'll do what you're lookin for.

Use the orbital if you have one cause the paint will heat up quickly. If you use a buffer highest i'd go is 1500 RPMs

 

[_S7V7N_ 10+ year member]

Here the link if it let's me post.Hi-Temp 357 Magnum Leveler/Compound 32 oz. - St. Pete Auto Aids - Auto Detail Supply

 

[Flex68 10+ year member]

Thanks, I will check it out.

However, I don't like rotary buffers and don't own one. I still do my buffing and polishing by hand...

 

[_S7V7N_ 10+ year member]

Porter Cable Orbital Polisher. The guy who taught me how to use one felt the same way you did till he started using one a few years ago.

I don't know if you'd get that paint hot enough with just elbow grease.

You're not in South Tx are you ?

 

[Flex68 10+ year member]

Porter Cable Orbital Polisher. The guy who taught me how to use one felt the same way you did till he started using one a few years ago.
I don't know if you'd get that paint hot enough with just elbow grease.

You're not in South Tx are you ?

Nope, I am in VA.

Porter-Cable 7346 SP-R 6 inch , right-angle, variable speed random orbit sander, with polishing pad?

What would you consider a good price on one?

 

[_S7V7N_ 10+ year member]

I got the 7424 from Autogeek but you'll also need a hook and loop backing plate and a few pads.

Porter - $125

Backing plate - $15 - 20 bucks

3 pack of pads - 30 bucks

They have coupon codes as well

 

[maylar 10+ year member]

Anyone had good luck using mineral spirits and elbow grease....?

To late for mineral spirits. That only works when the paint is wet. Enamel paint dries by evaporation of solvent, then cures by bonding with oxygen. The process takes a month to complete. Once cured it takes a heavy duty solvent to remove it. Fortunately the factory paint is urethane which is much tougher than enamel. Go to an auto paint store and get a quart of whatever they recommend.

 

[maylar 10+ year member]

Nope, I am in VA.
Porter-Cable 7346 SP-R 6 inch , right-angle, variable speed random orbit sander, with polishing pad?

What would you consider a good price on one?

If the scratches were deep enough for someone to touchup and the color is off, what will you do to correct that? If you sand far enough to remove the touchup paint you risk going through your clear coat. Touchup paint can't be polished, it's too soft.

 

[Flex68 10+ year member]

If the scratches were deep enough for someone to touchup and the color is off, what will you do to correct that? If you sand far enough to remove the touchup paint you risk going through your clear coat. Touchup paint can't be polished, it's too soft.

The scratches weren't deep enough for touchup paint to have been first choice, but it is on there now, and I am not leaving it.

Nothing was said about sanding, only buffing, and that after the paint has been removed...

 

[_S7V7N_ 10+ year member]

If the scratches were deep enough for someone to touchup and the color is off, what will you do to correct that? If you sand far enough to remove the touchup paint you risk going through your clear coat. Touchup paint can't be polished, it's too soft.

The chemical I recommended him can heat up the clearcoat and actually melt it. Its what you kinda want to happen to fill in scratches.

In this case he'll try an area with touch up paint and see if he can knock enough enamel off to repair it. That will avoid having to wetsand. At the same time just by buffing it a bit it'll probably look better than the touch up job they attempted. At that point he can try to touch it up himself.