i think i ruined my paint.. is it fixable?

[DSM315]

so my buddy cleaned his engine bay with pruple power and it looked so nice. so i tried to do the same. well i let it sit to long and now my paint in my engine bay is stained with white spots and my paint is dull. anyone know of anything i can try to use to get the spots off and my color back besides repainting it?

 

[bryanwheat]

I would get it wet and scrub it with a ran while rinsing if off. It helps to dilute the purple power when using it for stuff like this. Letting it dry was a bad idea. You have to keep it wet. I spray it every 5 minutes for 20 minutes, scrub where necessary and wash it off.

 

[motozachl]

Lots of elbow grease

 

[pandaswag]

^- that. or pull the motor, and have a buddy do a custom engine bay paint job [like graffiti or something you dont see every day]. or just do it your self. only a couple bucks.

but back to the main subject yeah, purple power , purple thunder any of that "purple" power cleaning stuff really ####s up paint if you let it sit we use it at work to remove strong stains and such. good luck though

 

[H@xtGSX]

If scrubbing it doesn't work...

They dont' normally put much if any clear coat inside the engine bay of any car, so that paint is exposed to damage directly. If that purple power is a heavy oxidizer or very basic, that paint will be faded on the surface layer permanently. There's a trick you can try though. Get some 1000 grit and 1500 grit sand paper. Sand the spots lightly by hand with the 1000 grit until they're nearly gone, then finish with the 1500 grit until you can't see it anymore. That'll just take it down to the layer underneath, and as long as the paint isn't super thin, will work fine. Try it in a hard to see location first though. You don't want to find out the paint is microns thin and sand through to primer on accident in a visable spot, because you'll have to spot repair it with some matched spray paint or scratch repair stuff from a dealer.

 

[92mitsubishi]

thats not good i would take this opertunity to redo the engine bay the color you want and make it look new again. either way good luck to you.

 

[importracr317]

I wrecked a frame on my old TL1000R Suzuki with purple power. If you leave that stuff sitting on bare aluminum too long it permanently stains it.

Use some rubbing compound or some mild abrasive polish.

 

[gusu]

Purple power has the same chemicals in it that industrial floor stripper uses. It works so well that when I was trying to strip the 36 layers of concrete sealer off the floor at my work (18 years and never stripped once, it got multiple coats each year), I actually used it.... and it worked better than our 30% hydrochloric acid floor stripper.

 

[jpmxrider489]

^- that. or pull the motor, and have a buddy do a custom engine bay paint job [like graffiti or something you dont see every day]. or just do it your self. only a couple bucks.

but back to the main subject yeah, purple power , purple thunder any of that "purple" power cleaning stuff really ####s up paint if you let it sit we use it at work to remove strong stains and such. good luck though

Cause we all have the time to pull the motor.

Pulling it would be better if you have the time and tools but why not try the "elbow grease" first. Do you have a picture you can post up?

 

[stuckwithgsx]

Wash it with dish soap. Then try a clay bar, wax, and lots of buffing.

Just keep at it with cleaning and waxing. If that fails then go with the sand paper idea, just be gentle and do a wet sand and even if you go through the clear coat then just grab a rattle can clear coat and touch it up all pretty. If you take enough time and you're careful enough then it will turn out very good. If you're very impatient and don't have a light hand and washing waxing doesn't work... then you're screwed haha

 

[DOHCTA]

If scrubbing it doesn't work...

They dont' normally put much if any clear coat inside the engine bay of any car, so that paint is exposed to damage directly. If that purple power is a heavy oxidizer or very basic, that paint will be faded on the surface layer permanently. There's a trick you can try though. Get some 1000 grit and 1500 grit sand paper. Sand the spots lightly by hand with the 1000 grit until they're nearly gone, then finish with the 1500 grit until you can't see it anymore. That'll just take it down to the layer underneath, and as long as the paint isn't super thin, will work fine. Try it in a hard to see location first though. You don't want to find out the paint is microns thin and sand through to primer on accident in a visable spot, because you'll have to spot repair it with some matched spray paint or scratch repair stuff from a dealer.

+1!!!!!!

great minds think a like!

 

[DSM315]

i have tried dish soap and engine degreasers. i was just seeing if there was something to counteract with it but i guess not. im just gonna pull the motor and paint the engine bay and the hole car later. my car is blue so im gonna paint it the darker blue that evo's come in.
thanks for the help guys

 

[Bud92gsx]

I used windex when I did mine..I unbolted alot of stuff to really get in there...

And lots of elbow grease..

 

[dsmlover07]

Im so picky, depending how bad it was, clean it up and do your best, but i painted a few cars its fun.

 

[bombDSM]

i use simple green to clean everything. Works pretty well just dont leave it on too long. You could try meguiars ultimate compound for the damage then polish. Im sure there are also better compounds out there but that is just what i have used.

 

[H@xtGSX]

i use simple green to clean everything. Works pretty well just dont leave it on too long. You could try meguiars ultimate compound for the damage then polish. Im sure there are also better compounds out there but that is just what i have used.

I am going to have to revise my recommendation of sanding it with fine grit. I agree with this. Miguire's Ultimate compound is REALLY good stuff. It is what I use for my final buffs on a wet sanding job. It's a lot safer for someone who doesn't paint cars, and should do a better job than just about anything else mentioned. Ultimate compound is named that for a good reason. .

 

[AK Maniak]

Go to walmart and grab a Mr. Clean Magic eraser. I betcha 20 bucks that will work.

 

[MNewkirkdsm]

I am a bodyman I toataly agree on the miguires, also they make a three inch buffer u can pick up off a tool truck, not sure where else. But hat would b your easiest route, hand rubbing is no fun

 

[H@xtGSX]

Me too. Just about anything I can think of short of shooting paint, can be fixed with Miguire's Ultimate. No joke, it is really good stujf.