white bloom on paintwork of towcar

[TonyAsh]

My towcar (VW) is metallic light green with a topcoat of clear varnish, my question is:

A patch of white 'bloom' has appeared on the door panel just below the glass line and appears to be under the topcoat. I have tried to remove it with a light rubbing of TCut but with no success, it has got me baffled. The only thing I can think is that during our holiday last year to France we were under pine trees which dripped resin, each morning I went round the car and removed the drips with WD40. When I came home I gave the car a throrough very hot wash to remove all traces of WD40. The door panel is the only affected area and cannot imagine that WD40 would cause any damage to paint. Any suggestions as to the cause and any suggestions how to remove the bloom.

Thanks

 

[Jonathan_5061656]

Tony,

I'm no expert but WD40 for tree resin seems a bit extreme - sorry if you've already realised that. Very hot water should usually disolve anything off a tree. I would guess its affected the clear laquer and would need a rub down and re-laquer of the affected area. An independant bodyshop would be the most competitive price.

 

[Damian]

Tony,,,WD40 is a lubricant and freeing agent, NOT a car polish, as you have found to your cost. The active compounds in WD 40are definately not suitable for applying to car paint. You would have been better using something like Autoglym polish, however, the problem you now have is only curable by having that full panel refinished by a sprayshop. An expensive lesson in how not to clean a car i think.

 

[hughdavies]

is your car new? if not it could be damage that has been repaired with filler showing through. WD40 is a mild acid and should not be used for anything exept rusty metal,it will totaly destroy electrics and chromework.

 

[Damian]

Having read the reply from Hugh, I must reply and say the statement about WD40 "totally destroying electrics" is , in my experience, not true.

I use WD40 on a daily basis on electrical equipment and in a lot of instances, totally submerge items like s/w radios and similar delicate items in it to disperse water after being dropped in the sea and other wet environments and have never found WD40 to do any damage.

As for chromework, it is good for removing surface rust and grime, followed by a good polish with a good wax, and no ill effects.

 

[Alistair_5042155]

is your car new? if not it could be damage that has been repaired with filler showing through. WD40 is a mild acid and should not be used for anything exept rusty metal,it will totaly destroy electrics and chromework.

Even if it was new there is a possibility that some paintwork could have been damaged and repainted - it sounds to me like a faulty paint job as I had a simiar problem with a door on a Passat a number of months after it was repainted. The bodyshop were able to fix it but I don't know how.

 

[TonyAsh]

Thanks for your replies regarding the WD40 and the paintwork, we are sidestepping my original querie here but I have NEVER had any problems with WD40 before and have used it virtually daily since the mid sixties, I remember going to a demostration when it was introduced onto the British market as a by-product from the USA space development projects, a mini was driven into an arena, the distributor cap taken off and dropped into a bucket of water, the cap was then sprayed with WD40, put back on the mini which started first time and drove off to great applause and, at that time, great disbelief. The queue at the selling point was very long.

I have been a fan ever since - but I accept that this could possibly be the cause of the white bloom to my paintwork in that spot, all the other areas of the car are not affected even though the pine resin was over all areas of roof, bonnet and boot.

 

[MickC1]

Just out of interest I've copied the following from WD40's own website:

I've heard that people use WD-40 as a cleaner/remover. What can it be used on?

WD-40 removes sap, tar, adhesives, labels and tape from surfaces without damaging existing paint. It's an effective cleaner for tools, equipment, and vehicles. Use it to remove splattered bugs from the front of cars. WD-40 will even help remove gum from carpet. Just spray, wait, and wipe with a clean cloth.

What surfaces or materials are OK to use WD-40 on?

WD-40 can be used on just about everything. It is safe for metal, rubber, wood and plastic. WD-40 can be applied to painted metal surfaces without harming the paint. Polycarbonate and clear polystyrene plastic are among the few surfaces on which to avoid using a petroleum-based product like WD-40.

So they claim that it is safe on paintwork and can be used to remove sap.

 

[parker1158]

Hi, I am an ex vw/Audi mechanic, now i do not know much about paintwork but i would say WD40 should not harm the bodywork.If it had it would have attacked the hard laquer coat first.Because the laquer coat is so hard i would suggest it is a fault with the underside colour coat and not from an external 'force'. You dont say how old the car is but its worth noting that the bodywork, to differing degrees, has a longer warranty than the 12 months for mechanical failure(up to six years if memory serves me right). I would recomend trying to get VW to pay or contribute towards the repair, in my experience they can be very accomodating if you kick up a bit.

 

[Ron2]

Hi

Get yourself a sheet of 1000 grit wet/dry, bucket of warm water a little soap, rub the soap onto the wet, wet/dry and lightly rub the affected area [using water also] so you take the top shine off the lacquer being carefull not to take too much off just keep checking by drying the affected area you will see when the shine has gone. Now get your tcut and polish the part that you have rubbed down this should solve your problem if not take it to your local dealer or paintshop they will help. P.S I was a painter in my other life. WD40 will not harm the paintwork or electrics.

If you need more advice come back.

Ron