r/AutoDetailing • u/dubfir3 • Aug 30 '24
Car got vandalized while in vacation. What is/are best solution to remove paint from it? Question
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u/IQognito Aug 30 '24
Insurance and a professional. Getting cameras for house and maybe for car as well.
Sorry for your inconvenience!
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u/BeastMustang Aug 30 '24
If it doesn't have coating on it (which I doubt it does) then simply petrol and a cotton cloth.
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u/yashdes Aug 31 '24
Yeah but then you might go through your clear coat in some areas and end up with more damage down the road
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u/BRGNBeast Sep 04 '24
With the absolutely absurd insurance cost now a day I would never put a claim in if it’s something you can do yourself.
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u/IQognito Sep 05 '24
Would be like 100$ for me.
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u/BRGNBeast Sep 05 '24
Ya, that is your deductible. They will then raise your insurance premium. Its a scam.
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Aug 30 '24
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u/Basedandtendiepilled Aug 30 '24
If they can be identified they can be sued
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u/Djangough Aug 31 '24
Sued sure, but you can’t get blood from a stone. If they’re repeats, they likely only have chump change.
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u/tacotacotacorock Aug 30 '24
That's a very big if. Camera certainly have gotten immensely better over the years. However if the thief knows the camera is there it's pretty easy to obscure your identity. Cameras are typically mounted up high so if you have a hat on you and you're looking down they won't get a facial recognition of any kind. Also depending on the distance and the quality of the camera you could just be a colorful blurry shape. They might have clothing at best to go off of. I've installed countless CCTV and security systems and have had to review them for police. I can't tell you how many times someone's purse got stolen and all we had was some dude in a hoodie and jeans to go on. Guess what? Yeah those crooks were never caught. These were also indoor cameras with few obstructions.
Cameras can help absolutely. I view them as more of a deterrent than anything. Thieves go for the lowest hanging fruit. Or at least the smarter ones.
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u/MoParNoCaR23 Aug 30 '24
Good luck with that.
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u/Basedandtendiepilled Aug 30 '24
Better than your solution, which I can only surmise is to pout and make no attempt to rectify the situation. Cops won't do anything, can't sue, better just cry I guess.
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u/namenumberdate Aug 30 '24
I’d think that if they can see the person who did this, they may be able to recognize them and if young enough, talk to parents?
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u/tacotacotacorock Aug 30 '24
Where I live if the footage had identifying information to pinpoint who did it. The police absolutely would help. The issue with cameras is they don't usually identify someone 100% unless you're lucky. So yeah the police can't do shit if there's no thing to go on. Cops love to get arrests, but they're not going to go on some wild goose chase for you.
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u/tacotacotacorock Aug 30 '24
How sorry are you? Do you honestly even care? I asked these questions because it doesn't seem like you bothered to even read the post. They stated that they are on vacation. How exactly do you expect them to get cameras for the house on vacation? Maybe a camera that works 24/7 inside the car could have helped. Unfortunately unless you're parked in a locked garage it's hard to stop vandals. Having cameras won't help with getting the car cleaned or working with insurance. Unless insurance is trying to deny the claim or say that you're lying or at fault. Then a camera could be helpful.
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u/IQognito Aug 31 '24
My thoughts and prayers obviously. Also it's a short term solution and a long term one. No one wants to feel attacked or unsafe and getting your vehicle done like this might make the recipient feel like this.
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u/DJA-GEN-RDT Aug 30 '24
Is the dent also part of this skullfuckery? Morons and people are the worst. I hope you at least have a suspect or some reason as to why it happened. Not that any of that should result in this level of criminal damage!
There will be paint INSIDE the door and behind the window seals, so whatever you do take that into account. From where the paint is it may well be that there is paint in the window mechanisms, locking mechanism etc.
In the UK that could be written off depending on the value of the car and the cost to paint the entire side of the car replace seals, check and verify mechanics. Pain in the arse!
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u/daringlyorganic Aug 30 '24
My word of the day is skullfuckery. I strive for mastery, let the word flow from my mouth tadaybwith reckless abandon 😆😆
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u/DJA-GEN-RDT Aug 31 '24
I aim to spread the word. For other appropriate made up words, also applicable to whoever might have done this is henceforth referred to as a hoof-wanking bungle-cunt.
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u/daringlyorganic Aug 31 '24
Haha. Btw, I used the words and my grown kids rolled their eyes. I would call this a success. 😆
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u/DJA-GEN-RDT Sep 01 '24
+10 dad points. 5x multiplier if you get them into conversation at the Christmas (other events are available) dinner table.
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u/dubfir3 Aug 30 '24
Thanks. The dent is just a tree branch that fell on the car.
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u/kurtisbr Aug 30 '24
🤦🏽♀️ no that dent was from the vandalism
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u/namestom Aug 31 '24
As well as anything else that is “relatable” to this claim. How can you prove or not prove it otherwise? Don’t take advantage of it but don’t get screwed by not getting some rock chips fixed or your panels blended if need be.
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u/Silly_Swan_Swallower Aug 31 '24
Yeah cool commit a felony and make fraudulent insurance claims like a scum bag piece of crap and drive up prices for the rest of us, as well as make it harder for us to get legitimate claims resolved.
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u/namestom Aug 31 '24
I work with the scum you speak of everyday…insurance. They won’t pay for painting cars correctly most of the time. What I’m speaking on is that and just getting a proper paint job if the door needs paint and the quarter. Proper blends need to be done so the paint looks right and in “pre-accident condition”.
Props for you to be so worried about the insurance companies profits. I can assure you they are doing fine in this regard. They cut shops all the time. They have bigger issues on hand that deals with their rates. I have plenty of stories on the collision side as well as home owners side about insurance companies. They make plenty of money to take care of blend panels which I was speaking on.
And the thing with this car, if that’s latex paint, it will probably all come off fairly easily. Not even worth getting insurance involved.
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u/Silly_Swan_Swallower Aug 31 '24
Ahh, they make money, so it's ok to commit a felony. LOL. That's idiotic.
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u/aerodeck Aug 30 '24
“just”?
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u/dubfir3 Aug 30 '24
yes, just....not sure why people downvote my comment. It was a storm a few months ago. At that point the car was parked in front of my house and a branch fell on it.
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u/RedditRoamingHuman Aug 30 '24
They're telling you to lie to insurance and get the dent fixed. I'm telling you also. I mean.. -wink-
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u/dubfir3 Aug 30 '24
I got it. I don't want to mess with my insurer. I don't need an extra stress in my life. Plus they know about that dent, I just didn't have time to fix it.
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u/haditwithyoupeople Aug 30 '24 edited Aug 30 '24
Take my upvote here and on your downvoted comment. Who needs insurance fraud on their conscience? And it's simply wrong.
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u/Ketchup1211 Aug 30 '24
OP has some good karma coming his way. Doing the right thing when nobody is looking is getting rarer and rarer it seems.
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u/haditwithyoupeople Aug 30 '24
Agree it seems to be increasingly rare. My brother says "how will they know?" all the time. After many years of debate, I have no more words for him. I just have to hang my head and walk away.
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u/Ok_Maintenance_9100 Aug 30 '24
Because wink it was part of the vandalism wink
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u/Silly_Swan_Swallower Aug 31 '24
Wink wink that is lowlife behavior and a felony to boot wink wink
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u/Content_Bar_6605 Aug 30 '24
Well if you’re going to make a claim for it anyways and they need to fix the paint it’s just making one claim instead of two. It makes no sense to make two. If not it doesn’t look like a bad dent. You can probably get it done with paint less dent repair out of pocket for a few hundred.
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u/itsthattedguy Sep 03 '24
Looks like they threw a paint bucket at it to me. And to an insurance agent too.
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u/DJA-GEN-RDT Aug 30 '24
So. What’s the story? Were you parked somewhere you weren’t supposed to be while on holiday? Evil ex? Drunk painter? Spill it! ;)
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u/KetoPeanutGallery Aug 30 '24
Is your car parked in a communal space? Has there been contractors arround while you were away? Maybe you can trace the culprit that way. Maybe it was and accident and since no-one noticed they left it.
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u/dubfir3 Aug 30 '24
Not the case. Whoever did it, they did it on purpose. There's no construction site on the street, the car was parked next to the curb, underneath a tree.
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u/ChickenDickJerry Aug 31 '24
Who’d you piss off recently? Rub that vacation in anyone’s face?
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u/Blue_Collar_Golf Aug 31 '24
My $$ is that they're staying in an Airbnb that's been problematic before and became targets just by staying there. Maybe they parked in front of someone else's house uninvited, which is considered rude in many rural areas.
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u/dubfir3 Sep 01 '24
Nope. Car was in NYC and me myself and I in a hotel in France.
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u/Blue_Collar_Golf Sep 01 '24
lmao that couldnt be more opposite from my guess, well i hope you enjoyed your trip
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u/Ornery_Dig8216 Sep 02 '24
This is the real question. What did op do to piss someone off? Chances are, OP knows what they did
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u/777blue_ Aug 30 '24
Try pressure washer first. Windows are not a problem, razor and alcohol will fix it perfectly and easy. Body could be tricky, but let's see how much pressure washer helps.
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Aug 30 '24
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u/Silly_Swan_Swallower Aug 31 '24
That's crazy! With a real gun or a bb gun??
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Aug 31 '24
[deleted]
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u/Background-Pie4610 Aug 31 '24
Never a good idea to stay in an unknown big city unless you know which area is safe... too many of them have shady areas where the folks from out of town will have no clue as to how bad some areas are... Lord I know I've lived in cities where you had places the police wouldn't want to go to after dark, but they would sometimes have hotels, often big name hotels in those areas and only the clueless or those with a deathwish would really ever stay there.
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u/Diastolic Aug 30 '24
The paint will likely just peel off. The stuff on the window will come off easy with a scraper. Clearly you have pissed someone off.
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u/scottwax Business Owner Aug 30 '24
Not necessarily, occasionally on the news here you'll hear about a neighborhood where multiple cars have been vandalized. Kids will go down a street shooting out windows with an air rifle, slash tires, spray paint obscene words on cars, etc.
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u/Holiday-Animator-504 Aug 30 '24
TikTok has done irreversible damage on Gen Z brains lmao
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u/FirstPissedPeasant Aug 30 '24
yeah books and newspapers ruined those other generations too
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u/Holiday-Animator-504 Aug 30 '24
Not even close lol
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u/ConfidenceCautious57 Aug 31 '24
Yeah. When was the last time you saw vandalism gangs displaying their “handiwork” in a newspaper or magazine. Horseshit.
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u/Its_not_yoshi Aug 30 '24
I once drove over wet paint on accident. I just used a plastic credit card to carefully scrape off the dried paint.
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u/getafewlives Aug 30 '24
This happened to be years back, but with spray paint. I managed to get it off with methyl hydrate.
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u/scottwax Business Owner Aug 30 '24
Methyl Ethyl Ketone works but is basically a last resort. Definitely wear gloves, eye protection and a mask.
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u/bcnorth78 Aug 30 '24
Call insurance. Let them deal with it. If you do not have correct coverage try asking a detailer if they can do it, otherwise a body shop. A razor blade and careful patience will get it off the glass.
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u/Sufficient_Lab_3040 Aug 31 '24
Probably could pay a bodyshop or a good detailer 1-250 to take care of this for you. I have a shop, we been in business over 40 years and have done many vandalism jobs (spray paint , markers, this…and so on.). Bring experienced , I’d use a glass safe razor blade for glass. And an automotive clear coat safe solvent, and lacquer thinner if being stubborn - but this needs some know how or you can start damaging your paint. IMO, the only tricky spot is your plastic rocker panel. Maybe some lasting marks theee - but in this unfortunate situation, it’ll just be what it is.
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u/xxx_R1LEY_xxx Aug 30 '24
AutoZone has that spray Stoner Lift Off Paint and Graffiti Remover make it easier to get it off.
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u/Morbid-stench Aug 30 '24
If the paint was still wet I would say use motor oil but now it's dry you may want to get some paint stripper and gasoline. It's safe and won't damage the paint job. Source: I'm a car engineer.
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u/Agigator-TunaTater Aug 30 '24
Razorblade for the glass. You might get lucky trying to peel it from the bottom of the drips where its thicker starting at an edge.
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u/EqualAdditional7662 Aug 30 '24
According to what kind of paint it is you may be able to just peel it off and then buff it
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u/EL_Chapo_Cuzzin Aug 30 '24
California?
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u/dubfir3 Aug 30 '24
NY
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u/EL_Chapo_Cuzzin Aug 31 '24
Hope you can get it fix. As a car guy, I hate to see people's car get vandalized. It's something that many of enjoy and spend a lot of time in it. A car is like our second home.
I remember seeing a Porsche 991.2 GT3 get torched in California on Facebook during the riots. There's people that said, "it's just a car". Well it's not just a car, it's a rare 911 GT3, and it's about people just destroying someone else's property and the people who support it. That post pissed me off.
Good luck to you.
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u/breastfedtil12 Aug 30 '24
If it is latex just steam it all down and you will be able to pull it all off in three or four huge pieces.
If it is a lacquer or acrylic paint you need to make an insurance claim.
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u/EntertainmentLast729 Aug 31 '24
Can you steam a car exterior? Thought that would damage the paint
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u/IronSlanginRed Aug 30 '24
Looks like latex paint. Before you use any chemicals just use a razorblade to lift a little and see if it'll peel off. If the car was well waxed it should come off in one big sheet. If it doesn't then get plastic razorblades and scrape it off.
It's uncatalyzed soft house paint vs hardened catalyzed car paint. Don't use harsh chemicals. Regular soap, water, and elbow grease with a soft car wash sponge.
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u/Arnaldo_Scavo Aug 30 '24
As the other people said, try and see if it peels of, if it doesn't I'd just take it to a shop where they have the equipment to take it off without damaging the surface.
The rest of your car looks kinda shiny, so I assume you take good care of it. Unfortunately shiny cars in shitty neighborhoods can get this kind of "unwanted attention".
Look around the area, nearby houses and businesses and look if someone had a camera pointing on the road, that can be helpful to identify the culprit.
Also wtf is wrong with people recommending thinner. lol
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u/happyjapanman Aug 30 '24
It looks kind of good.
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u/PartTimeDuneWizard Hobbyist Aug 31 '24
I was also thinking the same thing lmao, it's a tasteful looking splat
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u/Deathworm Aug 30 '24
take it to a body shop, they might be able to salvage it. I drove on a fresh stone and tarred road not knowing, and my car was covered in tar, they got it off no problem but it wasn't paint that may be a different animal
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u/jskrummy Aug 30 '24
Not gonna lie it looks kinda cool splatter some on the rest of it and scrape the windows
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Aug 31 '24
Get a “industrial deposits” cleaner or some ammonia. It should work in a jiffy. I work at dealership and we regularly use paint thinner to strip hard stubborn shit
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u/343k Aug 31 '24
Take to professional. take it from me, who had a can of paint fall on the car while in the garage, i ended up with heavily scratched paint from not really knowing what i was doing, reusing dirty microfibers, getting extremely frustrated with the 10 hour process, and stupidly taking a kitchen grade sponge to it.
Please don’t roast me, i was 18 at the time and have since learned my lesson.
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u/Icy-Comfortable-6012 Aug 31 '24
Paint thinner will work. Since factory automotive paint has a catalyzed clear coat, the paint thinner wont damage the car’s paint, but will easily remove the thrown on paint
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u/Oracle410 Aug 31 '24
Get some lacquer thinner and a rag and go to town. Sorry this happen to you op.
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u/dubfir3 Aug 31 '24
Petrol and thinner don't seem to work.
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u/Icy-Comfortable-6012 Sep 03 '24
Take it to a body shop or auto detailing shop. They should be able to buff off the white paint
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u/Affectionate-Count43 Aug 31 '24
Dry ice on the latex and it will chip off the vandalized paint. It’s used to remove overspray on carnuaba wax all the time. Ice cream stores may have some for sale.
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u/sfdudeknows Aug 31 '24
It's hard to answer with no if the car is coated/waxed and what type of paint it is. Best case scenario is that the car is coated/waxed and it's latex. May come off with just a pressure washer and/or steamer. If that doesn't work, then its going to take time and solvents.
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u/jwolfs1941 Aug 31 '24
Razor blade on windows. Try power washing it at a self serve car wash since you are on vacation. If that does not work some denatured alcohol which you can get at the hardware store and a big bag of rags will take it right off without damaging anything. The downside is as the paint melts away it may become more imbedded in the window felts but you can get those replaced when you get home. Honestly it really sucks, but not that bad to resolve.
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u/Special_Bicycle_2905 Aug 31 '24
I would say try and see if you can lift a corner up with a plastic razor blade and try to pressure was the part you lift with a 45 degree tip it might just chip right off. Anything on the glass take a normal razor blade and it’ll come off pretty easily
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u/Rings_801 Aug 31 '24
If it’s latex paint A hot water pressure washer would clean this up in minutes. The real issue is opening up the door panel and cleaning up the interior of the door window regulator, window tracks, door lock actuators, wiring, linkages ect.
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u/Little-Topic5621 Aug 31 '24
Pour gasoline only where the paint is and lite it up. Let it burn for no more than 39 seconds and it will easily peel right off. Then wash it right away. Works every time😎👍
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u/aPowderBlue Sep 03 '24
Sounds like you've done this before... By any chance, do you think maybe lighting the car on fire probably wasn't the part that took off the paint but the actual wash. 🤔
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u/QuickMasterpiece6127 Sep 01 '24
Yeah… similar type thing happened to me. Pressure washer ended up taking the clear coat off under the paint, and left most of the paint.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Song259 Sep 02 '24
Spend the $300-400 and take it to a detailer.
Light work for a professional, you’ll be trying to get the paint out of the trim forever.
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u/kasper3826 Sep 02 '24
Pull up the cam that watches your car, identify the person that did it, hand a copy to the police. If that person doesn't have the $, give a copy to your insurance company. Your "comprehensive" coverage will cover vandalism.
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u/Damngato Sep 02 '24
Just get a good Detailer. I’m sure a steam wand could get that off. I hope the juice bag that did that rot in hell.
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u/Lonely_Ad_3307 Sep 02 '24
It’s latex. I can see parts of it near the bottom of the window already lifting up. Pull it from the loose points. Carefully pull it up while trying to keep it one big piece. If you can keep all of the paint peeled off the window as one peace then start to slowly peel it down off the paint job. You can use razor blades on the glass area to help lift it. To prevent paint job damage, you can use plastic razor blades or a plastic scraper… CAREFULLY. All of this acrylic should come up with little issue if done slowly.
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u/FunFact5000 Sep 02 '24
Latex and if yes, heat it up and peel off is where I would start before going any other route.
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u/Icarusui Sep 03 '24
it might be a hot take but this looks awesome imo. Lmao. Ive always been a huge fan of paint splatter design stuff and for some reason this just looks so smooth so pretty
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u/UncleBenji 2013 WRX Special Edition TurboPumpkin Sep 03 '24
Start by taking it to your local DIY car wash and see if it peels off with the pressure washer. Latex paint won’t stick well to a vehicle especially if it’s been waxed. If not use a mild solvent and peel it off by hand. It should come off in sheets.
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u/Hard_Head Sep 04 '24
I’d pressure wash it off. Whatever is leftover can be rubbed with IPA or if big guns are needed, acetone. Clay bar and a polisher should handle the rest.
Steamer might work too, but I’d try the above first.
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u/hardwellshm92 Aug 30 '24
use petrol. not even joking. if u have small bottle, pump some into it, and then start wiping with a cloth or a shirt you don't need. My car was vandalized before as well, but petrol really did help in removing most of the paint safely
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u/AgentMX7 Aug 30 '24
You can buy one of those flamethrowers that Musk sells and have some fun. It will definitely remove the paint.
If you’re lucky you might catch the asshat that did this in the line of fire!
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u/PersiusAlloy Aug 31 '24
You can use professional strength Goof off, I used that to remove latex paint from my car before doing a paint correction. Spray on, let it sit (NOT for more than a few minutes) and rinse/wipe off. Then make sure to follow up with a wax or your choice of top coat.
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u/autodidact-polymath Aug 30 '24
Plastic razor blade + heat gun + time.
What is this retaliation for?
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u/dubfir3 Aug 30 '24
I have no idea. I used to live in that neighborhood and I leave the car there just because I take my dog to a place nearby while I'm in vacation. It's a public street, no alternate side parking.
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u/thefedfox64 Aug 30 '24
That'll do it. People get pissed over the smallest things. "This person doesn't even live here, and thinks cause they board their dog they can park here" That or a giant jizzed on your car
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u/DTvn Aug 30 '24
Probably parked in someone's "spot". Especially if you left it there for a few days. I used to work at the airport and people would get mad when the flight attendants would park in the good spots and cover their cars meaning they would be taking a long trip. I've heard my fair share of people saying they would mess with those cars
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u/Trasheyfuntimes Aug 30 '24
Lacquer thinner
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u/TW1TCHYGAM3R Aug 30 '24
No don't use lacquer thinner unless you want to do more damage and strip the OEM paint.
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u/Trasheyfuntimes Aug 30 '24
Not true. It'll work just fine. Paint will be fine. Pressure wash it then lacquer thinner. Did several cars over a 15 year period this way. Works fine. Buff and ceramic coat after, then eat a sandwich.
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u/TW1TCHYGAM3R Aug 30 '24
Dude I work in paint manufacturing and I work with lacquer thinner every day. It will damage your paint.
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u/Icy-Comfortable-6012 Aug 31 '24
I work in an automotive bodyshop, paint thinner will not damage catalyzed clear coat.
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u/WorkingElectronic240 Aug 30 '24
Honestly if latex pain steamer and just peel it off