If you've ever had a white car and have really looked at the paint job. You might have noticed "yellow" spots on the paint job.

In the past I was told that in order to "remove" these spots, the car had to be washed with some sort of acid powder chemical. I've seen it done, all rubbers & seals were ok afterwards, but I'm not sure what the powder was exactly.

Has anyone heard of this? What is a good alternative to removing these spots? Does claying do the job? Buffing? Polishing?

Those spots are IFO (industrial fallout). IFO is made up of two parts. The actual spot you see, and the acid underneath the spot. The acid slowly 'blooms' and creates the spot you see. Some auto manufacturers (not sure about BMW) recommend removing them with an acidic solution, as you have suggested already. I have purchased the ABC neutralization system sold by http://www.autoint.com . It's a 3 step system. "A" strips all the wax and crap off the paint so all you have is the bare paint. "B" will remove the yellow spots, and "C" will restore the paint to the factory ph level.

This sytem will only remove spots that have been on your paint for 90 days or less. Anything more will require that you clay the surface WHILE the "B" product is dwelling. Use the "B" as the lube for the clay as opposed to a Quick Detailer.

How does the clay help???

Well, what the system is suposed to do is dissolve the yellow spot and THEN neutralize the acid underneath the spot. The acid underneath is the real problem.

For spots older then 90 days the solution cannot dissolve them on its own. You need to use the clay to remove the spot and then the solution will dissolve the acid underneath.

Can I just use clay without the solution??

No. If you just clay you will make the problem worse. The next time it rains or you wash your car, the water will mix with the leftover acid and cause a chemical reaction which will produce MORE yellow spots than you had before.

Can I just polish???

Polishing alone will produce the same results as claying alone. The spots will come back worse when the leftover acid is exposed to water.

Notes:

I *think* the ABC system is only safe for clearcoated cars. I believe the "B" will burn single stage paints off leaving you with bare metal. Make sure your white is clearcoated. If you decide to use ABC, contact autoint to clarify this.

Thanks!!
Extremely helpful info and insight.

It is then a safe assumption that this oxidation occurs on all cars, but it's really only noticeable on white cars?

Let's clarify something first, how big are these spots??

IFO spots are the size of a pinhead.

And they are visible on any colour car. On a black car the spots will be white, and on a silver car the spots will be brown, etc. I actually used ABC on a silver car.

Oxidation and IFO are two totally different things.

IFO is fallout. It's Polution, brake dust, etc that settles into your paint and wreakes havoc.

Oxidation is dead paint. It looks dull and chalky and can cover entire sections of the car. Paint usually oxidizes because it has been neglected by its owner. Cleaning the paint two times a year can help to greatly avoid oxidation.

Which one, if any, do you have???

I have yellow pin-sized spots on my paint. Sizes do vary a little though.

Ok, cool. Then you have IFO. Proceed as directed.

Originally posted by David
I have purchased the ABC neutralization system sold by http://www.autoint.com

How did you purchase?
I see no price list. Must I be a reseller or professional detailer?

Look on the site for a distributor in your area. They usually sell in high volume to dealerships, etc, but they do sell to the public in smaller quantities.