I have no idea WHERE it came from, but when I pulled into my parking space, I noticed these little light grey spots on my car. When I tried to lightly scrape it off with my fingernail, it did come off, NOT removing any paint. Needless to say, I tried to find every single bit of it and picked it off.
However...I was looking at it again just the other day and found more! Now, it appears to be hard and am afraid to touch it. Does anyone have any suggestions for the removal of this? I'm terrified to touch it and have not done anything further.

Thanks in advance...

If it's tar, you can get tar remover. If it really is concrete, I don't know, IMO concrete shouldn't stick to your clear coat too well? Try prying a small dot of it off with your nails in a less noticeable area, slowly.

Its gonna take alot of patience and don't go to those detail places that claim they know what to do. I work at one. All that happens is they scratch the hell out of your paint and cover it with a thin layer of wax to cover it up. You'll have to pick at each spot with your nails or toothpick and run plenty of water on it.

Try gentle claying and some Quick Detailer

I'd start with your fingernail, then follow up with claying to get rid of the rest of the bits.

Could someone enlighten me as to what this gentle claying is? I googled it and found dead links but nothing very informational.
I'd greatly appreciate it.

check out david's parked thread at the top for information on claying.

Thanks, but I don't see a thread by David...

Would this be referred to as a "detailer's clay bar"?

http://bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=158378

All you need to know ^^^^^^ right there.

Thanks!

Thanks, but I don't see a thread by David...
it's right at the top of this forum, titled "Detailing 101"

yes it's a detailers clay bar...very popular ones by meguiars and mothers

Thanks to everyone for your input. I will let you know what happens!

lol....Are you guys seriously trying to tell him that CLAY will take off concrete off?

ROFL...Please guys, clay wont even take brake tar off my wheels, now how would it be able to take off concrete.

I think personally....your only option here, is to sand it down, then when you get close to the surface, maybe...maybe try some wetsanding.

Just my .02

Well, I don't know for sure if it is concrete, but it looks like tiny drops of it.
I'm not too sure how this wet sanding works, but if you can give me some insight, I'd definitely appreciate it. Thanks for the warning about the clay...

If you don't know how wet sanding works, now is not a good time to learn. To be honest, I don't even think that wet sanding would be a good solution.

Try using some vinegar or CLR to dissolve away the concrete. You might want to test this first on a small spot to make sure it doesn't etch your paint. I know this was done on a Nissan Maxima without problems, but different paints may react differently.

CLR huh? Did you actually witness this concrete removal via CLR or vinegar from the Maxima? My Estoril blue paint was virtually unscathed...and NOW THIS!! I feel like crying!!

uh oh what happened? you should post pics if you can

this is so sad. :(

good luck with whatever you end up using to get the concrete off.

any idea where it came from? were you tailgating a concrete truck or something?

lol....Are you guys seriously trying to tell him that CLAY will take off concrete off?

ROFL...Please guys, clay wont even take brake tar off my wheels, now how would it be able to take off concrete.

I think personally....your only option here, is to sand it down, then when you get close to the surface, maybe...maybe try some wetsanding.

Just my .02
it's a start and it might take off some of the pieces that didn't adhere to the paint. I wouldn't just start wetsanding aimlessly.

I really have no idea. Only think I can think of is that a concrete truck got in front of me and I wanted to get the hell away from it asap, so I went around it. Never heard a thing and just HAPPENED to see it when I parked. Thought I got it all but was unsuccessful. I love my beautiful car. I really hope to get this resolved! Or rather - dissolved...
Someone will tell me that the dots are so small, but as you all know, ANY dot that doesn't belong on your car is just WRONG.

OMG look what I found! Has anyone ever used this? Does it work?

w w w . topoftheline . com / cement-concrete-remover-auto. h t m l

Okay, so that looks stupid, but it is a link and for some reason I am not allowed to post urls....maybe because I am still such a newbie?

OMG look what I found! Has anyone ever used this? Does it work?

w w w . topoftheline . com / cement-concrete-remover-auto. h t m l

Okay, so that looks stupid, but it is a link and for some reason I am not allowed to post urls....maybe because I am still such a newbie?

I'd still give the clay bar a try before using anything abrasive or a harsh chemical that might very well etch your paint. At worst, it will do no harm. At best, it might lift off the concrete bits, since they shouldn't be adhered well anyway. If it doesn't work, you're only out $15 bucks. Wet sanding will definitely work, but unless you're expert at it, you'll ruin your finish.

Thanks for the tip. I will keep everyone informed of the outcome.

good luck.

I'd still give the clay bar a try before using anything abrasive or a harsh chemical that might very well etch your paint. At worst, it will do no harm. At best, it might lift off the concrete bits, since they shouldn't be adhered well anyway. If it doesn't work, you're only out $15 bucks. Wet sanding will definitely work, but unless you're expert at it, you'll ruin your finish.

He makes a good point. This is no time to start wetsanding , I should of been more clear with my statement. See, if you decide to wetsand you will need a PC and a polish to remove scratches (that the wetsanding does).

I really dont believe clay with work though, personally if feels/sounds like a waste of time. Dont get me wrong, If it were for clay, id have a ruff finish back from when I got the car, but for things like this?? no sir.

First off if you did clay and take off some bits of concrete your clay will have peices of rocks in it. Hence all the scratches you will put in the surrounding areas.

I believe your best bet is to go with the solution you posted above, it looks safe and seems to be recomended by a reputable source.


But really, unless you have a big dent in your car, or even a key mark there is no use in worrying like you are. I have stressed hours on end about the little nit picky things, and after some research and some money I fix the problem that a body shop woulda charged me 200 bucks for. Were not talking about Big Bird taking a big giant Shite on your car and etching away at your paint.

BUT, when you use that stuff on your car ( the spray ) dont starting rubbing it off, cuz all that will do is etch the rocks into your paint. Simply get the hose and use high preasure. And after that apply some more, until you cant see it any longer.


Good luck my friend, things will work out ;)

Sorry for the double post.

I have removed tar and dried asphalt dirt on my bumber with a Polyglaze Tar Remover. Tar remover is a little like wetsanding because it's composition is sort of like liquid sandpaper. Just use a soft sponge to apply the tar remover then gently rub on the cement splatter area until you remove the cement.

Well unless you have a cow poo size cement sticking to your hood then you need a jackhammer to remove that :D

This happened to my wife's SUV a few years back. When I first noticed it, I tried to scratch at with my nail and it pulled the paint off with it. I would imagine claying it would result in the same.

Use white vinegar, soaked on a paper towel. Apply on each spot until the cement dissolves, usually 20-30 seconds depending upon the size of the blob. Keep a hose with running water nearby. As soon as it softens use light water pressure to rinse of the cement granules away.

HTH, good luck, YMMV, etc. . .

GrifM3
Dinan S2

Any updates?

Hey, thanks for this tips! Somehow I missed it...have been paranoid to touch it, but have been rinsing my car and going to the brush free car wash.

I will try this on Saturday and let you know what happens!
Thanks for the tip....by the way...it BETTER work or else....:confused

hehe
...will let you know...



This happened to my wife's SUV a few years back. When I first noticed it, I tried to scratch at with my nail and it pulled the paint off with it. I would imagine claying it would result in the same.

Use white vinegar, soaked on a paper towel. Apply on each spot until the cement dissolves, usually 20-30 seconds depending upon the size of the blob. Keep a hose with running water nearby. As soon as it softens use light water pressure to rinse of the cement granules away.

HTH, good luck, YMMV, etc. . .

GrifM3
Dinan S2

CLR huh? Did you actually witness this concrete removal via CLR or vinegar from the Maxima? My Estoril blue paint was virtually unscathed...and NOW THIS!! I feel like crying!!

I cannot say that I saw the actual CLR'ing of the car, but I did see the before and after results. To clarify, it was not actually concrete on the car, but the results of parking in an underground parking structure that had water dripping through the concrete ceiling. The paint from the Maxima did not seem to be affected by the CLR, but the person who decided to use a paper towel to apply the CLR did scratch up the paint.

I would not try to use clay to remove the concrete. The clay may remove some of the concrete, but the removed bit embedded in the clay will probably scratch the rest of the paint.

I work at a concrete testing facility and It gets on my truck from time to time It's scary but the only thing ive done that works is get a flat screwdriver and tap it off be freaken careful or scratch it off its hard and it takes a ton of time but its the only thing ive done that works

I've had drops of cement on my car too, how it gets there I don't know... Any ways you're screwed you will have scratches no matter what but you can minimize them. You'll have to pick it off with your finger nail and lots of soapy water. This is leaves very minor scratches which will have to be cut polished out. What ever you do don't try rubbing it off. Little bits will come off and scratch your paint worse.

M