“Adventures in Detailing!” will break this down into a two part question, because it’s very different if you are dealing with the interior or the exterior of a vehicle.

Today we will deal with the outside.

Have your ever had or noticed a vehicle, especially a vehicle that is supposed to be white, but it has brown “red dirt” stain all over it (maybe from the Wahiawa area as an example)? You wash your car &…you still have a car that looks mostly brown below the windows! What do you do?

Well you have a few options:

1. find a detailer you like & pay them to remove the contaminant.
2. get your car repainted (if you’re made of money-this is probably the second to last option I would take)
3. get a new car (in most cases the last option I would take)
4. use a chemical wash to remove the stain
5. high speed polish your vehicle

For those of us who are budget conscious, this is most likely your preferred option. You will want to use the same methods & precautions you would use to get rid of hard water spots from your paint.

• perform this treatment in the shade
• use a respirator or disposable cloth mask & of course do not intentionally breath in the spray or fumes from the product
• stay away from any silver or chrome like trim (that is usually actually plastic), shiny black plastic pieces or side mirrors. These are very easily damaged & should probably be done by a professional.
• do not let the solution dry on the paint
• have a bucket of soapy water handy to neutralize the solution as soon as you’re done.
• wear gloves

How to perform this treatment:

• wash your vehicle first to remove all loose dirt & grit
• if your car is white or silver you may use a shop rag. If it is a dark color, use a clean microfiber cloth.
• make sure the metal is cool to the touch. If you are now in the shade, but your car was sitting out in the sun for a few hours, the metal could still be very, very hot. This could speed up the chemical reaction greatly & give you a stain of a different type. You do not want to give yourself more problems than you already have. Cool the metal down first by running water over it, or just wait until it is cool to the touch. You want it to be cool, not just warm, cool.
• try a section or panel that is lower to the ground, if you notice anything reacting funny, immediately go over with your soapy water to neutralize the reaction & check with a professional
• dampen your rag with a solution of  one of the following:
  • red dirt stain remover
  • liquid hard water spot remover (for automotive paints)
  • diluted spoke & wheel cleaner (you can buy it in bulk to make it cheaper, though usually one 16 oz. spray bottle would be enough for a vehicle with even a bad case of red dirt stain). Dilution should probably be about 30% chemical & 70% water, though you can vary the strength depending on your situation
• use a small circular pattern when applying the solution (except along edges, of course). you want the solution to do most of the work. Especially on darker colored vehicles you do not want to apply any pressure. Your vehicle can show scratches.
  • work one panel at a time
  • make sure to re-dampen your cloth with the solution fairly often, taking maybe about 10 seconds or so to cover the entire panel once or twice, then reapplying more solution either to your cloth or spraying directly onto the panel. (be sure your overspray doesn’t dry on an area adjacent to where you are working)
  • besides the change in color, it is quite possible you will notice a change in texture as you are wiping the paint. If at first you have some resistance, & then your cloth begins to glide over the surface, this is a good sign that you are removing the contaminants on the surface of the paint.
• if your car is completely in the shade, you may be able to go on to another panel & let your solution continue to work for you. However, it is important to remember not to let the solution dry on the paint. Neutralize it with your soapy water or rinse it down with a garden hose & chamois it dry.
• do the lower panels first. This will minimize the chance of “runs” showing in the paint if you are not careful & have drips of your chemical solution trailing down the sides later.
• This solution can be used for your side & rear windows also. Again, make sure not to let the solution dry, and when you are done, rinse off & then dry with a chamois. I would suggest using a glass polish for your front windshield.
• when you do the roof, make sure your arm is above the surface you are treating, or you are using a shirt you don’t mind throwing away later. Your shirt sleeve could develop a whole in it, probably when it next washed.
  • do half the roof at a time, wiping off with a damp, soapy chamois. Do not spray the chemical directly off until you have wiped off the majority of it or it’s possible to develop little grooves running down the sides of your vehicle.
• when you are done, wash & dry the entire vehicle.
• …& you’re done! Your car should now be free from surface contaminants like minerals from hard water spots & red dirt stain. If you have other contaminants, like industrial fallout, paint overspray, light tar, light tree sap, & very light cement overspray, it should be a lot easier to remove as well with a clay bar as these contaminants should have been “softened up” with this procedure.

Thank you for your attention, please feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions.

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