[atc98092]

Many decades ago, I worked for a paint manufacturer in one of their stores. (Kelly Moore, a west coast company). One product we sold was striping paint. That paint is formulated to dry extremely fast, as in minutes of hitting the air. When I used it to repaint some stripes in our parking lot, I could barely get it in the tray to roll out before it started skinning over. It's going to be fully dried before you can even park, let alone get to your home to clean it off.

 

[stangbat]

One thing people are missing or not paying attention to is this was most likely temporary marking paint. Not striping paint. Not thermoplastic. Not regular spray paint. Marking paint is designed to be temporary. A lot of it is water soluble. That's why I was strongly suggesting that the OP try a car wash first. I worked for a DOT and used marking paint all the time. It isn't normal spray paint and it isn't striping paint!

 

[efbolt]

One thing people are missing or not paying attention to is this was most likely temporary marking paint. Not striping paint. Not thermoplastic. Not regular spray paint. Marking paint is designed to be temporary. A lot of it is water soluble. That's why I was strongly suggesting that the OP try a car wash first. I worked for a DOT and used marking paint all the time. It isn't normal spray paint and it isn't striping paint!

I went through the car wash and paint was unaffected.

I'm getting quotes from two detailers. Both said they've seen this a lot lately. First question they both asked was yellow or white lol. It's on there pretty thick in some spots.

 

[stangbat]

I went through the car wash and paint was unaffected.

Crap. Well, you gave it a shot. I was hoping you'd luck out. Keep us posted on how it goes.

 

[PeanutMan]

Ive actually worked on line painting crews. Just an FYI- They do not use aerosol canned paint for putting lines on the road- ever. That paint is in 55gal drums on the truck that applies it to the road.
Most likely scenario is that it fell off a truck on the road and was coincidentally in the area.

 

[Martin D]

Ive actually worked on line painting crews. Just an FYI- They do not use aerosol canned paint for putting lines on the road- ever. That paint is in 55gal drums on the truck that applies it to the road.
Most likely scenario is that it fell off a truck on the road and was coincidentally in the area.

All I ever see is it being sprayed out of an extended arm from the truck. It makes sense that it doesn’t come in an aerosol can. That would be empty in about 100 ft. I have to say that it makes perfect sense that they use a 55 gallon drum. The exact way that they receive it from the supplier 👍

They might have touch-up aerosol cans? Is that a thing? Some poor sap that the supervisor wants to punish: ‘You show up late, here’s the can.’ LOL

 

[atc98092]

They might have touch-up aerosol cans? Is that a thing?

Not with the paint company I worked for. The smallest size can was a gallon, and that particular paint is next to impossible to apply with a brush. A roller is really the only way other than spray, and you really have to work fast because it dries so quickly.

 

[Solar_Bolt]

You might try a spot out of the way using oven cleaner. It will lift unbaked paint right off the surface. I have used it to remove painted signs off cars and truck, you know like business logos.

 

[efbolt]

Ive actually worked on line painting crews. Just an FYI- They do not use aerosol canned paint for putting lines on the road- ever. That paint is in 55gal drums on the truck that applies it to the road.
Most likely scenario is that it fell off a truck on the road and was coincidentally in the area.

No, the can rolled across the interstate from the roadwork side. A couple of the crew were watching with an oh **** look on their faces. Not sure what they were using it for though. Technically, they were still in the process of paving multiple lanes not putting permanent lines down on the road.

 

[BlaZL1olt]

If it hasn't baked in the sun long, you can try and wipe it off with something like nu finish. It should only be on the clear coat and not the actual paint. I had something similar happen to me with one of those large buckets that painters use. I immediately went to the car wash and sprayed off as much as I could, and then went home and hand polished off the rest. Good luck getting that mess off.

 

[Martin D]

I would take it to a car self-wash and try to blast it off. It will either come off, or it’s going to take something experimental and could damage the good paint. I would stop at a powerful pressure washer and a good detergent. Or a steam cleaner. If it’s not coming off, a professional would be a good idea.

My only other suggestion is to take it to a auto body shop, so they can fix it no matter what. They might want to know exactly what type of paint it is, but I think they will have experience at this type of thing. I have seen a 5 gallon bucket of paint fall off a house painters truck before. It got about 40-50 cars easy before I lost count. Like a pond of paint on a freeway, it was bad. I was just enough out of the way to luck out. Probably just an off-white latex by the color, but it could have been Lacquer in a different scenario just as easily since those guys typically carry that on the truck as well.

A auto body shop will probably give an estimate to find out what is involved, and then a set price after they know what they are dealing with.

You are looking at a deductible, but it’s better than doing it yourself if taking it to a car self-wash doesn’t touch it.

 

[efbolt]

I was able to remove the bulk of the paint using Goo Gone Automotive Spray Gel and some microfiber cloths. This method had the undesirable effect of spreading the paint around. Easy enough to eventually get off the clear coat, but the plastic trim color is hard to get back the way it was.

Two detail shops wanted about $800 for removal and buff. Main benefit would be that they'd do a better job on trim, tires, wheels/brakes, and various nooks and crannies than I could do. Interestingly a highly rated detailer here offered to do removal, paint correction, and ceramic coating for $1600 which is not a bad deal considering their normal prices. Of course, he's usually doing brand new Porsches, Vettes, and Teslas. $1600 might be a little too much to spend on a 4 year old Bolt.😂

I might try using a power washer in tandem with the Goo Gone to get more of the residual off.

 

[LakeLady]

I might try using a power washer in tandem with the Goo Gone to get more of the residual off.

Do you have an update to your paint disaster story?

 

[efbolt]

Do you have an update to your paint disaster story?

Pretty much what I detailed above. I got like 95%+ off with the Goo Gone automotive. After that I didn't bother taking it to anybody.

Trying to scrape it off wasn't working and would've likely done more damage to the clear coat.