Removing Clearcoat Overspray
 

Last week I was clearcoating the left portion of my car to fix paint damage and covered the surrounding area up.

The repaired section looked great but I noticed that on the other side of the car there was clearcoat "fallout" from the clearcoat particles circulating around my garage and landing on the other side. Theres a significant amount of dusting on many body panels.

I tried to use claybar to remove the overspray....it removed the overspray but it also left swirl marks presumably from the hard clearcoat particles. I dont want to continue with this method.

What other option do I have?

Note: My car is also opticoated, I'm probably removing some opticoat using my claybar too?

When you clay the over spray you are micro marring the paint. That's unavoidable. The amount of marring is dependent on the aggressiveness of the clay and pressure used . You might want to try mineral spirits first on the remaining areas. If you continue to use the clay then the OC will have to be repaired. This can be done a panel at a time. Remember the mineral spirits will not harm the OC but clay will abrade off the OC.

Thanks for responding.

How would you apply the mineral spirits? I'm assuming some pressure is required to remove the overspray...do I try to buff by hand with a microfibre cloth?

mineral spirits shouldn't take any pressure. Just wipe the affected area with a cloth wet with mineral spirits

^^^ agreed ^^^

Tried mineral spirits but didnt work. I guess its time to take it to a professional.

swirl mark? Why don't u remove it with polish compound?

I had white paint overspray on the front bumper of a used CRX I bought years ago. A body shop man suggested I use paint thinner. Rubbed it down with a rag, paint was gone and then I hit the same area with soap and water then rinsed and dried. Problem gone.

I guess I could do that...but as mentioned claybar removes opticoat. I wanted to see if I could retain it but it doesnt seem that way.

I read that this is a method (although not reccomended). I'll just go the safe route and get a detailer to do it. I was quoted $250-280 for a proper removal and refinish.

go to autogeek forum. they know much better

Clay, compound if needed, and polish.

Claying is to remove any impurities on the surface. You have to remember that you always use lubricant when claying to prevent scratches. Then, go with light or medium abrasive compound before going heavy. Try a test spot and see how it goes. Polish them out to remove any scratches. After polishing, you need to apply sealant. Wax will work I guess?

Imo, opticoat or any cured clear coat does not get removed by clay. However, they can be removed by polish compound because they are abrasive. That was how I removed my high spot/ streaks.

I'd never let mineral spirit to touch my car. It is quite scary if you don't know what you are doing. They penetrate to the core if they are not mixed with water. I hope I'm wrong.

Mineral spirit is different from polish compound. They dissolve the layer chemically and remove it. They turn the solid to liquid. Polishing compound is like a sand paper. They flatten the surface. When the surface is flat enough, the light will be easily reflected from the surface.

Correct me when I'm wrong. Thank you.

Lets start with the claying comment. Claying is a abrasive. It does produce micro marring as I mentioned in my first reply. I have never seen a car clayed that didn't have a small amount of micro-marring . I personally wont clay a customers car unless followed with some type of polishing. OC 2.0 and OCP which I am a authorized installer of, are removed by being abraded. Depending on the type of clay used , some of the OC will be removed the same as compounding. The amount removed depends on type of clay and application pressure used. A OC'ed surface will scratch the same as the painted surface when clayed.The original poster was trying to correct the panels without removing the OC. With a extremely light claying he might have be able to remove the over spray with minimal marring but his reply shows he was not successful. Claying is for above surface contaminates. My reply would have been the same if I would have answered the OP on AutoGeek as 2old2change.
As for mineral spirits on a painted surface , been doing it for years without problems. As for putting a sealant on,the OP had OC on and if pleased with it I imagine he would re-apply it after the over spray removal and have no need for a sealant.