spill gasoline on car paint

[chenshuo]

For some reason the gas nozzle didn't auto stop when the tank was full so a descent amount of gas spilled out and splashed onto the car and myself. There was nothing at the gas station that i could use to clean up the gas on the paint so i waited until i drove home 10 minutes later. I wiped it off the affected area with car wash soap and water, then put a coat of wax on it. Is that good enough or anything else that i should do? My car is opti-coated, does the gasoline burn off the opti-coat? will the paint fade?

[g0lden]

I'd just get is sprayed off as soon as possible. maybe put some sealant/Wax on.
Should be fine though.

[Subie]

Everything I've heard over the years says that gasoline doesn't harm paint; it only strips wax off the surface. With what you've already done to clean it off I don't think you'll suffer any permanent issues from it. I had the same thing happen at a gas station and simply rinsed the area with water. Water still beads on the area (my car is opti-guarded) so I doubt it did anything to harm the coating with the little amount of time it spent on my car. As long as water still beads on yours where the gasoline made contact I'd say the coating is intact; certainly the paint beneath is OK too.

[Cameronghanson]

most hydrocarbon liquids have a pretty low evaporation temperature (it evaporates quickly) as well so luckily, unlike water, it wont just sit there on the paint. also it being mostly hexane which is non-polar compound... i agree with the folks above. should be okay.

[chenshuo]

yea thanks guys. i checked this morning on the paint and it looked to be fine after i put a layer of wax over it.
i agree that gasoline evaporates quickly, but i also noticed that 10 seconds after i spilled gas, even though the liquid evaporated, i still noticed that there's a layer of haze over the paint, that's why i went home and washed that part.

[David-Fermani.com]

Originally Posted by chenshuo

My car is opti-coated, does the gasoline burn off the opti-coat? will the paint fade?

No and No. You're totally fine on both accounts.

[SubieNate]

What's left when gasoline evaporates are the heavier oily molecules that make up part of the gas-the more solvent and solvent like molecules (such as the hexane mentioned) have a very low vapor pressure and are gone quickly.

In general, it's the more reactive stuff that evaporates fast when it comes to solvents (Acids etc are another story, but also not in gasoline) so it's actually a boon when it comes to spilling things on your paint-the stuff that has the most ability to harm it is gone the quickest.

Nathan

[g0lden]

Bird shit is more toxic to your paint than gas. Always carry a microfiber towel to clean anything off. I also carry a spray wax & sealant in my car for this type.