Removing sand off paintwork

[Falcon_LS]

I'm rather anal-retentive when it comes to the appearance of my vehicles, and so I polish and wax every 3 months. For the first time, I've noticed sand on my paintwork (which I've tried to avoid by detailing so frequently) and it's very proving difficult to remove. The paintwork looks very decent until you feel it.

I'm looking for an easier way to remove the sand off my paintwork, without resorting to wet sanding.

I've spent about 3 hours with a clay bar today, on just one body panel, trying to remove sand off the paint. It comes off, but very, very, very slowly and it isn't too effective. It takes a LOT more effort than needed before, and I still couldn't manage to remove it all. I also need another set of clay bars now.

I usually wear a sandwich bag on my hand to feel the paintwork, and it's nowhere near as smooth as it should be. It's quite rough actually, and I hate to see my paint in this condition. I've used up both my clay bars, too, which are quite rare to find OTC here. Used to be able to get Mother's, but not this time round. Only choice I have now is 3M, and it's $50 for a set of two.

Usually 2 clay bars were enough for the truck.

Anyhow, I also tried using Meguiar's Paint Cleaner (Step 1 of their detailing programme) and it really didn't remove anything. I also tried 3M Imperial Rubbing Compound, which was better than the Paint Cleaner, but still not as good as the clay bar. I used my Makita 9227C to apply it, but no luck.

I'm wondering if any professionals here have any suggestions to remove the sand, without costing an absolute fortune on clay bars. After claying my left rear quarter panel, both clay bars were completely unusable! I really don't mind if it's time consuming, I just want it off the paint without having to wet sand. Thank you!

 

[Carbon]

I wonder why sand would stick to dry paint. Have you tried some mild solvent, such as naphtha (lighter fluid) to see if maybe it cuts whatever is causing the adhesion?

Non-professional suggestion. But I do know that naphtha is milder than most adhesive removers.

 

[RTexasF]

I've never seen sand adhere to paint where a hard spray of water and careful hand washing didn't remove it. Several coats of a good sealant should keep the sand from sticking so readily I would think. Are you using carnauba wax or sealant as your last step product? I can see the problem if it's wax with the heat, sand, & wind there.

 

[Falcon_LS]

Carbon, thanks for the suggestion. When the car is parked in the sun, the wax softens. Then when there are strong winds coming from the desert, all the sand literally sticks to the wax. I'm actually wonder if adhesive remover may help as well.

RTexasF, I use sealant as a last step product. However, I also use carnauba wax as a finishing touch, on top of the sealant, for that wet look. That was where I went wrong.

 

[bretfraz]

I've never heard of sand sticking to partially melted wax, but it makes sense.

I'd imagine stripping off the wax would release the sand particles. As "Carbon" mentioned, try some mineral spirits to remove the wax and see if the sand doesn't remove with it.

As for the rest, yeah, can't use wax anymore if you want to avoid this issue. Have you seen this phenomena when using a sealant only? I can't imagine that happening but it is worth an experiment.

Sounds like you have your solution. Keep us posted on your findings.

 

[Carbon]

Adhesive remover may have xylene and /or MEK, and those are fairly strong solvents. Lacquer thinner is stronger than naphtha too, I think.

Come to think of it, I would start with a solution of hand dishwashing soap, such as Dawn. That is said to remove wax pretty well.

 

[ionbeam22]

Try spraying the car with some lemon pledge after you clean it. It will get dusty, but the dust will wipe right off without sticking since it can stick to the thin layer of lemon pledge on the car's surface.

 

[Falcon_LS]

Thanks very much for the suggestions.

I've come up with a way to remove the sand, and it's worked rather well.

First step was to dilute a full bottle of the strongest dish washing detergent in a bucket of water, and wash the entire truck three times, drying with a microfibre towel.

Next step was to clay the paintwork again, before applying some big and tar remover. 3M Adhesive & Wax Remover is the next step, followed by an application of 3M Imperial Rubbing Compound with the rotary. Then comes the polish/wax/sealant.

Originally Posted By: ionbeam22
Try spraying the car with some lemon pledge after you clean it. It will get dusty, but the dust will wipe right off without sticking since it can stick to the thin layer of lemon pledge on the car's surface.


Thanks very much, I will give that a go!