Vandalism with permanent marker

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JHZR2

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Hello,

My wife's best friend got a paprika subaru imprezza last fall. Today she contacted us, as somebody wrote "VTEC" above the stock normal subaru decal on the rear of the car. It looks like permanent marker, she said.

She doesnt use the car everyday, or even most days, and it could have been on there even for a week or more.

What is the best means of removal? isopropyl alcohol starting at 20% going through full strength? gasoline? hexane? liquid car wax?

I'd go with klasse AIO then a fw coats of collinite afterwards.

Any suggestions?
 
Believe it of not , I've had good success with hand sanitizer , the alcohol based kind. Give it a quick drip and wipe it off.
Once it's off ,give the spot a swipe of wax .
Try it on a doorjamb first but you knew that already :)

hth
Jorge
 
Originally Posted By: flacoman
Believe it of not , I've had good success with hand sanitizer , the alcohol based kind. Give it a quick drip and wipe it off.
Once it's off ,give the spot a swipe of wax .
Try it on a doorjamb first but you knew that already :)

hth
Jorge


+1, I've used straight denatured alcohol to remove permanent marker marks from hard plastic surfaces without damage. Door jamb advice is good, even if he did already know it.
grin2.gif
 
U can get the strong isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol from WalMart, or drugstore. Don't get the 70%, get the 90 percent or something. I will not harm the finish at all.
 
A real man would use MEK without rubber gloves or a respirator, while wearing flip flops.

But, most of the (safer) ideas above should work. I use isopropyl alcohol to wipe down panels after I polish them with no ill effects to paint, mind or body.
 
If the paint was sealed, it should come off quite easily. Many do an IPA complete wipedown after polishing, so it will not harm the paint. Just make sure to use a good sealant afterwards.
 
Write over the permanant marker with a dry erase marker,then wipe it off.

It sounds crazy,but works great.

Something about the solvents in the DE marker makes the permanant ink break loose.
 
Yeah! Any of the above suggestions are very good. I've been detailing vehicles for 4 decades now and you can trust these respondants suggestions. Although, the stronger the alcohol, the more likely it is to damage the paint. 70% IPA should be strong enough. I once used 99% on a factory paint job and it started to remove the paint down to the primer. 99% is available in many work facilities/factories where I have some friends. I won't use it anymore...Too strong!
 
Originally Posted By: Loopie
Meguiars' Scratch X will definitely remove it.


+1

Try one of the Meguiars consumer compound/cleaner. Ultimate Compound, ScratchX 2.0, or SwirlX in order of aggressiveness.
 
Don't use a dry erase marker.

That stuff will bond to some finishes in such away that you will be forced to polish away some of your clear coat to get it off!!

Just use rubbing alcohol as stated before.
 
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