Help needed to identify cause of paint damage
 

Hi,

Hope this post is suitable for this section.

I could use some advice regarding paint damage to my 370z.

I woke up on Sat morning to find my car with a strip on light yellow/white residue over the roof, down the back window and on the edge of the rear spoiler. I initially assumed a bird had targeted the car (albeit in a pretty extreme manner!) and went direct to the car wash to clean it up.

The guy at the car wash pointed out damage to the spoiler, it appears to have melted (photo attached) where the substance contacted it. I had great difficulty removing it from the paintwork.. But other than some subtle discolouration there is no lasting damage.

My feeling now is that someone has thrown brake fluid on the car. I can't imagine a bird could possibly do this damage. You can see the plastic on the spoiler has melted.

The car was secure in my back yard behind a 7 foot fence so I find it hard to believe that it's vandalism. It would require someone very committed to get at the car. Does anyone recognise this damage?

Inevitably it'll need the spoiler resprayed which is a pain but Id like to know how this has happened...

Advice appreciated.

Attachment 75436

The only thing that comes to mind is a worm. I have noticed that worms when washed up after the rain leave a similar mark on the sidewalk when dried up.

^Lol I find it highly improbable for a worm to do that kind of damage.

Sorry OP, I'm really not sure what could have done that. Good luck.

I've seen birds do some pretty nasty things like that to paint. Who know's what the thing ate or got into. Some of the birds by me stain the paint before I can get home and get it off the car. Especially, with white, it can be more noticeable.

Are there any trees or bushes hanging over or near the car? Hard to tell from the pic but it looks like a dead caterpillar to me. Some produce silk (or similar) and can land several feet from where they leave the tree.

There are no over hanging trees. The mark on the spoiler is now a rolled edge where the plastic has reacted. It's about 2 inches across.

If it was a bird I don't ever want to leave the car outside again!

Seems to be a solvent of some kind as it hasn't damaged the paint significantly but has caused the plastic spoiler to soften and distort.

Awful thing to wake up to on a Saturday morning.

My vote is for a wild animal puking on the car. The stomach acids did the work.

Animal crap could be a possibility also but I haven't seen it cause that kind of paint damage in such a short time.

Do you have a pic of the roof?

Could it have been burnt by some type of fire work? thats what it looks like from that pic. Post up the roof shot to if you can.

I think animal puke is more likely than fireworks but, at this point, both seem plausible. Yes, more pics and closer shots might help.

Edit: Your best bet may be to take it to a local body/paint shop and get their opinion.

That looks like some major acid burnt from whatever it was man. My theory is you gave Kal El a wrong look and he spits a loogie at your car. I suggest look into some Kryptonian car wax :p


But seriously, I've seen painted oem spoiler on eBay for $135 shipped :tup:
http://http://www.ebay.com/itm/2009-...-/281117796028

Looks organic in nature. Brake fluid damage doesn't look like that

Thanks for the help all...

Someone suggested paint thinners may be responsible (white spirits). This would certainly melt the plastic and cause the pain to lift.

It's possible that its organic and just been some freak occurrence... I hope it is really, that's less worrying than someone maliciously causing the damage.

I think a car cover is the next step... After the body shop. Maybe just been unlucky.

Let us know what you find out. My curiosity is piqued.

looks like a burn from here, I would second the fireworks idea. Roman candle skimming across your car and resting on the spoiler while it died.

I couldn't find any evidence to suggest a firework had come down on it. The damage looked very much chemical. Definitely some kind of liquid as I had to get it off the car.

But.. I hadn't noticed the damage at that stage or else I would have photographed it first.

Possible, but not likely... A thinner would have had to be pooled up there to cause that damage, and thinners dry pretty quickly... certainly would not have turned it black on the edges. Anyones guess, I say. I'm intrigued by the "pattern" as it were on the spoiler. A pool or splashing of a liquid would have not been so symmetrical, or rested up on the lip of the spoiler that high, unless it was a great amount of it, whereas you would have had a wider damage pattern...In my opinion' I'm going with something organic.

Do you live in a flight path by any chance? There has been instances where "fluids" have been dumped by aircraft.

Ok .. Update.

Took the car into the paint shop and the guy said its almost certainly nitromors.
If you look carefully at the damage you can see a matching half circle of discolouration on the metal work. Looks like I got it off before it got down to the metal.

As mentioned above liquids do tend to pool between the spoiler and body.. Particularly if you park with the nose lower than the back as I do.. I think this is why it had focused the damage on the one spot.. Burning into the plastic faster than the bodywork.

Thanks to everyone for their input.

Any clues as to how paint remover ended up on your car?

Crazy. It definitely looked organic to me.

How did it get there?

Mystery ... seems like someone with a grudge has thrown it over the car.

Id also spent a couple of hours in a car park on that day so Im going to look and see if they had cctv.

The guy at the bodyshop said they see it quite often ... can just be a jealous individual being spiteful because its a nice car.

Does anyone know how the rear spoiler is fixed?

Is it bonded on or screwed on or both???

I don't buy it. Nitromors will lift your white paint in a wavy mess and may even bleed color to the metal or plastic below but it won't turn black like that.

What exactly does that black stuff feel/smell like?


regardless, it needs painted

I actually took it to another paintshop and he thought it was more likely a burn (firework)

If you look carefully you can see a discolouration bleeding into the paintwork. Who knows, I guess we never will know for sure?

At this stage I could do with some advice on how the spoiler is attached. Paintshop inform me than spraying pearl white is a nightmare... No surprise there then.

Ubetit - the black stuff is rock hard. It's basically the plastic of the spoiler rolled into a hard edge. Looks scorched.

Look at the wave in the paint... that looks like a solvent at work to me.

It didn't smell of anything but I should have checked it more thoroughly before washing it off.

That wave could be heat induced. Stripper would have split the paint. The paint would also be soft at that point.

Anyway, I guess you'll never know.