Rust filings stuck to paint

Tor

Tor

Well-Known Member
Hi all,

Returning from a 1200-mile trip a couple of weeks ago, the RHF brake pads on my lunar-mileage 3-series BMW wore down to bare metal with no warning, ruining the discs and sending metal filings out through the rim and back along the whole side and glass of the car while I struggled to get home without suffering a breakdown - nervous or mechanical. This rusted with the first hint of moisture and has bound to the paint AND glass. I realise by trial and error that de-greaser, super shampoos and similar products offer the wrong chemical response and have no idea what to do. I won´t even mention the state of the RHF rim. The paint job is resilient and the rust bits will eventually disappear but I want them gone now without messing up the gloss. Does anyone know what to do?

Tor
 
If it's melted into the paint and glass I doubt it will come off
Years ago I used to park near a railway line and iron dust from the train's brake blocks would settle on my car and leave brown spots as it rusted .I believe a weak Oxalic acid solution was suggested as a remedy but don't try it without further enquiry
 
Hi, I too live with a railway at the bottom of the garden and close to the airport.
So a mix of iron filings and aviation fuel produces a very rough paint finish after
a while. I was told by a trade valeter that he had a chemical product that would
get rid of it for a while but I couldn't keep doing it as it was acidic. So my advice
is to take it to have it valeted and they should be able to sort it, and you get a
clean car as well. Colin
 
I'm pretty sure I've read about a product called iron cut, or something similar which a lot of detailers/valeters use to help deal with this. Claying the car will also help I imagine, hope this helps.
 
Thanks guys, looking into Iron Cut now. Calling valet people is proving difficult, they all want my business and offer help sparingly...
 
I learned the hard way that if you get angle-grinder sparks or weld spatter on your windscreen, they're permanent, even if you can remove the iron filing, you're left with a "hole" in the glass, as effectively the filing has melted the glass, paint suffers the same thing although you can usually t-cut / compound paint to smooth it out.

I always cover with cardboard / heavy blankets now. Obviously this doesn't help your situation, and hopefully the nature of the sparks will have limited the damage.
 
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