Mysterious Marks on Bodywork?

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callevaerudite
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Mysterious Marks on Bodywork?

Post by callevaerudite »

Hi All,
I went for a drive yesterday in the rain to visit the local garage to get something looked at. I was doing some tinkering today and discovered these mysterious lighter marks on the roof and bonnet. I'm unsure whether water damage or not as surely (with the state of the yesterday's rain...) it would be far more widespread all over the car.
I hope the pictures attached give an okay view of it... it's quite hard to catch it in the now sunny weather...

Does this mean a respray?
Cheers,
Nathaniel
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jagnut66
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Re: Mysterious Marks on Bodywork?

Post by jagnut66 »

Hi,
If you mean the blotchiness I'd try a good T cut and polish before you shell out for a respray.
G3 maybe or do others think a milder one will do?
Best wishes,
Mike.
1954 Series 2: 4 door: "Sally" -- Back on the ground with (slave) wheels and waiting to be resprayed......
1970 Triumph Herald 1200: "Hetty" -- Driven back from Llangollen in Wales (twice.....)
callevaerudite
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Re: Mysterious Marks on Bodywork?

Post by callevaerudite »

Thank you very much for you response!
I'll order some G3 Colour Restorer... but in the meantime have a go with some T-Cut and Polish and let you know how it goes?
Respray certainly was my last option!
ManyMinors
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Re: Mysterious Marks on Bodywork?

Post by ManyMinors »

It is usually a sign of old or poor paintwork after rain has fallen and then the sun has come out - which makes the rainspots act like little magnifying glasses. You can probably polish the marks off to a reasonable standard but the more you polish, the more the rainspots form on a wet day and the problem just gets worse. One of my cars did it and although it is only cosmetic, a respray was the only real answer unfortunately :cry:
Try polishing - yes Farecla G3 is a good product followed by a good wax polish. Be prepared to work hard at it!
callevaerudite
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Re: Mysterious Marks on Bodywork?

Post by callevaerudite »

ManyMinors wrote: Wed Oct 06, 2021 5:57 pm It is usually a sign of old or poor paintwork after rain has fallen and then the sun has come out - which makes the rainspots act like little magnifying glasses. You can probably polish the marks off to a reasonable standard but the more you polish, the more the rainspots form on a wet day and the problem just gets worse. One of my cars did it and although it is only cosmetic, a respray was the only real answer unfortunately :cry:
Try polishing - yes Farecla G3 is a good product followed by a good wax polish. Be prepared to work hard at it!
Thats really helpful! I've tried T-Cut (2 coats) and some polish and it didn't really change much... I'll try the G3... what wax polish would you reccomend?
jagnut66
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Re: Mysterious Marks on Bodywork?

Post by jagnut66 »

Autoglym personally, easier to remove than Mer.

https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead ... RBc&adurl=

Same price as on Amazon but collecting saves you the wait.
Best wishes,
Mike.
1954 Series 2: 4 door: "Sally" -- Back on the ground with (slave) wheels and waiting to be resprayed......
1970 Triumph Herald 1200: "Hetty" -- Driven back from Llangollen in Wales (twice.....)
callevaerudite
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Re: Mysterious Marks on Bodywork?

Post by callevaerudite »

Brilliant thank you have ordered that! Fingers crossed it restores itself... I really don't want to have to respray her :(
callevaerudite
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Re: Mysterious Marks on Bodywork?

Post by callevaerudite »

Just an update... unfortunately using G3 did little to remove the marks from the paintwork after several attempts...
I'm not going to fork out for a respray just yet as hopefully others will agree that it adds character to her!
But if anyone has other solutions they will be greatly appreciated!
KeithL
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Re: Mysterious Marks on Bodywork?

Post by KeithL »

Or leave her as she is. It would be a great talking point at shows.

Myrtles Man
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Re: Mysterious Marks on Bodywork?

Post by Myrtles Man »

Interestingly, I had a similar situation a couple of years ago. I made the mistake of believing the 'waterproof' claims of the eBay vendor of a car cover but, after a downpour, I took the cover off, expecting to see a dry car underneath. Wrong! Not only was it wet but, where the wet cover had sat on the roof, there were fairly large patches of discoloured paint, similar to yours.

I set to with various strengths of polishes and cleaners, including T Cut, and although the effect was lessened to some extent you could certainly still see the lighter patches. Left it at that with the thought that at some stage I might opt for a partial respray but, surprisingly, the patches gradually disappeared over the following months and the roof now looks fine. I might add that I've managed to keep the car dry since that incident as I only use it very occasionally and, if I can avoid it, never in the wet.
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