If you see yellow/brown colored spots on your car's white or silver colored paint, do not be alarmed. It's a common issue that requires attention but it's easily fixable.
 

What You'll Need:
Detailing Clay
einszett Paint Polish
einszett Glanz Wax
einszett Microfiber Towel
einszett Spray Wax


It's Rust

You may think there is a defect in your paint's finish but it's actually rust. The rust is due to very small pieces of metal shavings that have embedded themselves in your car's paint. These metal shavings are called rail dust because they come from metal shavings that are a result of train car wheels running across railroad tracks. The metal shavings float in the air and then land on your car's paint finish. Eventually they rust and the result is the brown spots you see on your paint. These small metal particulates also come from the use of metallic brake pads and rotors.

Many cars have this issue but may not be visible unless it's a light colored car - especially white. The issue can easily be fixed and should be done as soon as possible.

Solution

The issue can easily be fixed with detailing clay purchased at your local auto parts store located in the car cleaning section. Detailing clay is a mixture of resin and polishing abrasives. It's able to remove what paint polish can't remove such as rail dust, paint overspray and dried sap. It will remove the metal rail dust from the paint which regular washing and paint polishes are unable to do. If you need more detail on this process, continue reading.

 

Step 1
With your car in the shade so that the paint finish is cool to the touch, wash your car to remove any loose dirt and contaminants. Read our Proper Washing and Drying guide to see how to properly wash your car.

Step 2
After drying your car, spray the affected area with einszett Spray Wax. Detailing clay is an abrasive product and requires a lubricant sprayed on the surface so that it can glide along the finish. Spray Wax will act as this lubricant. After spraying the surface, gently glide the clay along the surface of the paint finish. Do not apply too much pressure otherwise you can cause an abrasion in the surface. As you glide the clay across, it will remove any contaminants in the surface including the rail dust. The surface of the clay will become dirtier as you use it and can scratch the paint. For this reason, it's important to keep the surface slippery by keeping the paint wet with Spray Wax and turning the clay frequently to expose a fresh side. Repeat this procedure until the entire affected area is finished and you do not see any brown spots.

Step 3
Wash the paint finish to remove any residue and then dry.

Step 4
You'll now want to polish and wax the paint finish to clean the paint, remove any additional surface contaminants, oxidized paint and stains that the clay didn't capture. Read our guide to applying paint polish.

Step 5
After polishing the paint, you will want to seal the finish with a coat of einszett Glanz Wax to protect the paint against oxidation, the aging effects of the sun's UV rays, bird droppings, pollution, road grime and so on. Read our guide to applying Glanz Wax for more detailed information.

Please keep in mind that waxing your car's paint finish WILL NOT prevent rail dust from causing harm to your paint again. Wax can not protect against metal particulates so it's important to clay your car at least once a year regardless of whether or not you see brown spots.

Do You Need to Clay? The Bag Test.

A great and simple trick to determine if you need to clay your car is to use the plastic bag test. Place your hand in a regular plastic sandwich bag. On a washed and dried paint finish, run your hand across the surface. If it feels rough, the finish needs to be clayed. It's that simple. The plastic bag has a way of revealing the true condition of the paint that our bare hands can't determine and is an easy way to take your paint finish to the next level and possibly save it from future damage from something as small as little pieces of metal.

If you have any questions, contact us!