I've found the substance from h_ll - how to get it off of the paint.
Yahoo Message Number: 64047
Just when you think you've encountered every substance that can stick to a paint job - a new one pop's up! (I bet a mad scientist worked on this one:)!).
We had pre-tripped cleaned our Allure and CRV Toad (I like to start with a clean rig, and then do my best to keep it up on the road.) The very first day's drive, we pulled into Zion from San Diego - and found both the below panels and back of the RV, as well as the Toad - covered with some white/light grey substance.
I'm used to fighting bugs, dirt and tar splashes - but this stuff is like a glue. To give you a perspective, I spent a solid 30 mins cleaning just the CRV's front windshield and two front door windows. It required breaking out the ice scraper, and a straight edge razor blade, followed by green nylon scrub pad. Tried simple green, glass cleaner, rubbing alcohol and bug removal goop. It came down to scraping and scrubbing. The substance feels like mild sand paper.
Later in the trip, we pre sprayed the full surface of the car with Simple Green, let it sit for 10-15 mins, then went thru a brush contacting car wash. Removed some dirt, but not the substance from h_ll...
OK - So here is all I can think of on what this stuff may be:
1) The RV and Toad were damp from early AM dew in San Diego, as we headed out of town. Much overnight work going on in one section of I15, within 30 mins of leaving home. While I did not see or detect any unusual dust or construction powder. They could have just finsihed sand blasting the concrete roadway, or perhpas wet cutting sections of concrete. Perhaps this tossed up a fine dust, that then hit the wet car, and became this evil substance. (But, this would have been cured concrete, and I did not think that just cutting it back up to a fine dust would have allowed it to become this tough to get off?)
2) Going thru Vegas on I15, lots of construction, and I did get stuck behind a large constuction truck for several miles, that was dropping what I thought was some powder mix used for large on the job mixing of concrete. Not a concrete truck, this was a 'hopper' like truck, that had a sraight hanging down chute from the back. Each bump, some stuff would shake out and hit the road way. I assumed it was a dry powder, because it appeared to break up on contact with the roadway. By Vegas, my RV and Toad were dry for sure - so I would have thought that this dry powder would not have stuck (was not pleased about the air cleaner, is what I was thinking - tried hard to get out from around it, but you know how people in traffic don't want a RV/Toad in front of them, and the hole to move over took several miles). I'm wondering if this may have not been dry powder, but a portland cement mix, ready to add to the on the job mixing of a batch of concrete? Anyone with large construction experience have any thoughts on this? I could see that if this material was not dry, but a wet mix that was bouncing up in the air some after shaking of this truck, our RV could have tossed it back up and over the Toad and along the beltline of the RV???
Say it is cement? Any ideas on how to remove this from the paint and class? I was thinking maybe a mild mix of CLR, to see if this could break it down. I know that muriatic acid will effect concrete, but - frankly don't know what the impact would be on the paint??
Last question on this subject. If worse case I can't get this off, I may end up needing a sand and paint job (Toad is worse then the RV, but I'm concerned about the RV too...). I can't prove this happened in Vegas or in San Diego, but suspect it was in Vegas - as I saw this material escaping in front of me. I did not get the name of the company, I never got by him, before he turned off on a left offramp 'loop' road division. Does this mean I have to work with my insurance company under comprehensive damage? (Understand, my goal is to do the work and get this subtance off - but I've already some damage on the glass of the CRV - I had to do something so that I could see out the windows).
We made sure this did not ruin our trip, as 'things happen', and we still had a great first Big Trip... Sure sorry this was so long winded, but was trying to share as much as I know, or speculate, so that I could get some input from this gang...
Best,
Smitty
04 Allure 31017
Topic: I've found the substance from h_ll - how to get it off of the paint. (Read 824 times)
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