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How to Clean Black Rubber Marks?

Joined
28 December 2001
Messages
2,774
Location
Berwyn, PA
I came back from the track, and I found black marks around the fenders (especially in the rear bottom spoiler). It looks like they are rubber marks from tires. I did not hit anything, and I don't know why I have them. I tried to remove them with car wash soap, and a detailer, but no luck.

Thanks for your help.
 
I use #9 Swirl Remover from McGuires with a damp 100% terry cloth towel and medium pressure. Slowly but surely they disappear.

I then hit it with a little Eagle One Spray wax to "hold it" till I get to my next major waxing.

Takes a little elbow grease but much better IMO to start with something gentle that has little risk to your paint.
 
Spray some WD-40 onto a soft rag, then gently rub the black marks off. It takes virtually no effort and absolutey no pressure to push down with your finger. Afterwards, wash the car as you would normally do.
 
Thank you so much for your help, Matteni and Andy!
I really appreciate it.
 
I use Zymol HD-Cleanse and it gets rid of those marks very nicely. And it is much less aggressive than the Meguiars #9 Swirl Mark Remover, which is a fine abrasive.

I only use the Swirl Mark Remover on areas that don't respond to milder products. It's not necessary to do so with the tire marks, since the HD-Cleanse works so well on them. (I haven't tried WD-40, but another non-abrasive solution you could try is a solvent like bug and tar remover.)
 
Very good advice from nsxtacy/others - I would start with the paint products designed to clean before my suggestion.

I always start with the detailing spray and work my way up but I too have learned some new ideas from this post!
 
Removing Black rubber accumulation on paint surfaces

I've used rubbing alcohol on my daily driven S2000, with satisfactory results. Yes, some elbow grease is req. but not much. Be sure to put a coat of wax/zaino over the same spot ASAP, since alcohol will strip wax coatings and evaporate oils found in paint finishes.

Good luck.
 
I use Zymol Cleaner Wax. It works well and leaves behind a wax shine. It has a bit of clay in it, so it really takes off the rubber and smooths out the finish nicely. It also adds nutrative oils to the paint. In my case, it matches the rest of the Zymol wax on the car. You can buy it at lots of places, like Target.

I find that you have to clean off these "treadies" soon after the track event. If you leave them on for several days, they get much tougher to remove.

Jeff
 
Well, I'm certainly no chemical expert, but reading the bottle and their web site, I know it contains kaolin which is ultra fine clay for the deep cleaning (same as a clay bar), numerous oils, and carnauba wax. The bottle says "restored nutritive oils to the finish". The Zymol web site gets into more of the technical info. Here's the list of ingredients in their Cleaner Wax:

#1 Yellow Carnauba 12%, Bees Wax 3%, Kaolin Clay, Almond Meal, Chalcedony Crystals, Shea Nut Butter, Coconut Oil, Cetyl Esters, Cetyl Cocoamide (derived from coconut oil), Propolis (derived from Bees) and Glycerl Stearate and FDC Blue #1.

I'm a big fan of Zymol products. I think a deep, beautiful wax shine on top of properly prepared paint beats the heck out of a plastic, on the surface glittery type of shine Zaino produces. Course that's pretty much a matter of personal preference.

Jeff
 
I like Zymol products too but the notion that there is oil in automotive paint, that some how leaves the paint and then need to be or can be massaged back in makes me at the least skeptical. Please don't take this personal, the labels do infer this "nutritive oil" stuff and I am really interested in how this can be so. Sounds like good promotional copy but is it real?
"Oil" of any type is the last thing we want in autobody paint if we want success in application and "oil" on paint was always something to avoid.
I'm going to talk to my DuPont paint rep. and see what they think of this "nutritive oil replenishing" stuff. I want to know if it is snake oil or the real deal.
 
pbassjo said:
I like Zymol products too but the notion that there is oil in automotive paint, that some how leaves the paint and then need to be or can be massaged back in makes me at the least skeptical. Please don't take this personal, the labels do infer this "nutritive oil" stuff and I am really interested in how this can be so. Sounds like good promotional copy but is it real?
I have never heard anyone from Zymol claim that their Cleaner Wax product adds oils to the paint finish, and there is no such claim on their website for this product...
 
nsxtasy -

Yeah, it could be marketing fluff. I originally got turned on to Zymol products at an NSXPO. The zymol guy there said it. And here's some info from their site that sort of talks about it.

Why Does Zymöl Blend Coconut and Banana Oils With The Carnauba?

These natural oils are the necessary lubrication for spreading Zymol and serve as a moisture barrier on the paint preventing the paint from drying out and oxidizing. The oils also contribute to depth of shine by providing the fatty esters during the wax cure time.


What Is Montan Oil And Why Is It In The Wax?

Pure Carnauba assumes a rock-like hardness and must be softened before it can be applied. Most competitive waxes use harsh petrochemical solvents to soften the Carnauba, but these solvents also re-enter the paint potentially softening the paint. Montan oil is a natural solvent derived from the sap of the German Coal Black Evergreen tree. The oil is removed from the sap, spun and distilled to make the Carnauba spreadable. Because it is highly spun (very thin) it allows the Carnauba to enter and fill in microscopic scratches on the painted surface yet will not react with the paint itself.


Why Does Zymöl Put An Enzyme In The Wax?

Propolis, derived from the thorax of bees, is the living enzyme culture in Zymol wax. Its function is to assure the Carnauba does not "bond" in the container. Only when oxygen (air) is introduced during application does the enzyme emollient (Zy-mol) actually become "wax " and start bonding to the car surface.


What I do know is that my zymol finish looks tremendous, my 12 year old car gets described as showroom new by admirers.

Cheers,

Jeff
 
Jeff A said:
What I do know is that my zymol finish looks tremendous, my 12 year old car gets described as showroom new by admirers.
Hey, I feel the same way about the Zymol finish on my cars (even though I'm using Zymol's other products, not the Cleaner Wax).
 
It is a excellent product line. The wax takes a bit of work but the results are stunning and they have been a supporter of many NSX events. In my book that counts for something too.
 
I put Zymol on my car once and didn't use it again because:

a) It lasts as long as it takes to put it on.
b) The oils in it are a dust magnet.

I use 3M cleaner wax to remove to remove the black marks from the track and as my regular wax. Over the long haul it removes swirl marks and lasts longer than 3M's plain-vanilla wax. I A/B'd the two 3M waxes on my hood and the cleaner wax lasted much longer. It also removes any other kind of deposit that gets on the finish.
 
removing rubber marks

alcohol swabs, rubbing alcohol on cloth works GREAT ! leaves a bit of haze on drying but that comes off too....
after i run over tires on the road, large black marks on the car body are easily taken off with alcohol pad...

j.rho
 
Not for nothing but I see many people just apply 3m blue masking tape around these key areas where the black stuff accumulates to avoid this problem and it will probably also protect against small pebbles as well i presume.
 
DangerMoney said:
I put Zymol on my car once and didn't use it again because:

a) It lasts as long as it takes to put it on.
b) The oils in it are a dust magnet.
I get great results with Zymol! I've found that Zymol wax lasts a long, long time - three to six months - and that it doesn't accumulate dust at all.

I bet either (a) you are not properly prepping the finish with HD-Cleanse (or a similar product that will remove oxidation and surface contaminants) before applying the wax, and/or (b) you are not using the high-carnauba Zymol waxes (Japon, NSX, etc) and are only using their liquid cleaner-wax product.

Proper prep, and using the right products for the right purpose, are essential for the best results with any brand of detailing products.
 
ACRY-SOLV is the hands down best cleaning solvent for any petroleum based problem. I recomend acry-solv to all my clients who race. I have yet to have a client who is not absolutely thrilled with its ability to remove marks quickly ,and not damage paint
 
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