Halloween lets everyone get their fill of candy and trick-or-treating, but also brings out the pranksters who can do damage to your truck.. I often get asked if eggs can damage the finish on a vehicle. The clear cut answer is “absolutely yes!” If your truck was a victim of egging this Halloween, here is what you can do to eliminate costly body work, but you must act fast, because eggs left on your paint finish will leave damage over night.
The biggest reason why eggs cause such damage to your clear coat is the enzymes and albumin in the egg. The sulfur content doesn’t help either. If not cleaned soon after it’s on the paint, you will be left with cloudy white spots that will require more than just soap and water. Once it is dried or baked on from the sun, there is damage underneath. But what if you have no idea you got egged and you don’t find out until the next day? Here are some suggestions of things you can try to remove the egg remnants before it’s too late to handle on your own.
If you are able to discover the egging and it is still wet, soak the spot with a mixture of warm water and mild dish soap that cuts grease. Hand soap won’t help and harsh chemical cleaners contain astringents and are not the answer here. The warm water will help soften the stain before you take the next step. You can also put this mixture if soap and water in a spray bottle for easier application if you wish. Otherwise, use a soft microfiber towel and dab it into the warm water & soap mixture, then lightly dab in onto the stain, making sure it’s on their long enough to penetrate. Keep soaking your towel or spraying the area over & over so that it is actually on the egg, not just dripping without penetrating. Make sure all streaks of egg have been treated and are gone before attempting to dry the spots you soaked. A chamois works best for drying thoroughly.
Once you have attempted to clean the egg off, leave your truck in a dry place and assess the damage after a couple of hours after cleaning. If the soap and water method did not help, it’s most likely due to the fact that the egg was on your paint longer than you were aware of. You may need to attempt sanding the area if it is small enough. Make sure the area allows you room for sanding motion, such as a broad and flat panel. Wet the stain heavily to prepare it. Using sandpaper sounds scary, but keep in mind that you want to lightly sand and not damage the paint finish, so an 80-120 grit is advised. Soaking your sandpaper for a few hours or even overnight will help soften the grit. Use your sandpaper in small squares. I have also used a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, which you can easily find in stores. It has a dense plastic surface that acts like high-grit sandpaper. Keep the area and the sand paper wet during the slow motion sanding until the stain comes out, but do not use force or a heavy hand, and stop before you sand too deeply into the paint finish.
After sanding, you will need to polish the scratches you created when lightly sanding the spot. You can do this by using a soft buffer/polisher with a high speed rotating motor. This should remove the marks you made from the sanding procedure. Using this method will soften and gently melt the clear coat around the stain, while blending it smooth. If desired, you may now apply a pure car polish onto the buffed area which will help eliminate the circular marks left behind from the polisher. If the egg damage is still visible, you may have to have the area repainted in a body shop. If you don’t have access to a polisher/buffer, or you’re uncomfortable using one for the first time, another option is to take your car to a garage to be polished once you’ve removed the egg stains.
Here’s hoping you never need this advice and information, but if you do or you have a friend who could benefit from this article, please feel free to share it. Eggs can do a number on your truck finish, so it is always best to be armed with information before you need it one day.
Beware Of This When Buying A Used Pickup Truck
Of course a shiny brand new truck is a thrill for any truck lover, but if your wallet can’t deal with a big monthly payment and you still need a pickup for work or just because you want one, use the following tips to prevent getting yourself a lemon or having to sink crazy dollars into the truck right after you buy it because the seller misrepresented the vehicle.
New Year – New Truck? Top Four Best Pickups
If you are like everyone else, you may have made a resolution last New Years that you didn’t keep, which may have been to take better care of your old pickup. The up side to that is that you may be in the market for a new truck to start the New Year. Here is what the manufacturers are claiming to be the top four choices in brand new pickup trucks for 2017.
Plowing Snow With Your Pickup Truck
There is no denying that snow season has arrived. If you’re a truck owner with a snow plow, as much as you may dread all the inches of white stuff, you have to admit there is a certain appeal to the flashing strobe lights, the whine of hydraulics and the sound of steel dragging on the pavement. At times it might feel like you are playing with your favorite toy, but there is no mistaking the price and value of that toy, hence you had better know how to use it wisely and make it last. If you are new to plowing or purchasing a plow for the first time, I think you will find my information regarding features and options valuable.
