I took delivery of my Alabaster coupe about 3 weeks ago. The first thing I noticed after I did my own wash job were these little rust colored specs which would not come off. I talked to the dealership and they said that is called Rail Dust or Industrial Fallout and it is common on white cars. Has anyone else seen this? Is there a good solution for removal which won't harm the paint?

 

:shock: I don't have an Alabaster XF, but unless everyone else says they have heard of this before - I say that sounds like a lot of BS :!:

I would demand a new paint job or for it to be fixed "like new" :roll:

 

It is the stuff from the the train wheels rubbing against the track. It is total BS and they should be able to remove it. It will get worse if left there. I bet the dealer waxed right over it. They should fix it. You could remove all the wax with blue dawn and clay bar it off...

I bet the guy a zaino knows how to remove it but your dealer should do it for you as the condition happens after it leaves the factory.

-marc

 

hah!

http://www.zainobros.com/files/application.htm

-marc

 

It's not BS... when I lived in Pittsburgh back in the early 90's I had a white car that sat outside all the time. Had the same problem with coffee colored specks and small rings much like water spots... acid rain, industrial fallout crap etc. Never could get them out, but then I never took a clay bar to it.

 

But isn't it BS to have a brand new car delivered to you that way???

 

Am I the only one that has wondered if the Zaino clay bar is just the hard modling clay at the hobbie store (not play-doh but the sculpture clay)?

It sure would save us some bucks...

-marc

 

It's back at the dealer now. I counted at least two dozen spots. I even found two under the spoiler! The service manager said they have had that before and they would need the car for at least a day to try to remove them. I've only had the car 3 weeks and while in my possession it's either been in my garage or under a car cover at my office. So those marks were definitely there before I bought. Unfortunately under the bright Florida sun they were hard to see when I purchased the car. I'll let you know how it looks when I pick it up today.

 

I had it on my Alabaster beauty and I used Mother's Clay Bar. It got it all off and the car's been gorgeous ever since.

 

Don't forget to check the wheels also. That is the only place I found any on mine. I first thought it was rust, and then it occurred to me that aluminum shouldn't be rusty. It came off with a little scrubbing.

 

it is rust...the metallics in the "industrial fallout" land on your car and rust, causing the discolorations. i have lots of experiance with this...i am an engineer at a iron foundry. because my baby is my daily driver, i'll be claybarring every year, or else the finish will start to feel like sandpaper!

 

Picked her up at the dealership this afternoon. They spent the day getting the marks off with clay. They did a great job, but I think I will buy a bar of clay for myself just in case I find any spots they missed. Thanks everyone for the info. Now if I can just convince the dealer to fix my wind noise for the 3rd time :roll:

 

In the context stated above... you are 100% correct. I took your original statement to mean they were putting one over on bluepony.

 

you need to "clay" the cars finish to remove these spots as others have mentioned above (clay magic is the best)...but they will return over time. i clay my car once every 6 months then wax. these spots are on all cars but most visible on light colored cars.

 

You were right the first time. I did think they were putting one over on bluepony because I have never heard of it before. It kind of sounded like "Yeagh - that's the ticket - it happens on all white cars.... "

So .. do we have that out here???? :roll:

 

It usually occurs in industrial parts of the country. It has been my experience a lot of it had to do with acid rain from industrial fallout etc and parking outdoors all the time. Not a problem out here in our arid part of the world.

 

Not on the left coast ,they're delivered by boat not rail.Only truck dust and smog after that,oh and lousey dealer prep!

 

I had the exact same thing happen to me and yes, they called it rail dust. Still looked like rust to me. But the good news is, it was very easy to get off. The shop had some kind of solvent which took it off immedietely. It is far more noticeable on white cars...I have a white Crossfire, too.