Paint Spill in Car | Range Rover Video

This nearly new Range Rover Sport came to us with red paint spilled in the back, and we were tasked with cleaning it up.

If this should happen to you, do not try to clean it up. Don't even try to get out the worst of it. Paint is far, far easier to remove from a car if it's still wet, so we don't want you thinning it out, so it dries more quickly.

The best thing to do is to get some towels, wet them until they are damp, and lay it over the paint. You can also use cloths, wet newspaper. Even plastic sheeting will help stop the water and solvents in the paint evaporating. You can keep it moist with a sprayer like you can buy at the garden centre. If you can't get the car to somebody who can clean it for a few days, you should still be able to stop the paint from drying, just try to keep the car out of the sun.

Don't make things too wet, as you will dilute the paint and spread it, making the problem worse. Don't try to wash it out, this will definitely make things worse. Don't try scrubbing it off of paintwork with kitchen scourers because as you can see on this video, you will probably do more damage.

Just keep the paint damp until you can get the car to a professional. This is what we advised, and it's what this customer did.

When a customer brings a car to us with a paint spillage, we charge them for three hours work. After three hours, we will have a good idea what it's going to take to do the full clean-up. With small paint spillages, we can do the work within three hours. Sometimes, as with this Range Rover, there is a lot of paint, and it had gone down under carpets, got into the wiring, into box sections, and it takes a lot more work to clean up. 

It can get expensive, so we recommend that you call your insurance company right away and just let them know what's going on, they won't hold it against you, especially if we save them some money by getting it cleaned up right away and salvaging most, or all of the parts.

It's also worth the mention that you shouldn't go back to the DIY centre and shout at customer services, it really isn't their fault. Talk to them nicely, and you will usually find that they are willing to contribute to at least half the bill. Some even pay for all of it.  We can't promise they will, but it's worth negotiating.

If you are reading this, you have probably had a paint spillage in your car. You are probably not in the best of moods, and probably don't want to read all about how we can clean up cars quickly and save money.  Instead, you can read our article on paint spillages, and if you are in the South East, give us a call.