A VW Scirocco came in covered in dried concrete splatter. Three acid washes to dissolve the lime and calcium, a machine polish to remove the grit scratches, and it came out cleaner -- and cheaper -- than expected.
This VW Scirocco came in covered in dried concrete splatter. Harder than it sounds -- concrete bonds to paintwork as it cures, and by the time most people notice it, it is set solid. You cannot scrub it off; you will grind the grit and sand straight into the lacquer and make it far worse.
Three Acid Washes
Acid dissolves the lime and calcium that concrete is made from but takes a long time to damage paintwork -- which gives us a working window. We covered the car in our concrete removal formula and let it work. On this Scirocco it took three applications to get all of it off; some jobs come out in one or two, some need more. There is no shortcut -- you work through it until there is not a trace left.
After the acid we neutralise with a mild caustic soap, then rinse thoroughly. At that point the concrete is gone, but the paintwork has micro-scratches from all the sand and grit that was in it.
Machine Polish to Finish
James machine-polished the car three times to remove the scratch haze left by the grit. Then wax for protection and tyre shine to finish. The result -- as Gary puts it -- is a two-million-dollar car. No concrete, no scratches, just a clean Scirocco.
The job also came out slightly cheaper than the estimate. We always try to estimate on the cautious side because concrete jobs vary -- some panels need more passes than others. This one responded well.
If Your Car Has Concrete on It
Do not sponge it, scrub it, or try a pressure washer first. Anything abrasive will drag the grit across the paint. Call us as soon as you can -- the sooner we get to it, the less it has cured, and the fewer acid passes it needs. See our exterior fallout and concrete removal service for more detail.
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