Black spots on paint

[86 911]

I just noticed that my 911 has about 5 different patches of very small black "dots" on the paint. The car has been setting in the garage a lot, and is driven on average of 40 miles per week. I just started noticing the "dots" within the last month. The patches have only appeared on the passengers side. They are a PITA to get off. Has anyone else had similar experiences? If so, what do you use get the black "dots" off? What could be the cause? Right now I am guessing road tar, although the car hasn't been driven much, and I have never seen these patches before.

Thanks for any help.

[anthony]

A good polish should remove the spots and a good coat of wax should help them from coming back.

[86 911]

Thank you Anthony,

I just waxed the car about a month ago. The car is parked under/next to the motor for the garage door. Maybe it is the oil from that motor?
I just went back into the garage and used 409 surface cleaner and a paper towel to rub out the dots. It worked excellent!

[randywebb]

409 surface cleaner...

you just destroyed the wax and may have damaged the paint

use a good feeder type (non-abrasive) polish like Meguairs Gold cleaner/polish or the maroon bottle polish; then wax.

don't wait.... I'd wash the car right away first.

[86 911]

Oh *****. I never knew that it would do that. Ah, the paint job isn't too good anyway. I better save what I can though and get my butt to the garage!
Thanks Randy.

[JTL]

I noticed similar spots on my 740il last summer. They were sort of soft and guyey, and wouldn't readily wipe off. I used wd40 to get rid of them. That stuff works on loosening all kinds of road grime etc. from the paint. Anyway, I narrowed the source of the grim to my stock brake pads! They were extremely soft and completely dirtied the rims in a couple of days. The dirty spot problem was gone when I got a set of Axxis pads. I haven't had this problem on the 911; it has hawk hp+ pads...

jt
-84 targa

[randywebb]

for a non-polar (greasy) stain on the paint - I'd always try to blot it first then try wax on a rag. Next up, a bug and tar remover. Finish with a feeder polish then re-wax that area.

Good luck.

[hkspwrsche]

There is one version of the dots that come from mulch... the spores that is in the mulch flys through the air and gets on your car.. rubbing alcohol will take them off.... best to stop by a body shop and have them identified before you take something dangerous to the paint... they are usually glad to give free advice..

[azasadny]

Could the spots be tar from the roads? I'm always getting tar from the "cold patch" the idiots put in the monstrous potholes we have in SE MI and I use 3M Imperial Hand Glaze to remove them, then wax with 3M Show Car Wax.

[kqw]

Are you near any pine trees? That pine tar flies through the air and settles on anything in it's path.