(Pics) Marks on paint that disappear when wet

[Jason87]

Just washed my car for the first time and noticed that on the Bottom of the rear door there is marks that look like spray from the wheels but don't seem to wash off, the marks disappear when wet then come back when dry. I'm guessing it's damage to the laquer but not sure where the marks came from as there not scratches but look like dirt from dirt etc from the wheels. Is this common on ford paint or something? Unless it's been resprayed

[Maxxxykins]

4 hours ago, Jason87 said:

Just washed my car for the first time and noticed that on the Bottom of the rear door there is marks that look like spray from the wheels but don't seem to wash off, the marks disappear when wet then come back when dry. I'm guessing it's damage to the laquer but not sure where the marks came from as there not scratches but look like dirt from dirt etc from the wheels. Is this common on ford paint or something? Unless it's been resprayed

Have you tried applying anything to remove the marks? Used any polish on paint cleaners?

Are they water marks at all?

[simcor]

Could be road tar have you been through any roadworks lately?

A picture though would really help.

My ZTT that I had before my Focus had a terrible road rash along the lower part of the wing and doors, it seemed to be pretty common on some cars but not on others, at the time the suggestion was damaged paintwork due to either a bad batch of paint or issue with the top coat lacquer. Then again there was a lot of cost cutting around the time my car was built being a 54 plate and MG Rover going bust in 2005, for a few years previous they had project drive on cost cutting deleting features that were standard fit and only having them as options and removing some soundproofing etc anything they could do at the time to cut some costs here and there.

Not quite the same situation but it could be some sort of paint road rash. But as I say a picture might really help. you could try using some meths to try cleaning it up but wash the area well after and polish it also. Otherwise you coudl try a clay bar to see if it remove whatever it is.

[artscot79]

bottom of the doors particularly if you don't have mudflaps get sand blasted from all the crud on the road being thrown up by the tyres poor design on fords part

[Jason87]

This is the mark

[artscot79]

hats where the road grit and dirt has sandblasted away the top coat of paint mudflaps help to prevent it but the design leaves it exposed colour magic polish will help cover it but other than that it would need resprayed

[Jason87]

Does this mean my laquer will peel? Or is it not Gona do any harms other than not look very nice?

[artscot79]

there is no laquer on those bits its through the laquer and top coat will it get worse yes eventually the winter will be the worst time eventually it starts to rust the bottom of the doors

[Jason87]

It's only 2011 lol :( don't want these problems already 

[Jason87]

So do all focus have this problem then? Ones without mud flaps

[artscot79]

yep some worse than others the design and angle of the door and sill mean all the grit stones etc get thrown directly along the door and sill area on the mk2 2.5 ford put plastic covers along the sills once you added mudflaps it all but stopped the issue ford know this the mk3 should have been supplied with mudflaps problem is the damage is done now you Sa only a 2011 ford will Say its 5 years old paint warranty will be out and rust is only covered if it rots from the inside out

[Jason87]

So should I be worried?

[Jason87]

It's not 5 years old until July 

[TomsFocus]

Christ!  Glad mines got flaps if that's what happens without!

How many miles has it done out of interest?

[Jason87]

38000

[TomsFocus]

I was expecting at least double that, really not good enough tbh.  Wouldn't hurt to ask if Fords paintwork guarantee covers it but I doubt it will unfortunately.

[ChrisM41]

Doesnt look THAT bad. If you are brave sand it down with 1500 grit wet and dry (lightly), them 2500 grit, then use a cutting polish to polish out the sanding, then use a sealant or wax on top. It may not remove all the damage, but it will flatten it out and improve the look.

Those grits are very fine and arent designed to remove a lot of paint, just a thin layer of the top coat, ive done whole cars like that, it makes them look amazing.

[Jason87]

I don't really want to start messing around with the body work as I'll probably mess it up. So if I leave it as it is is it going to cause problems and start rusting? What should I do?

[ippy]

Keep on cleaning and polishing it with a good polish it may help protect it from the dreaded rust it might be worth an ask at stealers though

[Jason87]

It's on the bottom of back door in front of the rear wheels so not sure how it's getting sprayed in that position ?

[ChrisM41]

Conventional waxes and polishes wont help much, use a nano sealant like Sonax Xtreme brilliant shine detailer. A few coats of that will last months and months and bead water like no wax based product ever could.

[Jason87]

I'm guessing I should get a mud flap then? The drivers side front seems to be fine so why is the rear doors being affected?

[Jason87]

It's on the other side rear door as well, is the dirt from the front wheels really travelling that far and damaging the paint?

[mjt]

It's all to do with the way the air flows around the car. Mudflaps might help a bit because they'll catch the worst of the grit and change the airflow pattern but you'll still probably find a build-up of dirt in that area. All the Focus models I've had seem to do it.

[tazzman600]

Hi Jason. How does the affected area feel like when you run your finger lightly over it?