Car wash and some oily/greasy residue on exterior

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by joeuser, Jun 22, 2013.

  1. joeuser

    joeuser Prius Junkie

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2009
    78
    3
    0
    Location:
    NYC
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    So I have this problem and see it because I have a silver prius (lucky me right?).
    Basically, I wash the car myself. I wash with a soft spongy brush and exterior car wash fluid.
    Now at the bottom areas (near the skirts and just lower bumper) and also some lower part of the doors, I notice stains that look brown in color and they don't disappear by me just using the spongy cleaner. It got to a point where I used my nail on the greasy bugger (the spots are small but annoying looking, barely a millimeter in diameter), and it spreads and becomes a light brown in color. I have to use my nails to get these buggers out and at some times there's tons of them based on the weather and the driving conditions.

    Firstly, what are these greasy spots? And any advice on treating my car to make sure these can easily be dissolved/removed during a car wash?

    I first sprinkle down the car with some water (cold water), and wash with lukewarm water (mixed with car wash fluid). Once the washing is done, i rinse it out with the hose (cold water).

    Thanks,
     
    #1 joeuser, Jun 22, 2013
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2008
    18,200
    6,491
    0
    Location:
    Green Valley, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Might be road tar? If so, there are solvents which you can purchase, intended for removal of those substances. You can also use paint thinner but that will remove whatever wax is on the paint.
     
    #2 Patrick Wong, Jun 22, 2013
    AzWxGuy likes this.
  3. AzWxGuy

    AzWxGuy Weather Guy

    Joined:
    May 22, 2011
    1,027
    517
    0
    Location:
    Tucson, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius
    Model:
    Limited
    With all the infrastructure improvements lately (road paving, utility repairs) the probability of meeting up with some loose road tar has increased exponentially. Here in AZ anyway, and on the route that I drive daily especially. I have also found grease deposited along the running boards of my classic silver Prius. I suspect this comes from other peoples poorly maintained vehicles with blown-out front wheel drive constant velocity joint boots. The best thing I have found to remove this is a good scrub with Simple Green on a paper towel. I do this before washing the car so I don't spread grease over the rest of the vehicle witha contaminated sponge. Last Fall I drove through a large gob of grease that got picked up by the right-front tire and thrown onto the wheel well liner, and sprayed on the underside and even on the passenger door rear view mirror. When I first saw it I thought I'd blown a boot. Thankfully that wasn't true, but it was still a mess to clean up.
     
    #3 AzWxGuy, Jun 23, 2013
  4. joeuser

    joeuser Prius Junkie

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2009
    78
    3
    0
    Location:
    NYC
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Thanks for the advice. I'm going to look into bug and tar remover and order it via amazon.
    One last thing, while I'm at it, I might as well want to clean out some carpet and upholstery stain.
    My prius interior is gray. I'm thinking of picking up the Tuff Stuff All purpose cleaner.
    How good is the Mothers Carpet and Upholstery Brush ? I don't want to ruin the carpet and/or my upholstery while cleaning them. According to the reviews some say its quite stiff and may be harsh on the carpet/upholstery.

    Thanks.
     
    #4 joeuser, Jun 24, 2013
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)