How To Remove Road Paint From Car Wheel Wells On Your Own

If you’re someone who’s recently driven on a newly paved and painted road, chances are, you’ve had road paint stuck onto different parts of your vehicle including wheel wells. As they’re particularly pesky, most people don’t know how to remove them properly.

So, if you want to know how to remove road paint from car wheel wells, we’re here to guide you.

The most popular and fool-proof method is to apply some type of petroleum jelly — preferably Vaseline — on the paint-stuck car wheel wells and leave it to rest for a couple of days. Afterward, washing with a high-powered hose does the trick.

But why is road paint so tricky to handle? We’ll cover that and other techniques for removing it from car parts and plastic in this article.

What Is Road Paint?

Before we get into removing road paint, let’s have a better look at what road paint is. And in a nutshell, the thermoplastic road marking paint you see on roads is called road paint.

This includes everything from the paint to showing which lane goes in which direction to zebra crossings and parking lots.

These are found on almost every road, so if you use your car, often they’re bound to stick to your car at some point, especially if the paint just recently got added to the road.

And although they usually dry out fast, after a few months, if new road paint isn’t re-applied to the road on the same spot, the old road paint gets on your cars. And if you leave this paint there, it’ll be hard to get it off your car.

Is Road Paint Harmful?

Road paint is made from a solvent that is harmful to our environment, cars, and us. This is because the paint gives off a high level of  VOC, also known as Volatile Organic Compound.

However, the sole rationale for using this type of paint is that road paint takes about 60 minutes to cure. This is much lower than any other type of paint, so it’s the best paint to use for roads.

How Do I Get Traffic Line Paint Off Of My Car Wheel Wells

Now that you know that road paint is harmful, you probably want to get it off of your car wells because it causes so much damage. Although if you just recently got road paint on your car wells, you can just wash them off with a pressure hose.

This won’t always work, though, especially if the paint has been drying on your wells for a while. So here’s a list of the materials you’ll need to get road paint off of your car wells after it dries up —

Materials You Need

Here’s a list of all the materials you might need to remove road paint. You won’t need to get all of them, but they’re highly recommended.

• Penetrating oil / Petroleum Jelly

If you couldn’t wash your car off instantly with a pressure hose after it got in your car wells, it can be hard to get them off without any alcohol or penetrating oil. And if you can afford some, I’d highly recommend you to get penetrating oil or an adhesive remover.

If you can’t buy any penetrating oil, you can order them online. Or, if you have Vaseline or any form of petroleum jelly in your house, you can use that as well.

• Pressure Hose

Any water hose works, but a pressure hose is much better for cleaning road paint since the water will have a lot of force.

• Wax

After cleaning your car and the road paint, applying a coating of wax can reduce the possibility of your car catching more road paint, and it’ll remove any remaining paint.

Paint Removing Guide

Now that you have all the necessary materials and products, here’s a step-by-step guide to removing road paint —

1. Wash Your Car With a Pressure Hose

Washing your car with a pressure hose is incredibly helpful for removing road paint. Although it won’t remove any dried-up road paint, it’ll soften it, making it easier to remove. So make sure to wash your car with a pressure hose.

2. Spray Some Penetrating Oil

Dry your car after washing, but don’t dry it for too long. Afterward, spray a penetrating oil solution on the area with paint and leave it for 1-3 hours and wash it off.

3. Apply Petroleum Jelly If Needed

Your road paint will usually wash off after spraying it with penetrating oil and washing it, but if it doesn’t, get some petroleum jelly such as Vaseline and apply it to the area with road pain and leave it there for several days. After doing so, wash it off again.

Make sure not to scrub your car vigorously while washing since it can damage your car.

4. Coat Your Car Lightly With Wax

After washing, apply a thin layer of wax to your car. This will reduce further damage and remove any remaining road paint. You can easily find some wax protectants online or in a car shop nearby. By following these steps above, you can remove road paint from your car wheel wells.

How To Get Road Paint Off Car Plastic

if you’re wondering how to get road paint off car plastic, it’s actually just as easy.

And unlike car wells where penetrating oil or petroleum jelly can remove road paint, car plastics are much easier to clean and only require adhesive removers instead. You can easily find these at a car repairing shop.

The procedure of cleaning is exactly the same as removing road paint from car wells, so just follow along with the steps above. After washing, make sure to apply a layer of wax to it to ensure further safety for your car.

How To Remove Road Paint From Car Wheel Wells-FAQs

How To Remove Yellow Road Paint From Wheel Wells

Here’s how to remove yellow road paint from wheel wells:

1. Wash the wheels with soap and water first, then use a rag or sponge with dishwashing liquid and warm water to remove any remaining dirt.
2. Spray on WD-40 or rubbing alcohol and scrub with an old toothbrush or other hard-bristled brush until the paint is gone.
3. Dry off with a rag or by blowing compressed air on the surface of the wheel well area (not directly onto it).

Does WD 40 Remove Road Paint

Yes, WD-40 isn’t just for removing rust. It’s also great for removing road paint from your car’s wheel wells but it might take more than one application. The WD-40 Company recommends applying a liberal amount of the spray to the affected area and letting it soak in for a few minutes before wiping clean with a dry cloth or cloth towel.

Will Goo Gone Remove Road Paint

Goo Gone will not remove road paint. The only thing that is going to remove the paint is a heavy duty solvent, and Goo Gone is not meant to be used on anything other than adhesive residue.

Does Clay Bar Remove Road Paint

The answer is yes and no. Clay bar will take off some of the road paint, but it won’t remove it all. The best way to get rid of road paint is by using the right products and tools.

Conclusion

Hopefully, now you have a good idea of how to remove road paint from car wells. It can easily be done with a pressure hose, but if not, there are a few materials you’ll need.

If you wash your car off with vaseline and apply wax, but the road paint still doesn’t wash off, I’d highly recommend you get some rubbing alcohol as a final tip. This will get rid of any remaining residue or road paint from your car wells.

But with all that being said, good luck cleaning, and cheers!

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