orange spots all over

I have a 2013 Explorer in white platinum. I just washed it at a spray it yourself place and noticed that there are small orange spots *all* over the vehicle. What the heck is this? Please tell me it isn't rust. The spots don't come off with moderate rubbing.

Do they come off with aggressive scrubbing. Do they come off at all?

some come off by scraping with my fingernail. Others need bug and tar remover and really vigorous scrubbing. They are everywhere except the hood and roof.

Looks like rail dust. Do you live near railroad tracks? They can be removed using a clay bar although it will probably take quite awhile on a big vehicle.

There aren`t any railroad tracks anywhere near me and none of my other cars have ever had this. Odd.

but this is my first white vehicle ...

It looks like rust however, it could be something in the water lines at the car wash.. That is strange though.. Should inquire the place about it, as there could be something in the lines, but for it to stick that would be even more odd... Hopefully it is not a defect with the paint (I just ordered a new sport in same color).. let us know what you find out.. Looks like a few hours with a clay bar and some lubricant to get it off is in your future.. I would not use anything else or anything more abrasive unless you get an opinion of what it is from a paint shop, etc.

T

porschefan said:

There aren`t any railroad tracks anywhere near me and none of my other cars have ever had this. Odd.

Click to expand...

It can also occur from the rail yard when the car was being shipped from the factory. It's actually common and really noticeable on white cars. Like I said, clay bar will take it right off without damaging the paint. Make sure to wax afterwards.

That's definitely rail dust. Had it all the time on my GTI which was white. It's not just railroad track areas that you can get it, various things create small metal shards.

Claybar will take it off though as previously mentioned. Will be a PITA on a truck this size though. Have a detail shop near you? They should be able to do it for not that much, may be worth paying.

thanks for the replies folks. I'm pretty relieved that this can be solved with elbow grease. I hope it doesn't keep coming back.

dealer should have cleaned it before you got it,,

you probably even paid for it,, it's part of P D I

take it back , tell them they should have cleaned it better the first time,,

Yup. Take it back. Make em clean it.

our ex is silver and I have been getting those rust specs every winter. I believe they are metal/steel micro particles that generate from the snow plow shovels scrapping the roads. I little bit of waxing should take them off.

I noticed those orange speckles on my white tricoat Explorer (rear and trunk area) as well specially after a snow storm or a good salt run by the county plows.

The spots do come off easily but then again I have been using the local car wash about a couple times a week since we use so much road salt here in Upstate NY.

I also ordered the OEM mud guards which should quite substantially decrease the splatter but have not had a chance to install those yet.

That is "Rail Dust." I had the EXACT same thing on my White Platinum F150. I called the dealer and it is covered under warranty. I took it in and they took care of it. I got rid of the truck since then so I am not sure if they came back or not. They did an "acid wash," or so they called it, and then did a wax and clay bar.

I would call the dealer and make them take care of it, at least once.

Wow, never seen or heard of that before. I have ordered and owned 46+ cars and never seen anything like that, even on my previous fords.. Will have to watch for it when it arrives..

Try this product:

http://www.detailersdomain.com/Aquartz-Iron-Cut_p_327.html

My dad just had this on his 13 F150, was told it was "road grime" a little bit of polish and elbow grease and it comes off. Problem is, it has since come back and I'm certain it will do so for the remainder of the life of the vehicle.

I noticed a couple of spots too, and was worried about rust spots until one scraped off with my fingernail. Comforting to know others have the same experience. This wasn't a problem in the fall, but came up over the winter.

Just noticed the same thing recently on my 2012 White Platinum Tri-Coat. It is predominantly concentrated on the liftgate. Have a call in to my service manager for guidance on what to do here. I'm just beyond the 12,000/12mos as the warranty states below. We'll see what happens.

From the warranty guide:

For damage caused by airborne material (environmental
fallout) where there is no factory-related defect involved and therefore
no warranty − our policy is to provide free repair of paint damage due to
the airborne material for 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever occurs
first.