Boxster Roof Tipex’ed!

[rodsmith]

Some little b*stard has poured a bottle of Tipex all over the roof of my boxster. Any idea how to get it off?

Cheers

Rod

[Don]

rodsmith said:

Some little b*stard has poured a bottle of Tipex all over the roof of my boxster. Any idea how to get it off?

Ohhhh. Rod. That makes me sooooo ANGRY! Why do to55ers do this? I'm sorry I don't have anything more constructive to add than sympathy...

Don't tipex do a solvent - doesn't sound good for the roof material though...

With birdshit and similar I wait until its dry and try to brush it off.

Afterwards get yourself an Autoglym roof kit and clean and waterproof the hood again...

Have you contacted your OPC for advice?

[agent006]

If you leave it out in the sun (fat chance for the rest of the year), tippex tends to go a bit sticky. So you could try scraping most of it off, then using some kind of fabric cleaner or soap to get it off.

[david hype]

I might be wrong, but I think that most of the latest Tipp-Ex products are water-based.

You could contact them directly and ask their advice, I think that the dreaded stuff is a Bic product.

[meno-porsche]

I'm sure Dave is right about it being water based - something about people sniffing it a couple of year back - i'm not joking.

Suggest you let it dry out (use a hair dryer if neces) and remove as much with your finger nail or similar then try hot soapy water. I'm told by my PA that it does wash out.

Only revert to anything strong if this fails.

Just out of interest how do you know its Tipex??

[t1grm]

Yes it is water based. More details here:

www.bicworld.com/inter_en/stationery/faq/index2.asp

Not much help for car roofs or furniture spills unless you can fit it in the washing machine

[rico]

t1grm said:

Not much help for car roofs or furniture spills unless you can fit it in the washing machine

Wouldn't that mean a few runs through a decent car wash would work??

Rico

[meno-porsche]

Correction to my previous note

I'm now told you can get Tippex thinners - PA's ah!!

[david hype]

Knowing PA`s....It`s probably called Evian!

[chris_n]

meno-porsche said:

I'm now told you can get Tippex thinners

Chemical name 1,1,1 - Trichloroethylene if I remember my school chemistry properly! Why do I retain the useless info and forget all the useful stuff?

Seriously though, commiserations. I would try to make sure exactly what I was dealing with before trying any solvent on my roof. Can you scrape off a bit of residue for experimentation?

Do they still do Stain Devils? They've got one for more things IIRC. Find out what solvent dissolves it, then test that solvent on an out of the way bit of material. You don't want to melt a dirty great hole in your roof or anything.

Also it's got to be worth having a word with a nop notch car valeter, they must have seen just about everything like this.

[james_j]

What about giving Tippex themselves a call for help?

[RoShamBo]

I would cool it down - ie leave it outside overnight so the Tippex becomes hard & brittle then scrape off most of it. I cant believe Tippex will bond too well to that fabric roof so most should chip off.Then get WAX wizard out to it or a good hood repairer - there are several about.
I would be worried that thinner would mark the roof material as its probably strong.

Ro.

[sparkyjohn]

1-1-1 trichloroethane is available (from John Lewis and hardware stores) as dry cleaning fluid. However, I don't think that will do it as the non-acrylic Tippex is petroleum based now (so you can't get high on it). Tippex recommend white spirit or citrus based cleaner.
The chap who valets my car says this will get it off and shouldn't* damage the roof.

*Undertake at your own risk !

[rodsmith]

Thanks for your excellent suggestions, I’ve just had ‘RW Car Valeting’ (01322 348723) come to my rescue. They’ve removed all trace of the tipex and it only cost £25! If you live in the south east London/north west Kent area and need a car valet then these guy’s come with my highest recommendation.

Thanks again for all your help and suggestions.


Rod

[Don]

rodsmith said:

Thanks for your excellent suggestions, I’ve just had ‘RW Car Valeting’ (01322 348723) come to my rescue. They’ve removed all trace of the tipex and it only cost £25! If you live in the south east London/north west Kent area and need a car valet then these guy’s come with my highest recommendation. Thanks again for all your help and suggestions. Rod

Thanks for letting us know how you got it fixed in the end. Good to know professional help can be obtained and that your P&J is pristine again.