Auto Gossip

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31279, 27 January 1967, Page 9

Auto Gossip

by

A.J.P.

Out, Damned Spot

A road-test car disgraced itself on my asphalt drive—a petrol lead became detached from the fuel filter, and petrol dribbled on to the seal. The mark remains, a dark, seemingly indelible spot about two feet in diameter. There must be some means of removing it, has anyone any ideas?

Fortune Waiting

Which brings to mind the problem of removing a different type of mark from sealed surfaces: white roadmarking paint. A traffic authority head once told me there was a fortune waiting for the man who discovered a method of removing this paint quickly and easily. Grinding it off is expensive, tends to damage the road surface, and still leaves a mark. Tarring is not very satisfactory and various solvents merely spread the paint further. Unless the road is resealed, it seems the only thing to do is let the stuff wear off. Perhaps someone could invent a durable paint

that could be removed successfully with a special potion. Other Spots Various substances can cause bad spotting on car paintwork, too. With most of them the secret of removal is to get to work on them as soon as possible. Tar can be removed with one of the proprietary tar-removers on the market, but paint spots drifting from some construction project can be more stubborn. Whatever you do, never try to remove spots with a sharp instrument or an abrasive. . The paint will be damaged, and you will find it would have been better to have left the spot alone. And always be careful not to spill brake fluid on the car: it is a first-rate paint remover.

On the Glass Marks on the windscreen or side-windows must also be removed with something nonabrasive, for safety glass has a more “tender” surface than one might think. Some bathroom-type cleaners, for instance, can scratch it very badly, and trying to remove a spot with the point of a knife can also lead to damage. Most spots can be soaked off with warm water and a little patience, and this is really the only safe method of removing them. Quote of the Week “The cause of road safety cannot be advanced by the j introduction of more road i rules.”—From an editorial in 1 “Road Safety,” journal of the J New Zealand Road Safety i Council.