Are there any specific products recommended for removing concrete from cars?
If you search the internet for advice, you will hear everything from "White vinegar does the trick" to "Nothing works, a respray is the best option". Both of these answers can be correct.
White vinegar can do the trick if the contamination is very light, or you are prepared to put in hours of work. It can work because it is an acid which dissolves the lime in the cement. Most concrete removers, like household limescale removers, contain acid at various strengths.
The issue is that acid is just as harmful to your paintwork as the caustic cement, so the more effective the cement and remover, the more likely it will etch your paintwork and plastic. So removing the concrete is only part of the process, neutralizing the acid and correcting the damage comes next.
Furthermore, concrete removers can be ineffective against some cement mixes which contain additives such as resins, meaning a combination of products is required.
We use a range of products, starting mild with mild acids and solvents, and becoming progressively more harsh until we find what works. Therefore, there is no one specific product which will complete the job of restoring a car with concrete contamination.
However, we can tell you, our starting point is AutoSmart Congo, which is a glycolic acid-based product. This is a trade product and the public cannot buy direct from AutoSmart, but it is available on eBay.
B&Q, Wickes, and Jewsons stock Sika Concrete Remover, which is hydrochloric acid based, and seems to be the most available product in the UK. According to the technical datasheet, it has a 1pH, which is pretty harsh, certainly strong enough to damage car paintwork, so you may want to start with a dilution.
Speedy Clean Concrete Dissolver and SCRUBB EradiCRETE are both readily available, and may be better suited to light cement contamination, limescale and efflorescence.
Clay bars are often used for removing contaminants from car paintwork, and we would strongly advise against using these for the removal of concrete as they are likely to cause damage to the paint surface once contaminated with sand and grit.
Written by Danny Argent. Last updated 27/01/2024 12:48