Halloween lets everyone get their fill of candy and trick-or-treating, but also brings out the pranksters who can do damage to your truck.. I often get asked if eggs can damage the finish on a vehicle. The clear cut answer is “absolutely yes!” If your truck was a victim of egging this Halloween, here is what you can do to eliminate costly body work, but you must act fast, because eggs left on your paint finish will leave damage over night.

The biggest reason why eggs cause such damage to your clear coat is the enzymes and albumin in the egg. The sulfur content doesn’t help either. If not cleaned soon after it’s on the paint, you will be left with cloudy white spots that will require more than just soap and water. Once it is dried or baked on from the sun, there is damage underneath. But what if you have no idea you got egged and you don’t find out until the next day? Here are some suggestions of things you can try to remove the egg remnants before it’s too late to handle on your own.

If you are able to discover the egging and it is still wet, soak the spot with a mixture of warm water and mild dish soap that cuts grease. Hand soap won’t help and harsh chemical cleaners contain astringents and are not the answer here. The warm water will help soften the stain before you take the next step. You can also put this mixture if soap and water in a spray bottle for easier application if you wish. Otherwise, use a soft microfiber towel and dab it into the warm water & soap mixture, then lightly dab in onto the stain, making sure it’s on their long enough to penetrate. Keep soaking your towel or spraying the area over & over so that it is actually on the egg, not just dripping without penetrating. Make sure all streaks of egg have been treated and are gone before attempting to dry the spots you soaked. A chamois works best for drying thoroughly.

Once you have attempted to clean the egg off, leave your truck in a dry place and assess the damage after a couple of hours after cleaning. If the soap and water method did not help, it’s most likely due to the fact that the egg was on your paint longer than you were aware of. You may need to attempt sanding the area if it is small enough. Make sure the area allows you room for sanding motion, such as a broad and flat panel. Wet the stain heavily to prepare it. Using sandpaper sounds scary, but keep in mind that you want to lightly sand and not damage the paint finish, so an 80-120 grit is advised. Soaking your sandpaper for a few hours or even overnight will help soften the grit. Use your sandpaper in small squares. I have also used a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, which you can easily find in stores. It has a dense plastic surface that acts like high-grit sandpaper. Keep the area and the sand paper wet during the slow motion sanding until the stain comes out, but do not use force or a heavy hand, and stop before you sand too deeply into the paint finish.

After sanding, you will need to polish the scratches you created when lightly sanding the spot. You can do this by using a soft buffer/polisher with a high speed rotating motor. This should remove the marks you made from the sanding procedure. Using this method will soften and gently melt the clear coat around the stain, while blending it smooth. If desired, you may now apply a pure car polish onto the buffed area which will help eliminate the circular marks left behind from the polisher. If the egg damage is still visible, you may have to have the area repainted in a body shop. If you don’t have access to a polisher/buffer, or you’re uncomfortable using one for the first time, another option is to take your car to a garage to be polished once you’ve removed the egg stains.

Here’s hoping you never need this advice and information, but if you do or you have a friend who could benefit from this article, please feel free to share it. Eggs can do a number on your truck finish, so it is always best to be armed with information before you need it one day.

I am a NYS licensed Auto Damage Appraiser, CSE certified, I-Car Certified, and have worked in the automotive industry for decades. I\’ve had the opportunity to teach auto body repair to misled kids in a classroom setting, giving them a chance to have a trade for a viable income. I found this very rewarding. Previously, I was all about the American muscle cars of the 60\’s. Now, I find pickup trucks and the way they have evolved to be my fascination and focus. I truly enjoy hearing from fellow pickup truck enthusiasts, so stop in to http://www.truckworldaccessories.com and leave a comment on my website or any of my truck blogs or articles.

I am a NYS licensed Auto Damage Appraiser, CSE certified, I-Car Certified, and have worked in the automotive industry for decades. I\’ve had the opportunity to teach auto body repair to misled kids in a classroom setting, giving them a chance to have a trade for a viable income. I found this very rewarding. Previously, I was all about the American muscle cars of the 60\’s. Now, I find pickup trucks and the way they have evolved to be my fascination and focus. I truly enjoy hearing from fellow pickup truck enthusiasts, so stop in to http://www.truckworldaccessories.com and leave a comment on my website or any of my truck blogs or articles.

Author Bio: I am a NYS licensed Auto Damage Appraiser, CSE certified, I-Car Certified, and have worked in the automotive industry for decades. I\’ve had the opportunity to teach auto body repair to misled kids in a classroom setting, giving them a chance to have a trade for a viable income. I found this very rewarding. Previously, I was all about the American muscle cars of the 60\’s. Now, I find pickup trucks and the way they have evolved to be my fascination and focus. I truly enjoy hearing from fellow pickup truck enthusiasts, so stop in to http://www.truckworldaccessories.com and leave a comment on my website or any of my truck blogs or articles.

Category: Automotive
Keywords: auto clear coat, car protection, egg damage, fix egg damage, vehicle paint finish, Halloween damage,