Damage to hood due to leaky pipe
 

I need advice. I park my 535 in my owned place in my condo garage. The garage ceiling is covered with drain pipes, one of which is right over the front of my car (you can see where this is going.)

I got home from a trip last week to find that the pipe had been dripping some substance onto the hood while I was gone. :cry: :cry:

There was chatter on the the building email list about plumbing problems, backed up drains in people's kichens, etc. and that "some water' had found it's way into the garage." Given the look of the mark on my car, my best guess is that what dripped on the car included drano. :mad:

Some of it splattered onto the windshield, and I was able to get it off with some window cleaner, but the stuff on the hood won't budge using normal mild cleaning substances. It "looks" like it's etched in, but when I rub my fingers over it you can tell it's raised making me think that the substance might actually be caked onto the hood rather than etched into it. Before I jump to conclusions I'm willing to try a couple more things in hope it will come off, and am looking for advice.

I'm attaching a picture of the spot, and fear I'm looking at a total hood repaint (on my 4 month old car.) From previous experience, I know the board will worm their way out of any responsibility, so this will likely wind up being my problem.

Take pictures and document it with the complex before you do anything. Also before doing anything take it to both a dealer and a professional detailer and get a written estimate to present to the complex.

I personally would have no problem trying some various compounds on it with an electric buffer as I have a fair amount of experience. But I would not touch it until you do the above so that they can't blame any of the damage on your efforts to get it our yourself. The first thing I would try is a clay bar. Then I always work my way up starting with mild polishes and progressively up to something a little more aggressive. At some point you have to know you limitations and let the pros work on it.

Good luck.

That sux - I hope they make good on your hood cause it seems like no fault on your part IMO!!!

THis will be covered by your condo's insurance policy. Make sure that the building manager or management agency is made aware. Take pictures of the pipe and the car parked underneath. Don't try to remove it yourself before contacting them.

As others have said, get an estimate and present it to them. Don't have them try to do any work, have them cut you the check.

i would definitely clay the hood. Blue clay magic available at autozone. That should do the trick. I personally would polish the hood with buffer and apply a sealant after.

Thanks for the input so far. I've already contacted the building management company and attached pictures. Waiting a response.

In general, parking under pipes is bad, bad, bad. Of course, it sounds like you have no choice in the matter since you own the spot.

Agree w/ everybody else and the path you have started: Building management > estimate > check > you manage the repair.

Agree with the above on documenting.

If you want to try a home remedy less severe than buffing or claying try a little goof off on the edge of the streak.

It has taken all sorts of stuff off my cars and won't harm the paint.

Thanks, I'll put Goof Off on my shopping list along with that tarp I plan to buy on the way home from work tonight.

If its drano, that stuff usually have a very pH, try some white Vinegar or something with a low pH.

Good advice that I didn't think of earlier. I have had good success using vinegar on waters spots that would not come out easily.

This may help. A detailer may also be able to remove it by polishing the paint.

http://www.3dproducts.com/Eraser-Wat...16-Oz-Gel.html

You guys rock. I tried vinegar first, and it took half an hour, but it worked. I'll still have a chat with my detail guy, but so far so good.:)

Love the old home remedies! Glad you found the key.

Make sure you rinse the vinegar off good, its a mild acid. Glad everything work out for you.

We rinsed it well, and I'm making an apointment with my detail guy (car needs it anyway) to have him look it over and to specially check the area.

New question. I bought a big tarp so I can begin to cover the car when parked. Is it OK to cover the car immediately after parking, or will the engine not cool down properly. The only effective way to cover is the entire hood area, including the front air intakes. I would rather avoid making a separate trip down the elevator just to cover the baby.

I'd be concerned with covering the car as well, although I understand your reasons. I've noticed that the top of my hood stays pretty hot for a while after turning the car off. Also, be prepared for the tarp leaving marks on the finish of the car. Not likely to do any real damage, but might not look so good where you pull the tarp on and off.

I agree, these BMW turbo engines run very hot, I would not cover up the vents when it is hot.

Instead of trying to cover your car, you might think instead about putting up some kind of 'ceiling' between the pipe and your car. Could be a plastic tarp, sheet of plywood, sheet of corrugated plastic etc. Set it up so that any leak from the pipe would run off away from your car.

OR have the building mgmt fix the leak issue -so you dont have to go thru with this again!!!

JMHO

Yeah - but that would be a non-starter with the building - not that they've ever done anything to FIX the situation...

The culprit doesn't have necessarily to be a leaky pipe... if (rain)water somehow finds its way through a concrete garage ceiling via tiny cracks or cavities and ends up dripping for several hours on your car, then the result will look exactly like the OP's picture. :cry:

This happened to me once on the hood of my previous BMW. After coming home, I was able to quickly dissolve those calcium/lime-type residues with a few drops of... pure lemon juice! Yep, the stuff you'd use in the kitchen on your meals which often comes in those small plastic bottles. Squeezing a slice of fresh lemon should work exactly as well. As it's a mild acid too, its effect is probably very similar to vinegar.
Of course I rinsed the lemon juice well and couldn't spot any traces or residues later.

If it were my car/building, I'd just go in there on a Saturday afternoon and put something up. I don't know the details of the location, but my guess is it could be done in an hour for $20 or less.