So last autumn I bought a new-to-me '09 Clubman S, pepper white. By this spring it was bugging the hell out of me that there were tiny, tiny orange spots all over the paint on the rear doors and front end. Maybe they had been there before, or maybe all the highway construction followed by a salty New England winter and were newly appeared. Whatever — I was going crazy!

So I did some looking around online. My first guess was that they were rust spots, although how exactly that would happen was beyond me. Lo! and Behold! it turns out this is a known problem with brake dust and (get this) active railroad tracks. The tiny, tiny bits of metal embed themselves into your car's paint, and then they rust. Oh, isn't that cute.

(moral: don't routinely park near railroad tracks! Or live in New England. )

The good news is since this is a known problem, some enterprising chemist has tackled it. There are a couple iron neutralizers, and the one that seemed consistently best reviewed on various auto forums was CarPro Iron X. I ordered a 500ml bottle from AutoGeek.net (after trying the usual NAM sponsors, no joy).

So, the stuff is clear. Spray it on the paint (or wheels), give it a couple minutes, and then (the instructions say) use a sponge to spread it around, then rinse off. As it combines with, neutralizes and removes the rust, it turns a red-purple color.

And hot diggity dog, did my car have crazy purple spots and streaks all over! Check out these pics.





Tiny purple streams kept leaking down from the rear "MINI" badge and from the driver's side mirror for some time; every few minutes I'd rinse it down with a little more water. Eventually it was time to actually dry the car. Orange spots? Gone! Lovely!

The one complaint I have, and it's minor, is that the stuff has a seriously alkaline chemical scent. They say it's "Ph Balanced" and neutral, but my nose says otherwise.

I used way too much — could have used much less — but I was dead set on eradicating the orange spots! But now my driveway smells chemical-y… hmm. Oh well! Some spring rains may help wash it away.

So, if you have these orange spots too, I heartily recommend Iron X. I'm not associated, just a happy customer, yadda yadda. Give it a try.

And if you're a NAM vendor/sponsor reading this, I recommend you try out this stuff. I know I'll be buying more and would love to toss business to a MINI-focused business!

 

A much less messy process with a lot more benefit is to clay bar the entire painted area. Clay bar is not hard to do and this problem you have is exactly what it is made for. It can be gotten at any auto parts store, Mequiars is good stuff. You also need the quick detailer for a lubricant. Give the car a good bath then spray the detailer on a 2 or 3 square foot area at a time and rub the clay across it back and forth till it is baby bottom smooth, don't let the area get dry or the clay will stick. You gotta keep it damp with the detailer. No more junk in your paint. After each area is done, knead the clay into a fresh patty and go to the next. You will be surprised at all the crap leaving the paint for the clay.

 

bizarre! Coming from California, I thought this was going to be all the tiny bits of gunk from the sap from trees spraying everywhere that we get. I'd have never guessed what you ultimately discovered.

 

My first thought was that you lived under a mulberry tree and little bugs were eating the mulberries and leaving fly specks all over the place.

 

Good tip there! I actually turned to this stuff after finding that clay bar barely made a dent in the problem. I was quite puzzled when claying didn't do the job!

I definitely would start with clay; it's cheaper and used early and often would stop this problem ever from occurring! But if you're past the point where clay can fix it, give Iron X a try.

 

I have this exact same problem on my PW car as well. I was able to get it pretty clean with clay the last time I tried, but not completely out. I used Auto Finesse Iron Out on the spots before a clay job when I detailed my car a couple of weeks ago and, just as reported with the product above, it just washed right off.

Mine's a 2013 too, so it seems like this issue gets past the point where clay can fix it pretty quickly.

--Matt

 

Hmm... is this process is faster and easier than clay bar, I'd take it anyday. Since I also live in Boston, we get a lot of salt which doesn't dwell well with the tiny rust spots from brake dust. I also wonder if this is the same stuff as Sonax since it appears to react the same...

On another note, bratling, are you coming to our Boston meets?

 

Perfect timing with this post! just noticed those pesky orange spots on my pw as well. Tried the clay bar but didn't have much effect.

 

Where is Octaneguy when we need him?

 

Haven't seen him post anything for quite a while. He's either too busy to sit down or he figures there's enough souls he's educated here on NAM that they can take care of any issues that arise.

Something that doesn't get much air time is the subject of 'rail dust'. If cars are transported by train they are exposed to tons of rail iron churned up plus all the brake dust from all those rail cars. I'd bet a car comes off a transport after a cross country ride weighing 20 pounds heavier than when it was loaded on. Self inflicted brake dust is one thing but a ride on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe has got to be close to murder.

 

Not sure -- we have a baby (#2) due any day now. I expect to be largely MIA for the next few months. Maybe by the time MINIs on Top rolls around?

 

Yes, dramatically. You just spray it on, wait, then hose it off. I use Sonax Full Effect on my wheels, and this stuff seems to have some common chemistry (as evident by the purple runniness).

--Matt

 

I have to try the Iron X. I noticed those spots on my boot right below the beltine back in March. They've only gotten worse since. Looking forward to getting rid of them ASAP.

 

Just got my bottle of Iron X today, cant wait to see it work its magic this weekend. I'll try to get some pics of before and after.

 

If it doesn't work for you I'm going to feel awful. Okay Iron X, do your thing! Make me proud!

 

Can we get a before and after picture? I'm very interested in how this goes...

 

if it works I will be thrilled, if not Ill just try something else. Yes I will take a couple pics.

 

I just detailed my car today, and noticed the same thing, although to my eyes, the flecks were yellowish, and mostly found just behind the front wheels on the doors. Anyway, clay bar would not do it, so I literally got the biggest chunks with my thumb nail. Mi will try this product next time. Although, I now have some mudflaps to install, so maybe it will mitigate the problem.

 

Also had the orange iron flecks behind front wheels on the doors and a lot the boot and rear bumper. Was able to clay bar them off keeping it wet with the included detailed spray in the kit. Is there a good aftermarket brake pad without the metal particles? Didn't mind clay bar once to solve problem but don't want to have to this biannually!

 

I'm so happy I stumbled upon this thread. I have these, literally, dark rust colored bumps on my boot. They'll come off if I scrape at them with my nails. But why elbow grease it when there's a solution.

You guys are awesome.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using NAMotoring

 

Any update on the mud flaps?

Another update from me: Indeed, Iron X works very well on the wheels. Here's a photo!

 

I had this problem on my Pepper White...it was a real pain to keep clean....NOW I have another problem with small black "Tar spots" all over the car(s)....something called ARTILLERY SPORES...which are "fired" out of the mulch laid around in the flower beds...these are a real pain to get off....you have to spend about 30 seconds on each one (about 1/10th of inch across) and there are literally hundreds...if not thousands on the cars......

 

My order is on its way!!

Sent from my SCH-I535 using NAMotoring

 

I used clay bar, and it worked.

 

I still have more to do but the de-iron solution did majority of the work. I smudged it around with my finger a bit to see how much of it took off.



It was pretty bad. The rest of the car was 1/4 this.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using NAMotoring