Just went to my first autocross and ended up killing some cones, but those suckers didn't go down without a fight. So now I've got a bunch of nasty dirt/grime(?) marks on the front bumper. How do I get rid of these marks? (I tried rubbing them out, but not successful) One guy told me that clay barring will take it off. Any suggestions?

 

clay bar and some cleaner wax u should have heavily waxed your car before the autox thats how u get em off easy :-p

 

3M rubbing compund. It comes in a dark gray bottle with a blue label. I've used it many times on my audi to rub out smear from rubber or plastic. This stuff is really good. I've used other stuff that dulled the paint, but this stuff didn't do that.

 

Rubbing compound will work, but you leave yourself open to swirl marks if used incorrectly. Bug and tar remover works very well for road cone marks.

 

i wouldnt use rubbing compound like he said it will dull the paint or it will really scratch it up its basiclly liquid sand paper 2 the people who dont know how 2 use it

 

Even better is to drive around the cones and not over them!

Seriously, it's good to see more people participating. It looks like I might have a sponsor to help pay for next season so I can Auto-X and do some track days. I am really excited. Those of you who don't want to see how fast you can burn up cash, NEVER EVER race your car (legally, of course). Once you get the bug, it's all over.

 

Almost all of my cone marks came off with car soap and water, even without a fresh wax job (which would help a lot, though). The sooner after the race you wash it, the better. The only mark I can't get rid of is from when I hit the checkered flag which was sticking out of the finish cone. oops

 

Thanks for the tips everyone! I think I'll first try just soap and water and if that doesn't work, I'll head over to the store and buy some clay bar. Yea, next time I'll wax the car and probably tape up the front and sides.

Chris in HB - You're bound to hit some cones when you're testing your limits! I was less than 2 seconds away from this modded FD, but those Z06s, 5 seconds! OUCH! I better go find me a school if I want to get competetive.

But I was disappointed when I didn't see ANY Lancers or EVOs at the event...maybe it was because it was a practice? Oh well, more attention for me! hehe

 

eh, don't tape the body, it leaves sticky residue. Unless you use masking tape, which would rub off from a cone, or burn into the paint maybe. I have some bad aftermath from using racer's tape. And you're right, no good autocrosser gets away totally clean!

 

Wear the marks with pride! Not everyone can kill cones....

Jason

 

I used a little smear of automotive hand cleaner (Gojo or Goop, you know, that stuff).

Put some on the cone mark, let it sit for two minutes, then buff it off. Worked okay for me.


You've got to work on your technique, until you only take cones out with your wheel. Taking out cones with your bodywork doesn't show any skill.

 

Hahahaha...yea the comment about the wearing the marks with pride..uhh they're even on the center of my body. Heh, not too proud about that. But still had a blast slipping around, that's for sure.

 

I've had a lot of long cone marks in the rear doors and on the side skirts. Guess I was just a little too tight around some (a lot?) of those cones.

All my cone marks have come off when I've washed the car, they just take a few extra swipes and maybe a little more elbow grease. But the cone material should just peel right up.

Make sure if you're using soap and water, not to use dish soap. Use only car wash soap.