Contamination can cause serious damage when it penetrates the clear coat.
Paint Contamination is something most people don’t know about because it usually is invisible or they don’t know what to look for. Paint contamination occurs when small foreign particles made up of rocks, brake dust, pollution, pollen, etc. settle onto your paint and begin to imbed into the outer clear coat layer.
Although you can’t see the problems for a while, you definitely can feel them. If left untreated, the contamination will work down into the paint layer and cause discoloration, scratches, and even rust over time. If you rub your hand over the area of concern and it is rough, even after being washed, you have contamination. When serious damage occurs, you will have to empty your piggy bank to get it fixed.
Solution: Prevention is the key. The smart solution is to decontaminate the affected area right away before it get worse. It is quite inexpensive to solve the contamination problem since most of the contamination occurs on flat surfaces like the hood and it will save you a lot of money.
Example of contamination on grey paint:
