Strange, unwashable milky stain

[tone]

Hey, as the title states, I have this odd stain on the ( dont know how to explain it) side pillar of the car. kind of where the windscreen finishes on the right hand side of the car. It's this odd milky looking stain. Its not white white, more of a very light greyish colour. No matter what i do. I cannot wash it off. I've tried everything so far that I can think of?

Any ideas?

It's not a raised stain. When you run your finger across it it doesn't feel like there is anything there. Sort of like an oil mark. I dont park under any trees so I don't think its sap.

did aliens do this to my car? its only about 4x4cm so its not huge. but its just always there.

[spastic]

try some scratch remover on it to just clean the paint and then some wax mabey it'll help i'd say it has just slightly stained your paint in which the polish will clean and remove it

[magoo]

" It's this odd milky looking stain "

Like the ones your mum used to find on the socks under your bed??

[rogwick]

Have you tried polishing and maybe a buff? Also maybe consider a very light cut 'n' polish? There is a chance is could be rust setting in...? A milky like colour I've seen when moisture gets under the paint. If you got an image that would help the diagnosis a bit with experienced members and detailers on the forum.

I would try a good polish carnauba wax and if you got a buffer handy that might help. Although you will have to do the whole panel or maybe even the whole car if it works cause it will look funny having a shiny panel! If you can get hold of a image that will help and I can try make another assessment.

[tone]

I haven't tried to polish or buff yet. I might get a detailer to do the whole lot and point out this one area. Tried taking a picture but the sun is on the car at the moment and unfortunately i only have a phone camera which probably wouldn't be able to bring out much detail. It does seem as it is under the paint though. If i press my finger on the mark and rub it will dissapear for a second and then re-surface. Kind of like when you press your finger and it turns white for a second before the blood comes back.

Unfortunately I don't have access to a buffer, but I might try buy some polish. Don't really trust myself with anything more then a basic wash and wax though.

Ill keep the suggestions in mind though. Apart from Magoo's

[Scaredycrow]

I dunno, sounds bad. The fact that it oes away when you apply pressure to it points to some kind of moisture under the clear coat. I would def get it to a detailer and get their opinion. They may be able to dry it out (possible with the help of a solvent if its water) then apply a sealer to the area to prevent recurrance.

[rogwick]

I've got this feeling it may have to be stripped back, rust treated and resprayed (the whole panel). When/if moisture gets under the paint rust starts to set in (under the paintwork). Rust is like a cancer and has to be treated at the source and removed completely otherwise it will reappear. That is assuming it is a under surface problem which sounds to be the case.

To try something else and I'm going out on a limb here...maybe tap with your fingernail along the problem area and also the unaffected area. Is the sound the same? A difference in sound could mean a difference in density, meaning there's something going on under the paint more than meets the eye. Should sound tinny (typically) but when you tap along the problem area the tinny sound may have a little more base tone to it?

A detailer should know what the problem is if you wish to take it to one, and might also have the solution. Hopefully not a case of rust!

[tone]

I tried tapping on the area and continuing down to the unaffected area and the sound is the same. This is up and down the front side pillar only that the tapping sound is the same on the affected and unaffected area.

How is it possible that moisture could get under only that small part and not anywhere else? there are no scratches or cracks in the paint ( that is visible to my eye ). I have taken my car a few times to car washes like Crystal car wash where they use high pressure hoses. Are these sorts of high pressure washes no good? Some detailers state they use high pressure wash/foam wash where as others use soft hand wash. Would one be better then the other?

[rogwick]

Fair enough so the 'tap' test doesn't help

It may be possible moisture has got past the seals to the side of the panel. Being cool weather there's a chance the moisture has sat there for a prolonged period before evaporating. In hot weather its not a problem cause in 10mins the vehicle is dry. This is all assuming 'moisture' is in fact the problem though. At least we can sort of assume this is a worst-case scenario. I don't want to lead you down a path of "rust problem" when I don't know 100% what's wrong1

It be worth while contacting Joel (ZAS) on here and ask he doesn't mind shedding some professional advice on the matter. He's probably seen this sort of thing plenty of times before. Hard to tell if its a surface problem, clearcoat issue, or undercoat issue. I find it unlikely to be a problem on the surface of the paint, unless someone deliberately put some sort of stain either by accident or out of spite?

[tone]

Sweet. Thanks Rog. Ill see what i can come up with. Thanks for your help.