# How to clean off underseal without stripping paint? Possible?



## Suberman (Aug 16, 2010)

What to use to clean off bitumen based underseal without stripping paint?

My car doesn't have any stonechip protection at all from the factory but there is some (what seems like) bitumen based underseal. I think it's what the dealership sprayed on. It's black and slightly tacky. Goes onto your finger rather easily if you touch it.

Anyway, it's abit messy at the moment and i would like to clean it all off and reapply something similar. How do i go about cleaning it off without stripping the paint?

Most of the bitumen/wax based underseal i see can be removed by spirit or some form of solvent but that also strips paint? Thinking that IPA can be used to strip wax, it should be safe, i was quite wrong.

I don't have IPA but i do have those IPA wipes which has 70% IPA, so i reckon they should be about the same thing? I tried it, and yes it did remove the underseal, but it took some paint off as well.  Although the underbody is not "painted" it's the factory overspray that it took off, i still want it looking OE.

Front jacking point - How do i remove the black underseal without stripping the paint in the area?









Rear jacking point









Any ideas?


----------



## Gruffs (Dec 10, 2007)

Petrol or Tardis should see you right.


----------



## stantheman (Dec 23, 2010)

Tardis, White Spirit or Turps will do the job effectively.


----------



## Suberman (Aug 16, 2010)

Gruffs said:


> Petrol or Tardis should see you right.


Didn't think of petrol. That wouldn't strip paint? I thought that IPA wipes would do the trick, but that took of the paint. Don't quite get it. How it could be used as a wipe down prior to a new coat of wax.



stantheman said:


> Tardis, White Spirit or Turps will do the job effectively.


White spirit would just strip everything off? Including the miserably thin coat of paint.


----------



## Suberman (Aug 16, 2010)

Oh...and does that look like bitumen based underseal? Sorry, i'm quite new to these things.


----------

