the strongest paint solvent thats safe for factory paint?

[themadness]

is there a solvent thats stronger than lacquer thinner but safe for factory paint? i'm trying to get some spray paint off of the factory job on my cavalier. the thin layers are coming off ok with lacquer thinner but the heavy areas arent doing much....

[Koots]

Clay bar might help, as I've seen it take some crap out of the paint on my truck that looked impossible to remove.

[themadness]

nah.....tried that to no victory.

goof off didnt do anything either. the only thing i have had luck with is lacquer thinner and it just isnt touching the thick layers

[DTMAce]

Prepsol Solvent 3919S. This is great for removing things like dirt, grease, tar, wax, etc. Alternatively you can use WD-40 for removing stubborn road tar and the like first, then this. This particular stuff is great for preparing paint surface for waxing/buffing, or getting ready to do sanding or repairs. If you are doing sanding and repairs, you can use this as a cleaning options, but prior to painting you would use enamel reducer as a final prep.

Couple of cautions. Do not leave a rag soaked with it laying on the paint. Over a period of time it CAN damage the finish. If used properly, you would use two rags. One with solvent and one that is dry. Always use soft towels/rags, never paper products. I typically use an air blower to assist in wiping and drying after cleaning. Then you can proceed to do paint work, or buff, wax, whatever. This stuff will act more on rubber materials, but as long as you dry them off well they will be fine. In some cases they can make them look a bit better.

I'm not sure about suggesting anything stronger that won't damage the finish though.

Edit:

It will work on spray paint, but yeah if you have a lot of layers or thick layers it may take more of a soak and wipe attempt, than just wiping. Sounds like you have a challenge there.

[themadness]

you have no idea!

basically the previous owner banged something on both doors. it was a woman so i'm thinking she was a s*%# driver. i pulled the door trim today since it was banged up and for god's sake why do they put those on there! a never ending buffet of 7 years worth of pollen and dirt that only the lacquer thinner has been removing. so after she banged it up it looks like someone taped from the pin stripe up and hit it with a spray can.......poorly. my 76yr old grandma could have done better. BUT.......if i get this taken care of i will be from behind the eight ball since the passenger door isnt as bad as it looked, the drivers door may get taken down and pounded from the inside out to see if i can push out what ever will move. the fenders are the biggest problem since if all else fails, i can hunt down some doors at the junkyard. i guy about 15 miles up the road has 6 cavs in his yard and lots of left overs.

this is my 05 cavalier btw......

[DTMAce]

I had to correct a typo, its 3919S, not 3939S. You can get this sort of stuff from most Napa places. At least they do carry it up here anyway.

I'm not even sure this still will cut that problem well enough for you. May just have to break out the sand paper, but we all know what that will mean.

[themadness]

i tried acetone today and it worked like a dream on one side. the other door seemed to be a different kind of paint. it wouldnt budge so i wetsanded a bit and removed most of the spray paint. my plan now is to just have that door painted. any body have any ball parks on painting one prepped door?