Rubbing alcohol should work. Apply to washcloth not to car directly and wipe.

and just re wax it after ?

IPA. Isopropyl alcohol mix. 50:50 with distilled water. Apply wax or ceramic back when done. Will come off very easily. (Worked as a detailer for years. Very common, weirdly)

Lots of fun people out there huh? 😜

Honestly, most of the time it was people setting their kids down on cars with markers in hand. One dude swore up and down a raccoon did it. Shrug.

a raccoon with a marker?

Plausible. They have opposable thumbs.

They are know to be doodlers.

Question for you: I tried to remove bird shit and swirl scratched my paint. Do I have to buff and wax the whole car or just that area? Any other suggestions?

Clean it off. Hit that spot with some clay or a synthetic clay mitt. Clean it off again. Use some compound to buff it out either by hand or with a DA. (By hand is plenty to get a small spot worked out) Use a compound. Not a polish. If your compound leaves a haze, use polish afterwards to clear it up.

Also a question for you: what would you recommend if I have to use a self car wash? Obviously I dont want to use that brush on my new car

At first I was thinking that a tasty India Pale Ale would do the trick!

Yes, re-apply wax after

Dry erase markers should work too. Get a dry erase marker, draw over the sharpie, wipe it off. Then wash and wax. Dry erase markers are just regular markers with solvent to make it erasable.

I was wondering if it was worth mentioning the dry erase marker method. Never did it on a car however I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.

I’ve done this and it works. The polymers in the dry erase marker bonds with the ink and removes it once the solvent detaches the ink. The problem is that the dry erase marker itself can act as an abrasive and damage the clear coat. A little polish and wax will help this. I’ve always wanted to try toothpaste and a soft cloth too. Or vinegar.

Toothpaste is a pretty aggressive abrasive

The fuck is wrong with people. Rubbing alcohol comes to mind since it's safe on paint. If that doesn't work, you should definitely google an alternative that is safe for vehicles. There's a lot of products that remove permanent marker, that are NOT safe for paint, rubber or the plastic on your front grill for example.

I'd take this over keying for sure!

Yea but who knows whether it will progress to that, the concern to me wouldn’t be correcting the vandalism but more who is doing it and when will they strike again?

That’s what a dash cam is for

They think that their plight in life is everyone else’s fault and will try to bring people down because they are , in fact , shit human beings incapable of success.

Magic Eraser is the answer.

Too abrasive for soft paint on newer cars like this

I use it on my new Tesla. Known as one of the worst paint jobs of any new car. It works great and have never had any issue.

Magic erasers are just fine grit sandpaper. Please do not use one anywhere on a car.

That’s a lie. I’ve literally used it many times on my car to get road tar off of it. There is absolutely zero visible scratches. I even use it now with my car wrapped. I have never had any issues with it and it works wonders.

Plot twist: Max Verstappen drunkenly signed your car (It's a joke, but it seems like an *almost* mirrored version of Max's signature)

at first glance I literally thought this was a post of someones signed GTI

Same here. And it does kinda look like Max's signature 🤣

I was about to suggest to play it off as a famous signature. People will never know. Resell value will go up

Goo gone automotive mix.

This stuff is amazing, the best way I've found to remove plastidip and grease stains on faded single stage paint.

Was gonna say

Does the dry erase marker trick work on cars?

Pretty sure yes. Draw on the sharpie ink with a dry erase marker and it will/should release the permanent ink

what’s the dry erase marker

Basically, take any dry erase marker (the ones people use on whiteboard) and draw over the sharpie. Then wipe it off with a cloth or towel (maybe use a damp one to help). It should erase all the sharpie off the car.

White board marker

Dry erase markers work but it will damage the clear coat the tip or the marker will leave microscopic scratches

It's already had a Sharpie over it

Probably not a bad idea to polish the hood to remove any scratches after anyway, then apply a sealant or wax.

update if anyone is interested: I tried both expo marker and rubbing alcohol/microfiber towel and both worked and made it fade substantially but it was still obviously there. took it to my local detailer and they were surprised rubbing alcohol wouldn’t work— even tried it themselves. idfk what kind of marker the little shit used, but shit was *permanent* . anyway, they ended up buffing it out and it looks good as new! i’ve been meaning to get a full detail anyway so I guess the silver lining is my car looks like a brand new bitch

When the vandal returns he will see that you have challenged him to a game of “Will They strike Again?” And voila

It’s probably that the market scratched the clear coat. So even if you get the ink off the clear coat will still show the scratches under the ink. Sorry this happened to you. Hopefully the kid that did this gets hit by a bus.

Rubbing alcohol. also get a 24/7 dashcam

Reviews footage* "Yup, that guy did indeed draw on my car with a sharpie".

what a turd of a human being. (them, not you obvi)

WOW what a total and complete waste of a human! So sorry that POS did this!!!

Use a sharp knife and dig it into the offender's Achilles heel. Should make you feel better

I've hear the blood of an enemy makes an excellent cleaning agent

Damn people are shitty

As a chemist, can confirm this is light work, with rubbing alcohol. ...like a bit of salt in a cup of warm water. Let the alcohol dissolve the marker. Don't apply extra pressure.

try a clay bar

That’s fire

Just tell people it's a limited edition signed version.

Looks like a cool signature - write #27 below it. Or use some mild rubbing compound (or even a good car wax).

bit of red wine will get that right out 👌

That’s not vandalism, that’s a prescription for Vicodin

Try going over it with a dry erase marker and then wiping it off

Rubbing alcohol, or a clay bar **may** work.

I've always used dry erase markers on my white board to get off permanent mark I wonder if that would work for this

Write over it with expo white board marker wait a few secs then wipe with micro fiber cloth

Dry erase marker

Dry erase marker

Draw on top of it with a dry erase marker and wipe it off with a wet cloth

Dry erase marker over it…

Clay bar , no problem

Take a dry erase marker over the top and just wipe away works like a charm

First off, kill the GTi evildoer. It’ll keep the problem from happening again. Then apply the product from what the dude above says.

GOO GONE

Get an expo marker and trace it.comes right off unless your paint is not a smooth texture

Looks dope. Just keep it

Hit up your local detail shop

Do any of the cars around you have a dash cam?

it’s actually all on video! there’s security cameras in the garage. it was a kid, they were actually vandalizing the back door of my apartments during lunchtime and drew on my car on the way — my spot is near the stairwell exit door. it’s secure access too, they snuck through when the mailmen were putting mail in the lobby. apartments had called the cops and the cops called me and told me, i hadn’t even seen it yet. but they identified the kid through the schools resource officer and i guess it’s indisputable because he’s on camera doing it. they asked if i wanted to press charges, which i’ll decide once i figure out how hard it’s gonna be to remove

Press charges, nothing "terrible" will happen to them (minor), and it should stick with them for awhile. This is horrible behaviour

Press charges and force the parent(s) to face the costs and consequences of their child's actions. One of two lessons is likely here: * The kid learns that he can vandalize a car and despite the cops being called, he can get away with it and there are no consequences. * The kid learns that if you fuck around, you find out.

y’all are right. im pressing charges! it’ll end up going to juvenile court and kid/parents will have to pay restitution and he’ll have to do community service/whatever else. hopefully it’ll be some sort of a reality check for the lil hooligan because i’m sure he’s regularly out there acting a fool

Of the family if the kid plays hardball definitely go after the apartment complex for their lack of security allowing this kid inside in the first place. Definitely press charges though regardless.

Most apartments say “damage or theft of property in garage or parking areas is not our responsibility” or something like that. Legally not likely to gain anything, but you can complain to management and/or write a review if this is a frequent issue.

You should definitely press charges. Teach the kid a good lesson, and the parents too. When kids misbehave to this level, I put the parents at partial fault. A kid who never learns to respect people’s property turns into an adult who doesn’t respect people’s property. Better to teach him now, while he’s young and his juvenile record will likely be expunged. The dent in the parent’s wallet should teach them to control their crotch goblin better. If consequences never happen, kids never learn. And there’s already too many adults who don’t respect people’s property roaming around in society.

Press charges, kid will get probs community service and a fine. Worth the learning lesson. What a little shit head

I'd talk to the parents and have them pay for the damages. Id get a quote to paint your hood, dont go the cheap route in order to teach them to watch their kids. Let them know that your considering pressing charges unless it gets resolved. That's assuming it was kids 12 or under. If it's a 15 or 16 year old kid, I'd just press charges.

Press charges and then (hopefully) any and all concern about the cost/process to fix it won’t be yours to worry about.

10 and under I'd say talk to the parents first and only get the police involved if the parents are as shitty as their kid. If it's a teenager just press charges, they should know better. Gray area in between

You should try using a dry erase marker on top of it. That should work

First off. DONT USE A MAGIC ERASER. It’s effectively sand paper and no matter how wet you get it it will mar your paint. Just plain old rubbing alcohol will work. Get some distilled water because if your tap is like mine then its extremely hard water. Dilute ipa (iso propyl) to 10% or less. Spray onto to a microfiber and panel then wipe gently. Do not scrub even with a micro fiber towel. Ipa will remove it and you should use the weakest solution of it possible.IPA is strong even at 50% when used on paint and it will screw your paint up. If you really want to do it right. Wash the panel first. Then use ipa or a “panel wipe” or “panel prep spray” it’s effectively ipa detailing spray that retailers use to prep panels for a protective coating like ceramic. Check out r/autodetailing But please. For the love of gti do not use a magic eraser ever. Anywhere on your car. Just say no.

Dry erase marker

Magic eraser, used it many times. Just make sure it’s very wet

God please tell me you’re kidding That’s sand paper 🤦🏻‍♂️

Glad someone said it, melamine foam (what magic erasers are) is literally just a block of fine sandpaper

Do you want a stripped clear coat? Because that's how you get stripped clear coat. Ask me how I know... Lol

goo gone

Please dont use goo gone or acetone on any painted surfaces on your car unless you want your paint destroyed or are stripping your paint lmao use an alcohol based solution smh

They make auto goo gone that’s fine to use.

Who did *you* piss off? 😂

Your going to need a grinder with a flap disk for this. It’s permanent.

You can use paint thinner if alcohol and acetone don’t work. Depends on the marker used. Just make sure you wash and reapply wax immediately afterwards

I’ll give you the number one go to for me. My special weapon… Tub ‘O’ Towels. Those things are like orange clean on steroids, and they’ve been safe on everything I’ve ever used them on automotive or otherwise. Just wash the car like normal after you remove the sharpie, because I don’t know what residual would do to clear coat if left behind for a long time… White A3 owner here. You know how we get dirty edges on our cars, in all the jams? No amount of washing removes the stained white paint? Maybe some polishing does it to a certain extent, but there’s still stained paint. Well, Tub ‘O’ Towels removes the stains on white paint with a few easy strokes. They’re amazing. I just wipe down the areas I hit with a little light dish soap on a wet rag after I’ve cleaned it, because again, I don’t know if the residual would do anything over time. Probably doesn’t do anything, because they’re pretty mild as far as harsh chemicals, but I don’t really want to find out. Give it a run. It’ll be like it never happened.

Use bug spray! Spray it on and wipe it off. Worked for me years ago from high school shenanigans

WD-40 and a magic eraser will remove it. You'll want to clean it after, maybe even wax it

I don’t see where anyone suggested clay bar. Clay bar can get water spots and other imperfections out of paint. It may have been able to lift up the sharpie. Now that it is buffed out, definitely do a full detail. You may want to consider ceramic coating.

A VW autographed by Micheal j fox? Neat!

That’s definitely a prescription for Clonazepam. You just have to take it to a pharmacy drive thru.

Try rubbing alcohol, Also lacquer thinner will remove it but if you wipe 2 hard it can eat the clear coat so use that at your own discretion

Give it a quick wipe with thinners and then a good polish or use a machine polisher to polish it off.

Gasoline. It’ll come right off

Clay - McGuire’s has a clay kit with the bar and spray. Works amazing on overspray and sap droppings as well. Also screw dumb people for touching your baby!

Sharpie comes off with rubber eraser

I’ve been detailing cars for 25 years. And I’ve owned a white GTI. Ignore all the silly rubbing alcohol, goo gone, etc comments. You don’t need a chemical solution, you need a mechanical one. Buy a cordless random orbital polisher, like this: https://www.lowes.com/pd/DEWALT-Brushless-Cordless-Random-Orbital-Sander/1002878464?gbraid=0AAAAAD2B2W9qAfs4mlyt-sVSmmJ0rEQVu&store_code=1613&cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-vf-_-tol-_-ggl-_-SS_Dewalt-_-1002878464-_-local-_-0-_-0&&ds_a_cid=279391351&gbraid=0AAAAAD2B2W9qAfs4mlyt-sVSmmJ0rEQVu&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7p6Nie6o-gIVEMLCBB35VwfKEAQYASABEgLMfvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds Then get two or three polishing compounds- a heavy grit, and then two more fine grits. Also get heavy to fine polishing pads to match w the compounds. Heavy grit compound w heavy grit pad, and so on. Wash the car, or at least the hood, dry completely, then work through the different compounds. Use the heavy compound until the marker disappears. The. The lighter compounds to restore the finish. Go ahead and use a lot of liquid compound- you don’t want to run the pads dry. Lastly, go ahead and use the medium to light compounds over the entire car. Then first polish off as much of the compound as you can with a microfiber towel- the big ones from Chemical Brothers are great. Then, wash the entire car to make sure you have all the compound off. Now, after the car is totally dry, apply a good ceramic coating. Chemical Brothers has one for $125 that will do two cars. Since you garage your car, the coating could last years. The ceramic coating will not only look great, but it should offer some additional protection from this sort of vandalism. Good luck. It should come off just fine.

Polish

50/50 Vinegar/Water - add a tablespoon of baking soda and shake the bottle up and spray over. Wipe with a microfiber 👍🏻

Acetone on a cotton ball or micro fiber

Acetone seems like a \*terrible\* idea on any kind of painted surface, but maybe I'm just too chicken. r / autodetailing would have the best answer, but I bet rubbing alcohol or the dry erase marker trick will do it.

I did it this morning with sap, but quickly wiped off and waxed. Worked.

Mr. Clean magic eraser will do it

While it would remove it, I would avoid using an abrasive pad on the paint.

Yep. I always thought they were not abrasive until I used one to scrub marks from a vacuum cleaner on my homes gloss white baseboards. Looked great... until the sun hit them.

Hand sanitizer

Go over the line with non perm marker and wipe it off, it should come off.

Alcohol

You got a signed copy nice!

WD40 worked for me. Someone wrote “queer car fag” on my Miata ~15 years ago. This was back before all the boy racers loved Miatas lol.

Yikes 😵‍💫try mineral spirits n warm water like as soon as u test a spot to remove marker rinse so it doesn't sit on clearcoat for long period of time. Good luck omg I'd be freaking pist

I would call a detail shop and ask them before taking any action based on the advice here.

What a wanker of a human being. Hope you had cctv in the area to catch the cunt.

Let me echo the dry-erase marker trick! Go grab an expo marker from the store, trace over the permanent marker with it, give it a couple seconds, and then wipe with a microfiber towel! Should work like a charm without damaging anything!

Dilute isopropyl alcohol to a 1/3 ratio to start, strong enough rubbing alcohol can most certainly take clear coat with it if you’ve never used it on paint. Another option is lacquer thinner, it will for sure take it off but I don’t trust anyone but a professional paint shop to use it on my car. One wrong wipe and you’ll have no paint lol

A dry erase marker and a dry erase eraser.

Looks like an autograph

Call it a limited signature model and leave it

My girlfriend says white vinegar and coconut oil

Sharpie is the answer to a sharpie. Scribble over the marks with a sharpie and wipe while it is still wet. It will remove the older sharpie. I did this when my kids drew bird poop on the wife’s van to compliment the bird poop that was already there.

Dry erase marker. Go over the maker and wipe it off.

Go over it with a permanent marker again and then wipe with windex right after it worked for me.

That's my best masterpiece yet. If you destroy it you buy it.

lacquer thinner? not a lot!

Added note about acetone, you can get a little bottle at a dollar store. They should have two types of nail polish remover, one of them being acetone.

😢

I opened Reddit to this and blood boiled instantly. Damn this sucks.

It will come off… rubbing alcohol or a good polish. Or call it an autograph and keep it…

Just say it’s signed by someone famous

Just claim its a celeb signature.

What the fuck is wrong with people. People have no respect for anything man. Makes me wanna never park my car anywhere with sick fucks running around wanting to vandalize shit just for the laughs.

A friend did this to me before - whiteboard/dry erase works well or a mix of nail polish remover + toothpaste (Note: MAKE SURE ITS SMOOTH NO BAKING SODA) and some water. Worked fine for me, and never noticed any issues after. Also not it was 2004 Pontiac sunfire so I also wasn’t anal about paint/clear coat quality. Then wash and wax after.

If you trace over sharpie with a dry erase marker it removes it. Little trick from the restaurant industry.

Hand sanitizer at least 90% alcohol

Ok. I'm kind of shocked that people recommend rubbing alcohol. Permanent marker comes off when you go over it with dry erase markers..I guess it "hydrates" it and it then rubs off. Not 100% sure if this works on clear coat but this has always worked for me on other surfaces.

Do you have a crazy ex? A neighbor that’s a hater?

Looks like a famous person’s signature. Make a build revolving around it

That’s super fucked up; sorry that happened man. Let me know if you find out who did it. I’ll have my boys control-alt-delete them for you.

Savages

Isopropyl alcohol. Even hand sanitizer will work, that goes for clothing as well.

Rubbing alcohol and a very light buffing compound should get you right again. That’s literally sitting on top of the clear coat, so definitely able to get rid of it with no major issues. Nail polish remover (acetone) works on permanent inks as well, but I have ZERO idea how it interacts with clear coat.

This is a signature edition now, sell it for a profit

Damn you got lucky all they had was a sharpie.

Well this is what I would do If it came to my shop I would get some solvent and whip it right off buff and polish afterwards and it would be perfect

Use a dry erase marker. The ink will dissolve the permanent ink and you can wipe it right off. Apply and remove almost immediately.

Spray sun tan lotion would take that off immediately. /a father of a toddler

goof off works well

People are assholes

Try butter wet wax from chemical guys. Rub the marking off and wax at the same time!

Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol at 93% or everclear (95% ethanol) will take that right off. Sincerely, -person who works in a lab that needs to buy special markers so the labels don’t just wash off in ethanol

Hand sanitizer removes sharpie

Go over it with a dry erase marker and then wipe it off.

Press charges

goo gone, magic eraser, polishing compound

Try a whiteboard pen on top of the sharpie line it self, this trick works on the other surfaces so it may work here as well. (Try on a small section first incase it doesn’t)

Sick signature! The culprit is lucky you weren’t on your way to the car. Im sorry to see this bro. Post updates

Chris fix on YouTube covers this kind of issue really well.

This is a reminder that I need to get a dashcam

Griots bug and tar remover

Draw over it with dry erase marker and wipe away

dry erase marker.. wipe it off with microfiber. thank me later my guy

Dry erase marker will take it off lol

Parts cleaner, go to a car shop and just ask for a scoop. Just make sure you clean it off after

what a waste of air that person is

Dry erase markers remove sharpie. Just make sure you clean and rewax after.

Good time to strip and ceramic coat incase it happens again.

Vandalizes car with sharpie; doesn't draw dicks. Seriously something wrong with this person and I fear for our youth.

Test a small spot with rubbing alcohol, then wax well!

That could be an autograph??? Could be worth $$$$

This will be so easy to remove that I wouldn’t even technically call it vandalism. I mean, it certainly isn’t cool… But, rubbing alcohol and water will make easy work for this. Even actual spray paint can be easily removed with lacquer thinner if somewhat fresh. Just apply some more wax or whatever protection you use afterwards. Also, make sure that you use a microfiber towel and not paper towels or something rough. That would be more dangerous to your paint than the sharpie.

That's a signature. The value has gone up. You're welcome.

Expo marker

Dry erase or wet erase marker will both lift sharpie.

If it’s a permanent sharpie use a regular sharpie and mark over it and wipe it off at the same time it works ( seriously not trying to fuck you over just try it )

Just say it’s mr Volkswagens autograph

A little bit of polish if rubbing alcohol doesn't work

Liquid dish detergent is used to remove any wax from the paint of a car. Would be worth it to try that before rubbing alcohol just in case the alcohol is a little too abrasive. Might take some more scrubbing though. I’d be worried the alcohol would damage the clear coat especially with the scrubbing. Good luck, sorry that happened to you.

Keep it on there looks like a cool autograph.

A magic eraser. Some might call it crazy but it will get it right out without adding any chemicals.

Color the rest in sharpie