Vinegar is a weak acid, and will not damage car paint. It is an excellent way to clean and remove buildup on your car paint, but it will not damage the finish. Even strong acids (such as hydrochloric acid) are used in preparing surfaces for painting, so vinegar should never be a concern.
Do not use vinegar on your car if you have rust damage. Rust is iron oxide and needs to be removed with a special rust converter followed by fresh paint. Sanding the rusted area can remove the surface rust, but then you must treat the area with a rust converter to prevent future oxidation before applying fresh paint.
It might take a while, but vinegar will remove the buildup of dirt and grime on your car.
Vinegar will work successfully to remove the buildup of dirt and grime, but it might take a few applications for your car to get back to looking like new. The acidic nature of vinegar works slowly but effectively, making it a safe, gentle cleaner that can be used on any type of paint.
While vinegar is often used as a cleaning agent and preservative, it is also commonly used as a condiment in cooking, even if most people don’t enjoy the strong smell or taste. When you eat something with vinegar in it or use vinegar as a cleaning agent around your house, don’t worry about accidentally ingesting too much—vinegar actually has antibacterial properties and eating or drinking too much won’t hurt you.
In fact, many people claim that drinking apple cider vinegar daily has been effective at treating health issues from diabetes and obesity to heart disease—but there hasn’t been enough scientific evidence for these claims yet.
Vinegar is safe to use on any kind of paint. If you have a newer car, you can use it safely with no worries.
Vinegar is safe to use on any kind of paint. If you have a newer car, you can use it safely with no worries. If your vehicle is older and has a lot of rust or other problems, test the vinegar in an inconspicuous area to make sure it doesn’t eat away at the paint
Vinegar is a great, gentle cleaner for your car paint.
You may have heard that vinegar is a great, gentle cleaner for your car paint—so is this true? Yes and no. Vinegar has an impressive list of benefits as a cleaning product: it’s cheap, biodegradable, and non-toxic. However, in addition to these detoxifying benefits, vinegar can also damage many paint types—including car paint.
Why Vinegar Can Damage Your Car Paint
The reason vinegar can harm car paint comes down to the acidity of the liquid. The acetic acid in vinegar is corrosive enough to eat away at some surfaces, including metal and plastic. This means that if you leave the acidic substance on your vehicle long enough (or use too high of a concentration), it will begin to eat away at your paint color! That said, many people swear by using diluted vinegar as their go-to car cleaner—which only makes sense if you know how to apply and dilute it properly.
