Does Brake Cleaner Hurt Car Paint? (Quick Answers)

Brake cleaner is an everyday use product to the car owner. We need to clean our brakes regularly to remove the dust and dirt. Since we can wash the car exterior everywhere, it is not easy to clean the interior.

Brake cleaner helps us do the job and make our brakes healthy and dust-free. However, the brake cleaner contains some chemical ingredients which are not safe for car paint. You need to apply the brake cleaner carefully.

Does brake cleaner hurt car paint?

Brake cleaner does hurt the car paint. If the brake fluid falls on the car paint, it will damage the shiny look; also, it will hurt the finishing of the paint. You need to wipe and clean the car surface immediately if it gets any brake fluid. If you delay, the fluid will take away the color.

Brake cleaner can also damage the car paint from the depth of the coat. If the brake clear dries on the car paint and cleans the surface, it will come with the paint and disclose the main body frame. It’s a highly damaging product for other surfaces.  

Moreover, the brake fluid chemicals will ruin the entire paint and fade the car’s color. Although not every brake fluid does the same damage, you must take some precautions and apply the cleaner on the brake.

Since different brake fluids and cleaners are available in the market, you should purchase the safest one.

You can check the chemicals and other ingredients and get the natural one that will not damage the car paint. It will help to reduce the risk of damaging the surface.

Apart from that, you can also cover the surroundings with some paperwork or plastic while spraying on the brake. You don’t need to clean other areas; therefore, you should cover the rest of the car. It will help to save the car paint.

Some brake cleaners are gentle. You can apply them without having any issues. They will not damage the car paint, but they are not widespread and available. You have to search on Amazon or other online platforms to get such a product.

Will chlorinated brake cleaner damage car paint?

Chlorinated brake cleaner will damage car paint for a long time use. You might not see any particular damage instantly after using the chlorinated brake cleaner, but it will damage the internal parts and ingredients of the car paint.

Mainly, the chemicals of the chlorinated affect the paint in the long run. They will dry and get through the paint; eventually, they will fade away the color of the paint. It’s better not to apply the chlorinated brake fluid directly on the paint.

It would help if you covered the paint with paper or anything, then used the brake cleaner. It will not attach to the paint and can’t damage the surface. So, it will be better to apply the brake cleaner only to the required place.

Is brake cleaner safe on car paint? What does brake cleaner do to paint?

Brake cleaner is not entirely safe on car paint. It can damage the car paint in different ways. Do you know why brake cleaner is not safe? For the ingredients. It has chlorine, carbon dioxide, Heptane, and more.

All of them are not safe. The chlorinated brake cleaner is dangerous to the car paint. It damages the clear coat and ruins the paint’s ingredients. When the fluid gets dried, it takes the paint off the car.

Brake cleaner also damages the finishing of the paint. It removes the shiny look and leaves an exterior effect by creating a layer on the paint. Therefore, the original color goes off.

Additionally, if you deep clean the car or dry brake cleaner, it will come with the paint and disclose the car’s metal. It will look weird, and you need to repaint that part.

Will brake cleaner remove car paint?

Brake cleaners can remove the car paint if it dries on the paint. When it dries, it firmly sticks to the surfaces. It will turn into a rigorous part of the vehicle that will not disappear soon.

After getting dry, the brake cleaner fluids penetrate the paint and weaken the chemical bonding of the ingredients. When you deep clean that area, it will come with the paint. Thus the brake cleaner removes car paint.

It creates another big concern by disclosing the metal of the car surface. It’s not usual for car owners to get uneven paint on their cars. So, they repaint that part.

However, the brake cleaner takes enough time to get to the paint structure. Sometimes it takes only five minutes to dry and attach to the paint surface. You have to clean the brake fluid surface before it gets dried; otherwise, it will damage the car’s paint.

How fast will brake fluid remove car paint?

The brake fluid only takes five minutes to get to the car paint. But the removal time will depend on several factors. The first thing is the deep cleaning time.

If you plan to deep clean the car paint surface by removing all the dust and brake fluid, the time will be longer.

If you deep clean the car after seven days of using the brake fluid, removing the car paint will take seven days. What if you clean the surface after five minutes of applying the brake cleaner?

In that case, the brake cleaner will remove the car paint after five minutes. You should not apply brake cleaner when you are busy. If you don’t have time to clean the other car’s surface within five minutes, you should not use the brake fluid.

How to protect your car paint when using brake cleaner?

When using brake cleaner, you can protect your car paint by covering the surrounding. More ways are there. Let’s talk about them one by one.

Cover the Paint:

The best way to protect your car paint when using brake cleaner is to cover the surrounding area with paper. It will be an excellent idea to cover the paint and not allow the brake fluid to damage the car paint.

You can use regular paper or plastic paper to cover the paint area. But don’t use the writing paper or pad. The brake fluid will penetrate the paper and get to the paint.

Use the non Abrasive cleaner:

Abrasive chemical cleaners are dangerous to the car paint in every sense.

Since most brake cleaners are abrasive, you have to spend some quality time selecting the best brake cleaner for your car. You will get the right one according to your needs.

You might find paint-safe brake cleaners in the hardware shop. They can suggest the best paints-friend brake cleaner that can be used without any precautions. You don’t need to cover the area daily.

Carefully Apply:

You have to carefully apply the brake cleaner to protect the car paint when using it.

Careless applying of the cleaner will damage the paint entirely. You should not press the nozzle and spray fast. There will be a chance to spray on the paint and damage other surfaces.

If you are careful, you will slowly apply the cleaner on the brake and remove the dust and debris from the brake. Carefulness will protect your car paint from getting any brake fluid, and it will be safe from damage.

Clean the surface Soon:

When applying the brake fluid, you must get some fluid on the paint and unwanted surfaces. In that case, you have to be prompt and clean that surface pretty soon before it gets dried.

Keep a soft microfiber while using the brake cleaner to clean the other surface within a while.

If you leave the brake fluid for five minutes, it will damage the surface and remove the paint. So, you should clean the surface whenever you get some fluid on other surfaces.

These are the four best ways to protect your car paint while using brake cleaner. You can follow them all to make the safest brake cleaning experience ever. You have to be careful and use a non-abrasive cleaner.

What not to spray brake cleaner on?

You cannot spray brake cleaner on every surface. You can’t even think of spraying the brake fluid on those things; it will fade away the color and damage the quality.

In some worst cases, the brake fluid will take away the entire paint within a couple of minutes.

Here is the list of things and surfaces that you should not spray brake cleaner on ever.

• Car Paint
• Powder Coated Area
• Plastic
• Rubber
• Painted Area

Final Thoughts

Due to the abrasive cleaning materials, the brake cleaner hurts car paints. It will damage the structure. Moreover, the brake cleaner will also take away the shiny finishing. It will remove the paint in harsh conditions. So, you should avoid using brake cleaner on any other surfaces.