Yellowstone Geyser Damage

[fam5mel]

We just returned from our cross country trip to Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks. A great and memorable trip. Unfortunately I brought some of the Yellowstone Steamboat Geyser back with us. While in Yellowstone we went down to the Norris Basin and parked my 2016 Silverado. Focused on the wonderful sights we heard a loud roar and an excited crowd. Steamboat was erupting. Returning to our truck I noticed it was wet but didn't think much of it. The wind had blown the geyser spray across the parking lot and covered most parked cars. As we drove out the air began to dry and my Tungsten brown truck turned concrete gray. It looks like it had been sprayed with a thin coat of concrete. Arriving back to our campground I went back out and washed it. It did not come off. Having arrived home and hitting two days of rain on our way back some of it has come off but the paint appears to be stained gray. Waiting for my insurance to say if they are going to cover damage. I really don't want to repaint the truck. Maybe it can be buffed out. Anyone had this happen? Any suggestions to clean it up? If you go to Yellowstone make sure geyser spray is not being blown across parking lot. Maybe I missed them but I don't recall seeing any warning signs in parking lot.

[Aridon]

Insurance should cover it under comprehensive.

[LV Naturist]

Ouch, not good. I'd be concerned the spray is caustic and ends up etching the paint. Hears hoping your insurance comes through.

John

[CentralVA]

I was at Yellowstone this winter staying in the Old Faithful Snow Lodge, and the guides warned us to protect our camera lenses from the geyser spray AND the fog that it produced in the below zero temperatures. I never thought about paint damage in the parking lots; most of them are a good distance away from the geysers. Hope a good buff job will fix the problem. Most of the damage is probably to the clear coat.

David

[savage99ss]

Try to rub some 91% rubbing alcohol on an area of the paint affected. If it removes it, wash then wax your truck.

[DougW9876]

I would be very careful about wiping that stuff off, those minerals are quite possibly abrasive and would leave tiny scratches. You might want to investigate the possibility of using CLR or some similar cleaner that is designed to remove minerals. It would, of course, need to be a paint safe product and I am not sure if CLR is paint safe.

[sande005]

I'd try vinegar - a mild acid, as many coffee makers advise to use to dissolve hard water deposit build up. It was the go-to product of choice for clean-up of excess grout when I built my fireplace. Pretty unlikely to do any damage to the paint. Spray an area, let it sit a few minutes, and wash off with soap and water. Of course, test on an inconspicuous spot first.

[fam5mel]

Just wanted to update about my truck. Yes Geyser spray is caustic to automotive paint. The spray has etched into the clear coat. Body shop is going to try to hand buff the truck if insurance will approve. If not its a total paint job. What are the chances of one having a Geyser erupt and spray ones truck? My truck was one of the ones with the least amount of spray. Lots of vehicles in that parking lot. Murpheys law is alive and well.

[orbiker]

Just wanted to update about my truck. Yes Geyser spray is caustic to automotive paint. The spray has etched into the clear coat. Body shop is going to try to hand buff the truck if insurance will approve. If not its a total paint job. What are the chances of one having a Geyser erupt and spray ones truck? My truck was one of the ones with the least amount of spray. Lots of vehicles in that parking lot. Murpheys law is alive and well.

Were you there July 6th?

From Wikipedia
The most recent eruption of Steamboat Geyser occurred on July 6th, 2018 at 1:38 PM.[7] While years may pass between eruptions some years see multiple eruptions including 29 in 1964.[8] Eruptions from 1990 to current years include:

June 4, 1990
October 2, 1991 - (1 year 120 days)
May 2, 2000 - (8 years 213 days)
April 26, 2002 - (1 year 359 days)
September 13, 2002 - (140 days)
March 26, 2003 - (194 days)
April 27, 2003 - (32 days)
October 22, 2003 - (178 days)
May 23, 2005 - (1 year 213 days)
July 31, 2013 - (8 years 212 days)[8]
September 3, 2014 - (1 year 34 days)
In 2018, Steamboat Geyser entered a much more active period with eleven eruptions recorded between March 15th and July 6th.

March 15, 2018 - (3 years 193 days)
April 19, 2018 - (35 days)
April 27, 2018 - (8 days)
May 4, 2018 - (7 days)
May 13, 2018 - (9 days)[9]
May 19, 2018 - (6 days)
May 27, 2018 - (8 days)[7]
June 4, 2018 - (8 days)[7]
June 11, 2018 - (7 days)[7]
June 15, 2018 - (4 days)[7]
July 6, 2018 - (21 days).[7] This is the first eruption since the May-June 2018 disturbance of the Norris Geyser Basin.[10]
Steamboat Geyser has two vents, a northern and a southern, approximately five meters apart.

KEN

[fam5mel]

Yes we were there July 6th. Wish we hadn’t gone down there. I’m sure years from now we will look back and think it was funny.