Can anyone help me identify the cause of this paint contamination?
 

Hard to show on pictures, but contamination, kind of like spots, on rear plastic painted bumper of my 2015 TLX. I've tried standard washing products, and even a light try at claying, but nothing seems to remove them.
They appear to only be on the plastic bumper, not on the metal trunk or side panels. So whatever it is seems to bond with plastic more strongly than metal. Also seem to be generally over where the exhaust pipe are, not sure if that's related.
Recently had a bout of winter weather here in the Denver area, so thinking perhaps related to a decing compound. That said, I've lived here for ages and never had deposits like this I couldn't remove.
Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated.


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...4d3da1534e.jpg


https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...4e57bb00d2.jpg


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...b8a606f71d.jpg

are they embedded into the paint?

like if you took your nail and started to scratch, would you dig into paint?

at first, I was ready to call them orange peel spots, but after looking at the pic, it looks like some sort of over spray

That first pic sort of looks like water spots, but not so much on the other ones. Maybe try a lightly abrasive polish. I use dodo juice lime prime, which is slightly abrasive.

Knowing what they are will help with removal.

always always always try the least aggressive/abrasive treatment first!!!!!!!!!

theres a reason why some cleaning products come with a warning "try on inconspicuous place first"


What I want to know is if its IN the paint or ON top of the paint.

They seem to be in the paint. If I take my finger and rub across them I can't feel anything. A brief attempt at a light clay bar didn't do anything.
I would note I have a paint defect (paint is slightly lighter in a small half moon shaped section) on the metal trunk lid which I've made the dealer aware of. (haven't yet brought it in) I hadn't previously seen these spots. Could this be an issue with the factory paint job?

First pic... I thought water spots.
The last pic... when looking at it real close kind of looks like crows feet. But then again... I am on Nyquil so I might be seeing things.

Tried to get a couple more pictures in a different light to show the issue more clearly
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...233bac297b.jpg


https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...9c18c45e71.jpg


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...3ea34ed83f.jpg

they do look like water spots!

at this point, I would try a medium cutting compound with a medium cutting pad and a dual action polisher.

I had some water spots that came out well with the dodo juice lime prime just about a month back. It's very slightly abrasive. I'd personally try that first with a matching pad before using anything medium compound or higher.

I assume you have a DA? Doing it by hand will likely not produce any results.

While I do have a lot of car care products, I do not own a DA, but may look into. At this point, I am going to err on the side of being conservative and have a detailer look over the areas on Friday or Saturday. (I was meeting with them anyway to get a quote on Opti-Coat, so will talk to them about this damage as part of that discussion) Depending on what they say, I'll figure out next steps which may be being more aggressive with the dealer to get resolved. To this point, I haven't been pushing on the first paint defect I found as frankly I wanted to keep driving my new car and not turn it into them for a period of time.

I'll report back on what the detailer says (High Point Detailing in Denver). Thanks to everyone for their input.

I'd highly recommend a DA, once you use one, you'll never want to go to a detailer! Take a look at the Porter Cable 7424XP. It is very user safe so you can't damage the clear coat.

Whatever you decide though, good luck!

Since its a new car, it can also be glue residue

Since its a new car I wouldn't do anything but have the dealer address it .. Its not uncommon to have paint repairs done on new cars before the dealer or you take delivery. You said there is a spot on the trunk too .. you start messing with it and warranty may go out the window.

Based on what I'm seeing and what the other folks here have questioned it looks to be water spots. You can talk to the dealer you got it from or you can take it straight to a professional detailer.

I myself, would strongly advise against using the dealerships detailers. Quite a few folks will take a brand new vehicle to a pro to have lots of imperfections fixed.