Waxing and plastics

[WeatherB]

Now that we're almost into the summer season, I'm curious to know how everyone prevents wax from touching the plastics of the car?

Some of my plastics have lost its black because I let wax touch it, even though I washed the car shortly after waxing.

I was thinking of using some masking tape to prevent the wax from coming into contact with the plastics.

[mit-gee-mui]

http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showpost.php?p=224056&postcount=9

LOL.. I noticed a while back when a detailer friend of mine would use green painters masking tape to cover all plastic trim, antenna and spray nozzles.


http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showpost.php?p=224012&postcount=4

you know when you wax plastic trim, how it leaves white behind?
turtle wax ice cleans that away, and makes everything shine....



http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showpost.php?p=189174&postcount=5

However, i when i accidentally apply
some on the plastic, and forgot to remove it right away, it
will leave residue....but can always be remove using Mother's Back to black!


http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showpost.php?p=126116&postcount=8

I am currently using Eagle One Nanowax. It applies smoothly and it doesnt take much to remove the hazing. Also doesnt get that white residue on the plastic. Smells nice too and gets rid of those fine swirls.



:)


*whispers* Sorry Fuman!:gone

[Gizzmo_jr]

The last link, "Back to Black" works, I've got a bottle and use it well. I also have a roll of 2inch painters tape to prevent all that again this year.

[Fuman]

[
*whispers* Sorry Fuman!:gone
If only I wasn't too busy writing up my FS post, lol.

[WeatherB]

Great. Thanks.

I think I have a bottle of Back to Black in the garage. :)

[kaval]

I use green or blue painters tape.

EagleOne Nanowax works really good for looks, but has horrible durability.

[x_o_k_x]

Same problem.. I havent tried, but doesnt alcohol removes wax stains of rubber and plastic??

[kaval]

take a look at these products.
1) http://www.topoftheline.com/trim-cleaner.html - gets a lot of praise
2) http://www.duragloss.com/product.asp?pid=337 - going to order that myself...has a neat sponge on it.

You can also try dipping an old toothbrush in some vinegar, or mineral spirits. Sometimes these methods are a hit and miss, but its worth a shot. Mineral spirits is a very effective cleaning chemical if used properly.

[Flagrum_3]

The Duragloss stuff works pretty good, watched a friend use it to clean his mishaps :chuckle

Anyways once you've cleaned your trim, buy yourself some TurtleWax Ice, paste and spray, this stuff is awesome and you can use it on any part of the car with no worries...and protection?!!, I used the paste in October on my car, have washed it atleast every week since, and the water still beads off and the surface is smooth as a babie's ass. :chuckle....just awesome stuff!!


_3


.

[Wild Weasel]

Frankly, I just stay away from the bits I don't want wax on.

It's not like you're going to see a dull strip where you stayed away from the plastic or something.

Painters tape seems like far too much work to me.

[theurgy]

Not really... when you're using a machine, sometimes it's not avoidable.
The little bit of time it takes to apply it to the black strips on the roof, the nozzles and the edges of the bumpers (not all of it) can save you time in trying to work around it with the Porter Cable later.

[kaval]

Painter's tape CAN be a pain, but like theurgy said, when you're using a machine, any little slip up and game over, especially if you're using a rotary machine. Better to be safe than sorry. Since the tape is already there from the polishing, you can leave it and have it act as a barrier for when you are waxing. After the trim is clean, you can use Poorboy's Trim Restore to amp up the protection and restore the black luster.

[Luxury_Tax]

You can also try dipping an old toothbrush in some vinegar, or mineral spirits. Sometimes these methods are a hit and miss, but its worth a shot. Mineral spirits is a very effective cleaning chemical if used properly.

Hey Kaval,

What is the proper way to use mineral spirits? I have some white residue on the base of my antenna from when I had my car detailed. It's been buggin me for a while. I had heard about using mineral spirits to clean this off, but do you use it at full strength, or diluted with water. Please explain. Thanks

[kaval]

You can dilute it 50/50 with water and apply it with a cotton swab, or microfiber towel, or terry cloth. You can also use it full strength. I've heard that vaseline works, but I've never tried it.

[Gizzmo_jr]

I just spent 5 hours yesterday wash/clay/polish/wax and using green painters tape (first time) was the trick for me. Last time I just came back and used "back to black" but why do that when you can prevent the problem all together. 15min of prep before polish saves the hassle of cleaning up the plastic afterwards.