New to board! Have nOOb question about black trim.

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VertigoGTI

New member
I'm wondering how I didn't find this forum board any sooner, but I'm glad I did!



Anyways, I have some issues with some black trim. I have some small, light grey spots on on my front bumper that are being extremely troublesome. I thought that they were little spots of wax (although I use paste). I tried the pink eraser trick, which pulled off some wax buildup that I didn't know I had. Still, the spots remained.



DSCN0217.jpg




I cleaned it with Stoner's Tarminator to remove any dressing and hit it with a coat of Forever Black. It seemed to work, but I can still see a trace of them, hoever, it looks much better than before.



Would anyone have any suggestions as to how I can get rid of these spots?



Thanks in advance!
 
Have Klasse All-in-One? Meguiar's #39 (I think that is the number for the vinyl/rubber/plastic cleaner) would work also.
 
Welcome! Another thing to remember, I am not sure how you are applying your product on the black trim but when you do make sure you use some kind of toothbrush or something with fine bristles to get into the pours of that textured piece of bumper.
 
do you have access to "autoglym" products?



I have used there "bumper care" product recently and thought it was awesome! - having tried loads of things that either just masked the wax stains, or 'ran-off' in the rain- I was glad to find this stuff. It's a gel type product which wipes on to all plastic. It actually seems to remove the wax stain and leaves a great "semi-gloss" finish on the plastic.
 
I have recently been playing with a product I discovered..by accident. It's called "OOPS"...comes in a small can like an old lighter fluid can with the flip up top. I've found that this will remove wax from black trim as well as the black rubber gaskets on my Benz. I'm afraid that this will be a "try it on your car " product. I don't know if this will work on every kind of trim, but on the Benz, it removes the white residue and leaves a nice black sheen...not oily.

I found this product in my local hardware store and have seen it in the supermarket as well.
 
If you find you are not having success with these fine suggestions, there is a product that can actually dye the trim and make it appear new, including substantial UV protection.



ValuGard/Automotive International



Kinda pricey ($45?) but cheaper than getting new trim! Plus, you'll have enough to do +/- 100 cars!



You'll note that Autoint is right there in Cincy...



Good Luck!



Jim
 
It's hard to tell, but if some of the white spots have been coming off by cleaning, then you probably have wax on your plastic.



In actuality, it's not the wax that stains plastic trim. It's cheap silicone additives which can be found in many natural and synthetic wax products. I would not recommend using Klasse AIO, because it contains acrylics. Acrylics are very bad for surfaces which are flexible and if the cleaners in AIO don't remove the stains, they will be even harder to remove.



What I use is 3M adhesive remover, or if you can find it 3M adhesive and wax remover, and a soft bristled brush (like a detail or tooth brush). Spray small amounts on the plastic and softly scrub with the brush until the stains wash away, then wash with soap and water to make sure the stains don't reapply. This is the best solution. Sometimes people recommend things like peanut butter or peanut oil, but these only make the stains appear as if they are gone. As soon as the oil evaporates, they return.



It shouldn't take but just a few minutes to do a small area. If you are working an area and the problem doesn't get better, then you probably have another problem like UV damage.
 
After looking at the pic a little closer, I have an idea on a possible cause. It appears as if the pic is a piece of trim on the rear quarter panel. If you've been using tire dressings which contain cheap silicone oils (dimethyl silicone), it's possible they were slung off the tire and onto your plastic.
 
If acrylics are bad for flexible surfaces, then should AIO and all other acrylic products not be used on plastic bumpers? How are acrylics bad for flexible surfaces?
 
Have you tried Peanut Butter? It was used a lot by people who used Blitz wax as it tended to stain trim.



Personally, I'd give that a go first as it's cheap, you probably have it already and it's proven to be somewhat effective.



Paco
 
For cleaning trim, I learned from another here about the joys of using Eagle A2Z wheel cleaner. It's great at cleaning the gunk out of plastic trim. Available at Walmart and auto stores near you.



I use Black Again as a plastic dressing, and am well pleased with it. But honestly, many of the ones available at the same stores mentioned above will do an adequate job of making the plastic trim look good.
 
After looking at the pic a little closer, I have an idea on a possible cause. It appears as if the pic is a piece of trim on the rear quarter panel. If you've been using tire dressings which contain cheap silicone oils (dimethyl silicone), it's possible they were slung off the tire and onto your plastic.
Click to expand...



You're close, it's the front bumper. I was thinking it could've been slung tire dressing as well, but that means that the testured fender flares would've been hit with it too, especially at the back of them. They completely spotless and made of the same plastic as the bumper top. It almost looks like water etching.





Have you tried Peanut Butter? It was used a lot by people who used Blitz wax as it tended to stain trim.
Click to expand...



Yep, I tried that after the pink eraser. No luck with that. The areas surrounding the stains get darker though!



If you find you are not having success with these fine suggestions, there is a product that can actually dye the trim and make it appear new, including substantial UV protection.
Click to expand...



Funny you mention that, I was talking with Ketch (an employee of them) a few months ago about this problem. He suggested the same thing. I figured before I pluck $45 on that, I'd give a $5 of Forever Black a try. Looks like I'll be paying him a visit. Any locals want their trim re-dyed? :D



Have Klasse All-in-One?
Click to expand...



Yep, I swear by it! Do you think this caused the staining or are you suggesting it for the removal of the stain?





Thanks guys, I'll let ya know if I get any luck with the Forever Black again. If not, I'm heading to AutoInt!
 
I'm suggesting AIO for the removal of the stain because not only will it clean, but it will provide a bit of protection.
 
TW85 HHI said:
If acrylics are bad for flexible surfaces, then should AIO and all other acrylic products not be used on plastic bumpers? How are acrylics bad for flexible surfaces?
Click to expand...



Klasse recommends AIO for all hard surfaces which are non-porous. Plastic is neither. Personally I've never tried it, and I just take their word for it. Acrylic is essentially a hard plastic, so I suppose it might do unexpected things if you put it on plastic. When I use it, I'm not especially carefull around my plastic trim and some of it does wind up there. I've never noticed any ill effects.
 
if we assume its dried wax, then what chemicals are effective in removing wax? For instance, he could try a brush and test with alcohol, dawn soap, naptha, mineral spirits, all seperately of course, it's kinda hard to hurt plastic chemically- battery acid and muratic acid are contained in plastic bottles. But the black dyed part of the plastic is probably sensitive. I have a similar problem with my window trim. But on mine it doesnt look like wax, it looks like mold or water spots. The trim is gloss black, and smooth. But looks nasty with all the spots on it, and they don't come off with anything but a ruff pad, and that leaves scratch marks on the trim which have to be polished out.
 
I have been using AIO lately on all trim and to remove staining on plastic. Trim always looks better than new and I have yet to notice any issues.



BTW, if plastic is porous then why is it used for the storage of liquids and solids? ;)
 
if we assume its dried wax, then what chemicals are effective in removing wax? For instance, he could try a brush and test with alcohol, dawn soap, naptha, mineral spirits, all seperately of course
Click to expand...



I'm pretty sure it isn't dried wax. I can easily remove dried wax with Dawn and a brush, or a pink pencil eraser. It almost looks as if it bleach was splattered on it, given the round spots instead of the streaks.
 
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