Wax on black molding
 

I've searched, maybe not well enough, but I did. And I'm usually hanging out in the performance area's anyway.

So I waxed my car the first week I bought it, and I used wax on all of the black molding areas including the mirror housings, the front air damn and the rear diffuser. I figured that after a few weeks it would just disappear (since I couldn't seem to remove it manually). No such luck. 5 months later and all the black appears to be faded and white- which it ISN'T, it's just the wax residue sticking inside the porous plastic.

I've been using Armor-All wipes to mask the effect, which works, but only for so long. After a week or so when he Armor-All wears off the black is back to looking like it's 10 years old and faded.

Any tried and true method for removing the wax from these areas and restoring them to their new condition? The car is 5 months old, I shouldn't have to be using Armor-All on the exterior plastic yet! Thanks guys...

You can use Mother's Back to Black which works better than Armor-All but still needs to re-applied occasionally to maintain a black finish.http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.c...1970_115094960

If the back to black doesn't work, which it might not... You might try neutral shoe polish. When you remove it use a kitchen sponge with a slightly abrasive surface (don't get it on the paint!!).

I've gotten wax on a few of my black plastic trim pieces, and thats why I switched to turtle wax ice.It doesn't turn the black plastic bits white! Plus it gives a pretty good shine...

Thanks, I may give that a shot. Will the shoe polish actually remove the wax, restoring the plastic to its original condition or is it just a temporary fix. And when you say kitchen sponge are you referring to the type that has the rough top surface? It seems crazy that I'd have to go through all of this just to get wax out of the black plastic. I'm so pissed that I decided to wax those parts that day.

I have a feeling the back to black will be just like Armor-All....it'll mask the problem, but won't fix it. This is so annoying. A new car shouldn't look like this. Isn't there some kind of standard wax removal chemical that won't damage the plastic?

Any other suggestions?

Im not sure, but do they have anything called Orange Power or similar? doesnt eat the plastic mouldings

I found that a lot of this, a lot of elow grease and a LOT of hard rubbing, the was will come off

mother's back-to-black, isopropyl alcohol, mr. clean's magic eraser, or peanut butter.

Aaaaah............the ole peanut butter trick! :)

dow bathroom cleaner scrubbing bubbles.Use a tooth brush or some other brush with bristles to work it in,then rinse off. Works every time for me.Just be careful around the paint with the course bristles

Scrubbing bubbles? That will remove the wax? How much of it do you use? Do you apply it directly to the black plastic then use the brush to work it in? How do you apply it...with a cloth? This sounds like a miracle cure.

Sounds like a more practical solution then peanut butter, but I'll do anything. Crunchy or smooth? :)

I second the advice about the Turtle Wax Ice. I've used it on the black plastic and there is no white residue. I think it even helps to remove any residue of other waxes.

Zoom, Zoom!

Smooth.............and it does work, but the all kids in the neighborhood will follow you around with a glazed look in their eye, a knife in one hand, and bread in the other.

Griots makes a product for this, although I've never tried it:

http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog....1005&SKU=11216

check out mothers plastic polish, test it on a small area before you use on the whole thing. This product works great to remove anything from plastic including any small scratches, finish it off with the back to black stuff.

http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.c..._1969_26788994

I usually just spray it directly on what ever I`m gonna clean,let it set for a second or two ,and brush in then rinse off. Works great on cleaning side walls of tires,ie tire wet/armor all type products after they collect road grime and dirt. Spray on each tire and go back to first ,use ascrub brush and rinse

Saliva, towel, elbow grease for wax on plastic. Just scrub really well. A lot of those other products are nothing more than a gel that washes off over time. You need to remove the wax, not cover it.

Yeah I know, that's the problem I'm having. Everything I use just covers he wax with black goop.

So far the scrubbing bubbles sounds like a winner, although the Mothers Plastic Polish also sounds like it could work. I'll probably end up buying them both this week. I'll post the results once I've tried the different methods. This is killing me though, I just washed the car again today and the black looks like azz....

Would dish soap work? I thought it works for removing wax from a car before using a Claybar. Might work for the plastic parts too. I would just be careful not to get any on the car paint!

I was told to try WD-40. Haven't yet, so I can't say that it works, but i've heard that will.

Oh now THIS looks like a winner. Just ordered some, I'll post results once I try it (probably next week). Thanks guys!

:fingersx:

The best for removing wax residue from black molding is......
 

Go with Meguiars Vinyl & plastic conditioner/cleaner. It works, it works easily, it works fast, no scrubbing and it works permenantly and never needs to be reapplied. You will be so happy that you used it.

I used to use Amour all, but it would have to be re-applied every few weeks to cover up wax on black plastic. Then one day I tried the Meguiars product and it was so easy and I never had to reapply it.

Plus this stuff is safe and it works great for the dash board and all the plastic interior and exterior bits.

Another good trick is to keep a wet towel handy when waxing your car. If you get any wax on the black plastic, just wipe it clean before the wax drys and you will not creat new residue spots.

:rofl:

Hahhahahah... WD-40 eats plastic.

Not all plastics :)

I always use the wet towel trix but the towel wasn't wet enough this time.

Go here:

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...&highlight=wax

Mineral Spirits or "Afta" and a tooth brush is a sure fire solution to disolve the dried wax, and it's safe for use on the plastic moldings, fabric, head liner, just about all over, it's even safe if it gets on the paint.

'Afta' is that the after shave stuff?

I bought a bottle of this stuff from Groits based on the recommendation from Riles.

http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog....1005&SKU=11216

I haven't had a chance to use it yet but because it's been raining every free day I have. The other suggestions sound good. I had no idea there were so many inventive solutions for this problem.

^^lol, no it's not the after shave lotion! Here is a link to a site that has it, you may even find it in home depot in the painters section.

https://www.superkleendirect.com/ind...nfID=49&Page=1

OMG gasoline works well too
I'd be careful with some of these ideas back to black and keep the wax away in the future.

Which Meguires product? I use the Natural Shine stuff and it covers up like Armor All, but is not permanent.

They have a Gold Class product as well. Never used that one.

Did that to my old car and it's a huge pain in the ass to fix. Tried everything but nothing worked, I hope for your sake one of these suggestions work

a pencil eraser will work

GR-40

http://www.topoftheline.com/trim-cleaner.html

Everything you need to know will be on autopia.org car detailing forums

I just got around to trying the Groits garage stuff. It didn't do a damn thing.

Next up is Afta and scrubbing bubbles. All the black areas look terrible, like the car is 20 years old. If nothing work, I guess I'll have to get them repainted. I really hope one of these suggestions works...

use the Dow scrubbing bubbles first ,It`ll work. $2.99 aerosol can.And no more poking fun at the car. jk

Ok. You sound convinced, I believe you. I'll pick up a can this week and hit it next weekend- you may end up being my hero for this.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...NL._AA280_.jpg

Great stuff. You can get it over at ADS for cheaper than the meguiars website. plus they have a whole bunch of other cool stuff that youll wind up buying lol.

But seriously megs 39 is just about the strongest vinyl/rubber/plastic cleaner thats formulated specifically for cars. Id be wary about some of the other suggestions listed since they might ruin what your trying to clean...except the peanut butter...that sounds delicious:yumyum:

DO NOT TRY ANY HARSH CLEANERS. They will strip the protection and dry out the surface. When i detail cars with previous wax/sealant residues on the plastic black moldings, i usually go for a Mr. Clean magic eraser. Only a little wetness will do, do not make the whole eraser/sponge damp. Lightly rub against the surface until the residue disappears.

Mr Clean's magic eraser is available off the counter at most grocery stores.

When I do full details I usually whip out the Klasse All-In-One while i'm going through the paint prepping stage. It's for paint but it works well on moldings too. Not available off counter and it's a little pricey for some.

In the future, whenever you polish or wax your car, it is a good idea to take blue painters tape and cover the plastics and rubbers all around the car. it may take an extra 20 mins but the time taken here will save you having to go around after trying to remove wax from areas where it shouldnt have gotten into in the first place. I even go so far as to tape over emblems and seams to prevent wax from getting into the cracks. newspaper over the windows is also a good idea

I hope this gives you a good idea of what i'm talking about and good luck in the future.

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/ga...0_IMG_6645.JPG

oh and PS: If a product is specifically formulated for use for automotive use, then it will not be harsh enough to do damage as long as you use a trusted brand. Like i said in my previous post, megs 39 is pretty much one of the strongest cleaners out there and its perfectly safe for your black plastic. You may also want to try Meguiars APC+. its also on ADS.

doesn't dawn dishwashing liquid remove wax?

Dawn cuts grease. however dawn dries everything out. the only reason you should use dawn on your car would be to wash it with it before you clay..as the dawn would make the above surface contaminates easier to remove. then polish to remove below surface contaminates such as scratches and/or water spots. Then finally a wax to recondition and protect the paint. you should also dress rubbers and plastic after using dawn so they dont dry out and discolor. megs #40 is great for that or even black wow from showcardetailing.com

Good advice. Thanks! I have a magic eraser around here somewhere, I may give that a shot this afternoon since it's (finally) warm out here in MD.

I was a super dumbass. When I first bought the car I INTENTIONALLY waxed the black area. I did this on my old car every time and never had a problem. I guess this plastic is just different. Anyway, I have a lot of work ahead of me but I'm anxious to make the car look good again.

WELL I'LL BE DAMNED!

The Magic Eraser worked like, errr, MAGIC! Great advice guys! I was on reading this thread an hour ago, went to reach for my magic eraser and was a bit skeptical. PLenty of rubbing seemed to remove the wax but left a white residue. I used a wet paper towel to get the residue/cleaner off then a dry paper towel to dry it. The molding looks like new again!!!!! I can't believe it worked. All this time the car has looked awful, and that simple fix took less than an hour. I could probably stand to be a bit more detailed with it and hit each section again, but it looks soooooooooo much better than it did before.

What an awesome tip! I'm so much happier now. First the dealership fixes my headlights, than I get the wax off the plastic. Next week they are fixing my squeaky seatbelt. So much done in one week. The next thing I have to do is use some goo-gone on the old adhesive where the previous wheel weights used to be. I wish the tire guys would have cleaned that off.

Thanks everyone!!!!!

Now that you have it clean, use the Turtle Wax Ice and you won't have to worry about that problem any more. And you certainly won't have to go the trouble that joebenz mentioned above. I think if I had to do that every time I wanted to wax my car it probably would never get done. And BTW, the Ice does a decent job to boot!

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y25...IMGP1610-1.jpg

Zoom, Zoom!

Wow. Your car looks great! I also have VR with the OEM spoiler and B/R interior. I had strakes but I took them off- I'm considering putting them back on after seeing your pic. I don't have the appearance package though.

Can I use the Turtle Wax ICE on the black plastic. As in, SHOULD I do that, or does it just not matter if it gets on?

I believe the instructions actually say to use it on the black surfaces. The products especially designed for that purpose may give a deeper black result, but using the Ice on them still looks pretty good.

Well, I used the ICE yesterday. Got into a fight with my girlfriend, not so much a fight really, just her being mad at me. So I got a chance to work on the car. I was rather prolific! Not only did I use the awesome Magic Eraser, but I washed it and waxed it with the Turtle Wax ICE. You're right, the instructions say to use it on the black molding, so that's what I did.

The black molding looks VERY good, actually better than any of the "black magic" products I used. I say better because to me I want it to look like new, not shiny and fake.

As far as the wax goes, not leaving any white residue is AWESOME. I found it very easy to apply and remove which is a big plus. The car came out very shiny with no streaks. The metallic comes through the red really well. I would give it an 8 (on a 1-10) scale. It only loses points because I don't think it really gives the paint the "depth" of a carnuba wax or others that I used. It's shiny and has a wet look, but it just lacks a certain depth. However, I doubt I'll use anything else for quite a while. It just as so many pluses and I don't need to worry about the molding.

Thanks for the tip, I would highly recommend this wax to anyone else as well! In the course of just a few days with a lot of help from you guys my car looks better than when it was new!!!

Thanks All!

I agree that ICE might not give the absolute deepest shine, but for an everyday wax that's easy to apply and remove with next to no cleanup of residue, it's pretty darn good. I also have pinstriping on my '8 and the cleanup of residue around that is a real pain. I could never seem to get it all. Now, I don't have to worry. ICE is nice! :rock: :ylsuper: :rock:

Zoom, Zoom!

Used Ice twice. Agree that is was pretty good. But on black it just did not cut it. Back to the carnuba. I don't paint or worry about the plastic anymore - I just slow down when I am near it and keep the wax off. Pretty simple and takes 0 extra time. Happy buffing...

I actually used black magic and it worked to get it off..

Vegetable oil. the oil makes the wax surface then just wipe off

Raise this thread from death.. Life to lifeless