Removing stains on door handles

It looks like over time the paint from my truck has stained the plastic door handles. Any way to get this off?

 

Oxidation of the plastic?

 

You think it's oxidation?

 

All the black plastic on my truck looks like that... Under wipers, mirror mounts, door handles, etc.

Has anyone tried the as-seen-on TV product called "Wipe New?"

Looks like good stuff.

 

If that's the case then there are plenty of products to treat it. I guess I assumed it was from the paint because it is most white on the plastic closest to the paint.

 

I was thinking of trying Wipe New. They have it at CVS, Wallgreens, Target, etc.

 

Crazy but a damp Magic Eraser cleans the handles and plastic bed rail cover nicely .

 

Could be oxidation and it could be wax. When wax gets on the black it's a pain to get off.

 

Check out this interesting thread about restoring plastic parts with a heat gun.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/1s...g-faded-plastic-heat-gun-works-my-review.html

 

I used Harley Engine brightener on my motorcycle engine and it works awesome on that and the black plastic pieces on my truck and I get similar results. That being said there are plenty of products that do the same thing. I have even heard WD 40 works decent, but have never tried it.

 

I think that might be wax residue from waxing your truck by hand. My carnuba wax does that when you get it on the Tacoma plastic and I can never wipe it completely off. Went through the same thing with my truck; Cleaners or peanut butter or olive oil would make it black for a few weeks to a month but it would always come back after the oil dried out or washed off. If you wax your truck by hand and that's what it is; The only thing I've found that actually works to remove it permanently is to erase it gently with a soft pink eraser. It actually worked for me and never came back.

 

This.

A couple hours after this post I remembered that my wife had my truck detailed as a birthday gift while I was deployed. I asked her if she new what the residue was and she said, "Yea, I waxed your truck after they detailed the outside."

So...now that I know it's origin I will now set about to remove said residue.

 

Yeah it happens from the wax as it degrades. Back to black by mothers works well but you will need to keep treating it if you use a liquid. The eraser method is new to me but a good idea, definitely wont hurt to try.

Don't use wipe new supposedly it is like an enamel finish which dries on the outside.

 

i use extreme tire shine from dollar general... works great actually

 

I clean mine really good with soap to make sure any wax is gone, then spray it with 303 Protectant. Works like a charm.

 

Only problem with back to black is it can run in the rain. Hard to notice if you don't look at it, but if you catch it at the right angle you can see it. The stuff works and looks good though.

I quit bothering with any of this stuff when I finally got a truck that fits through a car wash.

 

I've been detailing cars & trucks for years and have seen the situation you have many, many times. From your pictures, it would appear to be mostly wax build up and maybe a little bit of oxidation. There are tons of products out there that promise to "fix" the issue, but you have to know which issue you have in order to fix it correctly. (And please note that I do not consider "covering up" to be a real fix.)

Assuming it's wax build up - the best way to remove it is to soak it with All Purpose Cleaner for a bit, then scrub it with a medium bristle brush. This may take a bit of time and effort, but it generally gets the wax out of the pores - which is the real issue. Assuming you get everything out, you can then follow it up with any number of products already mentioned here to protect the surface from getting contaminated again. (I prefer 303 Aerospace Protectant.) Please note that you will have to re-wax the door where the APC gets on the paint because it will remove the wax from the door as well. To make sure you don't get wax back into the door handle, protect it with Blue Painter's Tape.

If your door handle is oxidized, you have a different issue. Here, the plastic has been attacked by the sun's UV rays and the polymer is starting to dry out. The best solution here is to keep the surface protected so oxidation doesn't start in the first place. But most folks don't think about it until it's too late. There are all sorts of products advertised on TV that supposedly allow one to wipe some magic liquid on and the problem is fixed. I haven't found one yet that actually works. (And the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser can actually cause more harm than good.) The only real solution is to paint or dye the offending part. Or, you could replace it with painted handles from a newer truck.

Hope that helps.

 

My friend used the Wipe New on his shutters and my taco 6 months ago and it is amazing. this spring i will do it again