Scratched clear coat & black plastic trim stain from wax

Hello all. I was searching the threads for this first but cant seem to find an answer that I am happy with, haha. I used the meguiars gold class paste wax w/polymers in it and it works GREAT! Except......I got some on my black plastic trim. I have tried scrubbing the SH*T out of it with a green scrubby. I have scrubbed so hard that the green has actually came off the scrubby, lol. It looks like the wax is gone when it is wet, but when it dries it still comes back. WTF!? I mean, it did say in CAPS on the can not to get on plastic or vinyl. But they didn't state HOW imperative it was not to....bastards. I'm sure that is for marketing reasons, as if they stated what REALLY happens when you get it on there, less people would probably buy it, haha.
First off, do all wax products have this kind of tenacity with plastics, or is just because this has polymers? Will a carnuba ONLY wax still have this effect? If they all do, I guess it looks like I'm gonna have to mask it all off when I wax!? And second off, how (if at all possible) do I remove this crap of the trim? Is there any kind of black stain for plastics on the market to cover it up?

Also, in the course of scrubbing my tailgate latch trim I accidentally scrubbed the clear coat in a very small area with the green scrub. It isn't deep. More so just looks dull. When I run my finger across the paint it feels smooth until i hit the blemished area. Then it just feels a little rough, just not gliding across. My finger doesn't have a hard time moving across it though, and it doesn't catch. I have some nu finish liquid polish. Will this work on the little area? Also will it stand out from the rest of the good paint that hasn't been treated? I dont want to have to do the whole damn truck so it matches. I was thinkin maybe go get some MeGuiars scratch-x? But i don't know if that is too abrasive for this job. Well, what do you all think i should do here? I know these are A LOT of questions, but Im sure somebody here can answer these in a couple of sentences, haha. Any help will be greatly appreciated. If you cant tell, Im completely OCD about certain sh*t in my life......Maybe I shouldn't have gotten a black truck......Then again, because of the OCD I might just end up having the best lookin' black truck out there, haha. Thanks in advance

 

your truck will be fine.......my first scratch from a branch went all the way down the side of my whole truck......soon as i seen it i said to myself "ahh my truck will be alright."

 

oh i used maguirs cleaner wax....dont know if it's still made but it helps

 

You don't have to tape off the plastic...just be more aware when your waxing. My Dad did the same thing on his Subaru...white area's all over the black plastic. I've heard and seen utube video's of useing smooth peanut butter...something about the oil in it. I might try it with a tooth brush once the weather warms up. I'm interested in what other's have to say on what will remove the wax.

 

bumpity bump....

 

Goo B Gone Extreme, it'll strip all the wax off. (used it to remove road paint from mine see here: http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/detailing/111358-tips-removing-road-paint.html )
But try the peanut butter thing, I'd like to see if that would work.
Also have heard that Non-Pumice, garage hand cleaner works at removing stuff if you let it sit there.
Gas, paint thinner, nail polish remover... there are all sorts of things to try.

AND
for the part where you burned though the clear you might try getting a spray can of clear coat touch up paint and then clay bar it to blend it in.
That could be tough to do though.
Or just put a few coats of wax on it and just call it good.

 

Thanks for the input guys I will try the peanut butter first and get back to you. I still don't know what god damn polish to use though. I don't want to use something too abrasive. I know I'm supposed to follow the fine to course method when it comes to grain size, but i cant find the grit rating on any of these damn bottles. The only one that I can see that states the grain size is 3M, and I cant find the 3000 polish anywhere but the internet. Can anyone help on this part of my dilemma?

 

3M Finesse It, great polish used by a lot of body shops. You should be able to find it at a paint and body supply store or they will know where to get it.

 

A gum rubber eraser will take the wax off of trim,with alot less mess than peanut butter.I'd be a little afraid of gas,paint thinner or nail polish remover.

 

Thanks a bunch

 

I strongly recommend wax that doesn't stain for next time around...my personal favorites are:

1. Duragloss Aquawax
2. Meguiar's Ultimate Quik Wax
3. CSI Q-7 Wax (which we sell).

I wax all areas of my truck...paint, trim, chrome, plastic, even side and rear windows. No staining.

 

Something like this may do the trick and get rid of all the residual crap...
http://www.griotsgarage.com/product...and+sealants/dried-on+wax+remover+8+ounces.do

 

I get wax on the black trim all the time. Goo Gone takes it right off no problem. I use mothers wax, so I don't know if its different but I'm guessing it will work.

 

Autoglym makes a good product for bringing back the "black" to plastic that has had wax on it. the name escapes me at the moment... "Bumper Care" I think... Either way, check their site, and order some. It's great stuff.

As far as polishing your gate, it sounds like it's not too badly scratched. If you used a green pad, it should be fine. Try Meguiars Scratch-X. I don't use the stuff often, but I have used it, and it does the trick, and it's readily available at parts stores. It's a VERY fine polish, so good for a beginner. Just mask off the plastic gate handle before you start polishing. Oh, and polish by hand, since it's such a small area. Just use a clean micro-fibre cloth.

And since we're on the topic of polishes... If you're shopping around at most parts stores, you're not going to find abrasive polishes. They just don't stock them. These abrasive polishes are typically sold at autobody supply stores, as they're the primary users of them. If you're unsure of your polish, just put some on your finger. If it's "gritty" you know you've got a real abraisive. If it's smooth, like a liquid wax, you'll know it's a finer compound.

 

For the plastic trim, use Simple Green with a toothbrush first. Then use Back To Black....with a toothbrush as well. The Back to Black does wonders, but the Simple Green does well as a first step and it will help. Back to Black is not a paint, it is a cleaner and it is milky white and they claim it doesn't strip wax. You may not get all of it out of the textured trim like the bed rails, but you will get it almost completely gone that you won't really notice it anymore. In the future, tape it off, or stay away from the trim. The taping doesn't take a long time at all. For the clear coat damage, it sounds in the same class as a scuff. Use a three step polishing system like Sonus SFX-1, SFX-2 and SFX-3

http://www.autopia-carcare.com/son-410.html

Use with an electric machine, preferably a random orbit polisher, not a rotary polisher. Most people use the Porter Cable:

http://www.autopia-carcare.com/ulti...24-dual-action-random-orbit-car-polisher.html

You can buy a kit with the polisher, the correct polishing pads, and the polishes, and save some money. It should restore it to new or near new. You might want to consider having a detailer do that for you, just have him do that one spot: you don't have to pay for a full polishing, just that spot, and make sure he's good with a polisher.

You can shop around, but Autopia's detailing forum, and articles, are a great resource.

 

I used Mother's Carnuba Cleaner Wax today on my truck and I got that crap on my plastic trim. I always try to wipe it off as soon as i wax around it but it still comes back! The wax worked well otherwise......guess I'll be buying some goo gone and giving it a try

 

meguiers quick detailed works sometimes scrubbing with a terry cloth if it's not too embedded. steam cleaner works awesome for deep embedded wax in textured plastic. it cleans pretty much every other part of the car too.

 

i have some meguiars quick detailer, maybe i'll try that. Haven't had a chance yet since it's been raining the past 2 days