BLACK STREAKS

As someone who lives with e-mail day in and day out for work, I would recommend calling the dealership. Although convenient, email is a terrible form of communication.

 

I was more curious to see if I'd even get a response. Yes I've called and left a message with a sales manager (who also got the email)

 

This is a never-ending annoyance on my truck, and I have never used any treatment on the rubber parts. I don't know any way to eliminate them and I get them just about anywhere there is a rubber trim piece. Below the antenna is one of the worst; tailgate handle, side window moldings, fender-flare rubber...etc etc.

To easily remove them between washes, I use Lemon Pledge wipes or spray on a soft cotton cloth. Takes them right off. There are very specific places where they appear on the body after every rain or snow storm. IMO, it has nothing to do with the owner and is not a maintenance related issue. (white truck) It also removes the black trails the door gaskets and weatherstrips leave on the inside of the door openings. It works good on all of the plastic in the engine bay too.

The black weather-strips below the windows on the doors have spots on them that look bad, and nothing I have tried removes them. I mistakenly assumed it was mold or mildew. Nope: I tried Dawn, rubbing alcohol, Coleman fuel (naptha), Lemon Pledge, Clorox wipes... name it: Nothing that I tried works..... (yet)

 

Take the bedrail caps off and clean underneath. Take the mirrors off and clean underneath..

 

Before I went that far I would clean everything with all purpose cleaner and pressure washer.

Then start removing pieces as next step. Which might be necessary depending upon products used and dirt behind there.

 

Bump
It appears no one has come up with a solution so I thought I would revive this thread.....
I get this whenever we get constant rain for a day or two.

 

I hate this issue. Bed panels of my truck are a different shade of white now. I just used some FW1 cleaning wax and it made a noticeable difference, almost matches again.

 

I spray Lemon Pledge on a microfiber cloth and they usually wipe right off. For a stubborn one like below the antenna, I spray it directly on the streak and remove it with the cloth. It does a nice job on all of the interior plastics as well, the black marks the door weatherstrips leave on the paint and the plastics the inside of the doors.

 

Any chance you live in a weird environmental zone, like downwind from a coal-fired power plant, or a petroleum refinery / chemical plant / open-pit mine? A cement-making plant? A galvanizing plant? Or any other possible source of large-scale airborne chemical pollution?

Sorta looks like some kind of aggressive chemical process at work.

 

do not do that. Magic Eraser is an abrasive

 

Anyone get their bed sides PPF'ed? That seems like it should make it easier to wipe, maintain and not stain.

 

Gotta try that lemon pledge, love the smell!

 

I use it on my 66 year old antique vehicle on the padded dash, seat vinyl and instrument-panel plastics and it has never harmed them. In the engine compartment, I like that it just gradually evaporates over time and leaves no residue. It's formulated for wood surfaces, so it makes sense.