Getting wax off plastic?
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Member
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 86
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From: Glen Allen, VA
Getting wax off plastic?
Question for the gathered detailing deities - and from browsing a few threads, I now sort of know who you are...
I am by no means a "detailer" - my previous truck was a `94 Ford Ranger that I bought used and just sold about three months ago to upgrade to a 2005 King Ranch, and I think I washed that Ranger maybe three times in the four years I had it. This new truck is a totally different story, however. I've had it three months and I've washed it three times and waxed it twice. The second time came out much better than the first, but the paint was really "dry", it seemed, so maybe I had to lay down a base coat of wax first to make the second coat work better.
Anyhow, here's my issue - that second waxing was just a quick application I did a week or two ago, and I now see that I was probably too "quick." I got a little bit of wax on some plastic parts - door handles, bumper trim, etc. - so you can see this white residue in the nubbly grain of the plastic. So:
1. What do y'all recommend for getting it off/out of the plastic?
2. What procedure do you use to prevent getting the wax on the plastic in the first place? Mask those areas off before waxing? Just be really, really careful in applying the wax around those areas? Huh?
Although I will keep this truck much cleaner and wash and wax it much more often than the old one, it's highly unlikely that I will ever do all the steps you all have posted in the "Waxing Tips" thread - although that thread is a great resource, so thank you much for posting it. I now know that I need some clay for at least one area of the truck, and I gotta try some of those products everyone mentioned.
Thanks ahead of time for your pointers!
I am by no means a "detailer" - my previous truck was a `94 Ford Ranger that I bought used and just sold about three months ago to upgrade to a 2005 King Ranch, and I think I washed that Ranger maybe three times in the four years I had it. This new truck is a totally different story, however. I've had it three months and I've washed it three times and waxed it twice. The second time came out much better than the first, but the paint was really "dry", it seemed, so maybe I had to lay down a base coat of wax first to make the second coat work better.
Anyhow, here's my issue - that second waxing was just a quick application I did a week or two ago, and I now see that I was probably too "quick." I got a little bit of wax on some plastic parts - door handles, bumper trim, etc. - so you can see this white residue in the nubbly grain of the plastic. So:
1. What do y'all recommend for getting it off/out of the plastic?
2. What procedure do you use to prevent getting the wax on the plastic in the first place? Mask those areas off before waxing? Just be really, really careful in applying the wax around those areas? Huh?
Although I will keep this truck much cleaner and wash and wax it much more often than the old one, it's highly unlikely that I will ever do all the steps you all have posted in the "Waxing Tips" thread - although that thread is a great resource, so thank you much for posting it. I now know that I need some clay for at least one area of the truck, and I gotta try some of those products everyone mentioned.
Thanks ahead of time for your pointers!
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 106
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From: Denver, CO.
Wax-On-Wax-Off
Go to your local hardware store, or your tool box, and pick out a very good quality 2" natural fiber (animal hair) paint brush. I know they cost $10-$15 dollars but it will last a very long time. Get a sharp pair of scissors and cut the bristles down evenly until you only have about one inch of the hairs left. In other words, cut the bristles to shorten the paint brush. The remaining bristles are tightly bound because they are so close to the handle. Go to your truck and use the brush in the cracks and crevices. It will also get into the plastic trim pieces that are textured and easily remove the left in wax. The brush hairs are soft so they will not damage your trucks finish. If the brush begins to hold too much dust just knock it against your fingers or the corner of a wall a couple of times, you will be amazed at how much dust (wax dust) the brush can hold. I don't know what type of wax you are using, but when you run out try Meguiar's NXT Generatin liquid wax. It leaves no white residue, no dust, and makes my truck look like new...