Removing wax from two-tone cladding?

[Stang2Vibe]

lol! Exactly!

[ragingfish]

Quote, originally posted by joatmon »Mike, I know you have more important Vibe worries lately, but today I noticed that I still had some evil wax on my precious cladding, and decided to not invoke the wrath of nature. I tried some hand cleaner (a kind without pumice) and rubbed it on the dry cladding with a paper towel, then hosed it off. Initial resutls are very promising! joatmon:been a few months since you tried this treatment...how'd it work out in the long run?

[joatmon]

It still looks good. I only did one section so that I could have something to caompare it to. Seems like a lot of the oil type stuff you used in the past looked good for a while, but only hid the wax, and after a while it became visible again. The spot that I tried hand cleaner on still looks wax free. At some point I will do the rest of the spots where I have wax on the cladding. One good thing about hand cleaner is that even if it doesn't work on your wax, you do enough with your car that you probably need some around anyway, so it might be worth a try. I am reluctant to give you any firm "yes this will remove the wax from cladding" since you've had such a hard time with all kinds of things in the past, better hedge my bet and just say that it still seems to work well on mine, and is worth a try on yours.

[ragingfish]

Sounds good...worth a shot anyway...what product did you use?

[scherry2]

Quote, originally posted by ragingfish »Sounds good...worth a shot anyway...what product did you use?yea, what kind of hand cleaner?

[joatmon]

[Toasted7]

I'm going to have to give that stuff a try. When I wax my Vibe I usually get some wax on the cladding (usually along the edges) and it gets on the door handles too (and that stuff will NOT come off!). I hope this works as well as you say it does.

[ragingfish]

One day I woke up and thought....hmm....CLAYBAR!Sure enough, I tried it. It's been 2 days, and so far, results look promising! But I'm not letting myself jump to conclusions. Will post back with further observations in a few days!

[scherry2]

Quote, originally posted by ragingfish »One day I woke up and thought....hmm....CLAYBAR! shouldn't that be night? good Idea I'd have never thought of that

[ragingfish]

An update on this dilemma.While waxing my girl's cobalt tonight, we inadvertently got wax on the plastic grille insert and plastic mirror housings. White streaks resulted.A short trip to the mother's website yielded two interesting tidbits of information.1) If you apply mother's back-to-black before waxing, it protects vulnerable plastics from being stained or streaked by wax. 2) Since a claybar removes wax from the painted surfaces of the car, I had a theory. I tried tusing the claybar (with lubricant, as you would on painted surfaces) and it *appeared* to remove the majority of the wax. I didn't have time to wait for it to fully dry and wear off to give it a test, but if anyone else has a wax-on-cladding dilemma, try the claybar trick and I'd be curious to know if it works in the long run...

[ToolGuy]

I use 3M Wax and Adhesive Remover like body shops do... I do not wax areas like this but when I detail other peoples cars and they have, I use this stuff.

[melders]

ive got the wax on the cladding issue...i dont really feel like readin through 5 pages of posts, what did you end up doing to remove the wax....i saw b2b, something about peanut butter? wasnt really sure what the final answer was? can someone please let me know what it is?Thanks guys

[joatmon]

hand cleaner worked on mine

[PONKAW]

B2B does not last ...... Turtle Wax Ice is remarkable on the cladding....I still like Meguires gold for the body but the ICE stuff makes the cladding look new....last about a month in florida...Don

[Toasted7]

Peanut-Butter does nothing... hmm, I need some jelly.Mothers B2B works, but won't last more than a week or so.I would go ahead and try the Turtle Wax ICE, it's amazing stuff in my opinion... although the water won't bead for more than a week after application.

[melders]

i think ill try the ice...then if that dont work..then ill try the aero 303, then i just wont get the wax on the cladding...problem solved!thanks guys, i love this site!

[engineertwin2]

I think it was the alcohol in the hand cleaner that removed the wax. Ryan at Grafx Werks provides hand wipes to clean the area and remove the wax for better adhesion.I tried everything on my Volvo when I got wax on the cladding...turns out the best thing was hand wipes and then when it dried, applied back-to-black or armorall to protect it.

[zionzr2]

Ok I need to remive wax I have on my cladding....I'm surprised whelan hasnt commented in the thread... Maybe he could....I'll try the hand cleanser (...GoJo..Fast Orange??)

[engineertwin2]

Whelan will tell you "Use Meguiar's #40 plastic and vinyl treatment."I'll tell you that whatever you use, you have to make sure to work it in using lots of "elbow grease" (elbow grease sold separately) and be patient. I had it happen to my Volvo and tried MB2B and other oil based cleaners. Just make sure to work it in so you get in the textured recesses.

[Whelan]

Aah yes, the wax on cladding issue. How much time is left in my day...LOL.First things first people, go out and get yourselves a roll of blue painters tape. Preferably the wider one if your using a machine. You have no idea how much time this will save you. Spend a twenty minutes to a half hour taping up everything. The rubber along the window, any and all places where cladding and plastic meets paint/metal. Your headlights and taillights as well.You will be amazed at how much easier it is to just peel off the tape and apply the product needed instead of the steps I am about to go over with you below.OK, so you screwed up, it happens, you didn't listen to me LOL. Anyways, there are a few good methods to removing wax from cladding. Thinking that you can just get your Armor All wipes (and if you use this shame on you), and give it a quick pass to make it glossy will not work one bit. Once that stuff dries or hits the sun, that wax will be nice and baked on. If you waxed properly and did it in a shady area or towards the end of the day when it is cooler out, the wax will not have dried completely. Sometimes just taking a rag with water or even a little soap and using your finger to really work on the cladding will go a long ways. Meguiar's #40 is still a fantastic product because it is a plastic/vinyl polish and cleaner. It will help to condition the plastic by breaking down any contaminants and giving it a nice clean matte finish, instead of that glossy slimy residue coating that leaves nice drip and run marks when it rains or is over applied. Not to mention you won't get those splatter marks from driving right after.The best way to apply it is to spray it onto a microfiber and using your two fingers, working the product in like a wax or polish on paint. You will need elbow grease as stated before because wax is not claddings best friend. But you will be able to tell once its off. Once you have completed removing the wax, I recommend taking a new microfiber and reapplying a little more of the #40 just to ensure and even coating on the plastic. Another technique is to use a small brush, like a nylon bristle brush with a little easy cleaner like a foaming window cleaner or some carwash soap. Something light that won't harm or discolor the cladding. If you have some sever white markings, get yourself a bottle of Simple Green. It's non-toxic, won't discolor and works great for getting all that crudded wax out of the unwated spots. Don't hesitate to get a Q-tip or a dozen and get all the nooks and crannies free. Whenever I wax it's inevitable that you are going to get some wax inbetween panels and such, keep a few tips on hand and once you finish a section, wipe it out with a Q-tip or a separate cloth to keep your buffing micro free from build up. Keeping on top of the job as you do it goes a long way. If you get a little bit of wax on a cladding piece when doing a section, take a second and wipe it with a wet rage quick and then dry it to ensure you won't have a huge issue of all the above mentioned. Save yourself the agony, take your time, and enjoy the results.

[joatmon]

Quote, originally posted by Whelan », take a second and wipe it with a wet rage wow, getting wax on cladding must really upset you

[Whelan]

Wet rage is the best way to get it done LOL

[engineertwin2]

Quote, originally posted by engineertwin2 »Whelan will tell you "Use Meguiar's #40 plastic and vinyl treatment."Quote, originally posted by Whelan »...Meguiar's #40 is still a fantastic product because it is a plastic/vinyl polish and cleaner...You're getting predictable man.... j/kAdmittedly, you did go into great detail...

[kevera]

It's fun to bug Whelan,but his trick with the painters tape saved me some major wax removing headaches.I have it down to a science now.Thanks Bubb Rubb-whoo whoo.

[Whelan]

Glad to see my ideas are helpin people out on this board. Like the sig Kev!I may need to update mine when I get my HIDs installed, woot! cough cough I mean Woo WOOOOOO!

[zionzr2]

I just triedA great product for getting stains out of upholstery as well. A Cheap product available at walmart for under $3. a can.And some elbow grease....The results have been awesome so far. I did a test patch and week later no return of the white stuff. So i just did the rest today. I'll report back again after a few days to follow up.

[Whelan]

Tuff Stuff? is that vinyl or upholstery only or for both? The only other thing I would toss advice to is whether or not it is for interior or exterior use. If both, then awesome! If interior only, then that means it only has the type of additives and solutions to work on keeping interior parts clean and possibly free of dust. But for the outside, your bigger concern would not only be a clean look and removal of the white wax leftover, but also the long term effects.Put armor all on your dash over and over again and over time your dash will fade and crack. Similar to if you use Windex and a paper towel on plexi glass or tints. The plexi gets hazed and the tints turn purple.Essentially what you are looking for is something that has exterior protection to keep the cladding from getting faded, blochy and worn so that no matter what you put on it, it is so dried out over time that no amount of work will get it back. Continually wiping it down with a wet rag will eventually remove the white stuff and make the cladding look clean, but without any protectant on there, the cladding is completely naked to the UV rays that are the harshest enemy of clad.Read up on that can you have and let me know what it says.

[zionzr2]

thats good to know...I'll check the can tomorow at work where i left it.So far It still looks ok. I still need to go back and get some of the spots i missed. I need a good day to get a decent cleaning job done. And get the proper portection for the cladding applied so next time I wont get myself into this mess.

[zionzr2]

It did not say directly indoor or outdoor use, but did list cleaning chrome and asphault and painted surfaces. Its really just a multi-purpose cleaner.It probably would strip any protection was on whatever surface it is used.

[Ro04Vibe]

To get wax off of plastics, the best way I found is a simple, moderately pliable white eraser (pencil eraser). That's it, real simple. I can't believe this post is 6 pages long!!

[ragingfish]

Quote, originally posted by Ro04Vibe »I can't believe this post is 6 pages long!!and almost 5 years running!

[MRCN RCE]

Quote, originally posted by ragingfish »and almost 5 years running!yep. that's a long time for a single thread. but i'm sure as long as there is cladding somewhere on our rides, this thread will always be somewhere near the top

[Whelan]

Want another tip...Get yourself a Mr. Clean Auto Eraser.

[joatmon]

Quote, originally posted by ragingfish »and almost 5 years running!lets make it six.I've been a bit sloppy over the years, but at least I do wax the car periodically. I'm not going to tape before waxing, don't care if it's a good idea or not, I know I'm just not going to do it. I've got some long term cladding wax, and it will take a good bit of elbow grease to get it off. I'd like to do it, but was wondering just how hard it would be to remove the cladding. Would make it easier to apply EG and stripping checmicals and not affect painted areas. Has anyone done that, can it be done without breaking any clips, is it more trouble than it's worth?