GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Interested to know how people are maintaining the plastic exterior trim on their Vibe.

armor all works pretty good. But i was sloppy when i waxed my vibe and got wax on alot of the trim pieces. I tried using armor all but it didn't work. This mother's stuff is like a wax, but for plastic and rubber trim. It made the trim on my vibe look better than it did when i drove it off the dealer lot.

I have used a product in the past called "Black Gold." It is actually a white, creamy liquid that produces a very nice, soft sheen on the plastic. It is for all plastic trim, not just black. - Earl

Do not use wax on the unpainted part, as it will give a High lustre, but will be come stained white in areas within a few years and will look like crap, then you are obligated to paint it, as the wax will not come of easily.

I use Armor All on my plastic trim. It worked well on my 2002 Trailblazer, so I figured it would do the same for my Vibe. However, I am always interested in exploring other products that work well.

I use amour all on everything plastic or rubber….I amour my entire engine compartment. All the plastic shrouds, containers, wiring, and the hoses…..nice and shinny.

Mine is monotone, so i just clean the whole vehicle with water then *** wax. I only have to armour-all my interior plastic parts and the wheels.

Check This Out. http://www.mothers.com/reelworld/reels/ ... Black.html

I use the armour all wash wipes, it cleans protects and doesn't leave a film that collect road dust.

Those wash wipes are awesome...I go over my car with them once a week to get off the bugs and junk. It's amazing how when you don't let it get dirty, it looks so much better...LOL. Also, the local touchless automatic car wash does a great job..I get the $6 one with the undercarriage wash and clearcoat sealer, and it does a great job of bringing the plastic trim back to its original shade. It made the car look new again.

I too use Armor All on the exterior cladding and all interior rubber & plastic....although I may try some of this "back to black" stuff once I run out of Armor All.

quote:Mine is monotone, so i just clean the whole vehicle with water then *** wax.Same here, it's nice not having to worry about keeping up the appearance of the grey plastic cladding. I would imagine that waxing the 2-tone Vibes is a tough job. It must be annoying to have to clean off any wax residue that might get on the plastic cladding while waxing the paint.

Us folks who have Chvy Avalanches use this stuff.Here are several threads on the Chevy Avalanche Fan Club discussing the maintenance of the side cladding, including keeping it from getting zebra stripes, removing wax, scratches, etc. Yes, it works on grey cladding.Here is a long one on the cleaner. http://www.chevyavalanchefancl...17795Tar, sap wax removal. http://www.chevyavalanchefancl...=3443

So funny, you said that they use that in US and it's «Made in Canada».

The only bad thing about armor-all that we've found at work is that it attracts dust....badly....I'd never use armor all inside my vehicles...

Quote, originally posted by Salsa2004 »Us folks who have Chvy Avalanches use this stuff.It appears this stuff is only available in packs of 6.I'm willing to front the money and buy a 6 pack if there are other members who'd wanna buy the remainder off of me?

LOL. BTW, Mike, I bet the body shop is still tied up with your Vibe because they are trying like all hell to get that friggin' wax off of your cladding! The car's probably done, but they just can't get that wax off---LOL.

Quote, originally posted by Stang2Vibe »LOL. BTW, Mike, I bet the body shop is still tied up with your Vibe because they are trying like all hell to get that friggin' wax off of your cladding! The car's probably done, but they just can't get that wax off---LOL.LOL!Well, I actually decided NOT to tell them to try and get the wax off. I figured I left a long enough list without that, and I'll just keep fighting it myself. Want to minimize the time the car spends in the shop.

Vinylex by Lexol is a great product, it's a bit more expensive but you get what you pay for IMO. Lexol makes about the best leather cleaner and conditioner, 2 separate products, and their plastic and rubber protectant is equally good.

i use Stoner Trim Shine. It just sprays one with an aerosal can and can give it a high luster or not and it allows for some resilliance. its pretty nice stuff, but not cheap (like 5 bucks i think); there is usually enough for 3 - 4 coatings.

I was wondering about this today. Second time i washed the car so i decided to put armor all on the plastic cladding.

I use Armor all on almost all the black trim and plastic pieces on the outside of the car. I like the single towel wipes in the plastic container. They are alot less of a mess and simply use them and when they get dirty, throw them away.

Quote, originally posted by Ponyota »I use Armor all on almost all the black trim and plastic pieces on the outside of the car. I like the single towel wipes in the plastic container. They are alot less of a mess and simply use them and when they get dirty, throw them away. Indeed, same down here.... Armor

I haven't "maintained" any part of my car -- inside or out -- since last August!

WEll here is my two cents. I have owned and lets say cleaned many vehicles for people and this is what I have found, which I am sure that you all have seen the same thing. Armor All attracts dust, as we know. For my tires and such I stopped using Armor all years ago when I lived in Cali. It must have been something with the sun but after Armor all has been on Tires for a while it tends to turn brown and discolor it. I strictly use Finish 2001 product for all my stuff like that, plus it smells better. Mothers back to black works great and it looks great for the first few days but as soon as it rains it streeks like a beatch. The best thing that I have found to remove wax for you cladding or the residue from the wax is Meguiars quick detailer. I usually use it to clean up the cladding a bit. So there is my two cents. Later

I agree, Amor All smells bad and there are better products out there.

Armor All has chemicals in it that do not react well with sunlight. Repeated use can cause your dashboard to crack and pieces to prematurely fade.A product that puts a quick wet shine look to the cladding is NOT going to clean it. Yes even plastic needs polishing. Get yourself a bottle of Meguiar's #40 Vinyl/Plastic Polish. You can get it from http://autodetailingsolutions.com and it works amazingly well. You spray it onto the rag, and rub it in like its a wax, you do not remove it, it soaks into the plastic and deep cleans. Leaves a nice clean slight shine to the plastic and cladding. You can rub your finger on it afterwards and not have some filmy residue, and you can even wash your car and drive it through the rain without it falling off and leaving streaks. The product is fantastic and I highly recommend it. But again, be sure to rub it in and no just give a quick wipe, see a shine and stop. It can also be used on interior dash and tires. Trust me, buy this product!

I put #40 on my car and it looked great untill it rained. Then it streaked and looks like crap. Maybe I didn't rub it in well enough. I was using Mothers Back to Black before. Maybe that prevented the #40 from being absorbed.

You need to start fresh with one product before using another. Plastic is porous to a degree like leather. Working it in like a wax and making sure it has time to dry right. If you over applied or did it right before rain, then it will cause the streaking you speak of. I plan on bringing a lot of my products and showing people with quick demo's if they need. The car should be done for the show, and given the bugs on the road and rain conditions while driving 15+ hours, I gotta find a wash bay somewhere nearby.

I just found out this weekend,that meg's #40 takes wax residue off the cladding and door handles.I luv this stuff.

So what do I do? Do I need strip all the old "products" off the plastic in some way and start fresh with a new coat of #40, or should I just keep applying the #40?

Well if it is streaking that bad, take a soapy wet rag and wipe it all down good. Use some Dawn or other light detergent instead of car soap. Then dry it well. Then only put one or two sprays on a microfiber directly, and rub it in like a polish, work it into the plastic. Follow up with a dry micro cloth to wipe excess and you should be good.What always worked for me on cladding was the two fingers instead of the palm. Only put two finger under the towel and use those to work product in, cover less area but ensure complete coverage.

Love that new turtle wax ICE...its so easy to use and take off, and one sweet shine too.

Well,I had the same problem as K-nine.The #40 washed off with the rain.The problem I had was wax residue from the body shop when they polished out my door,and they got wax everywhere.Now I tried Mr.Clean magic sponge on it and it worked,but it made the surface dull(f***).I don't know what to use now to make it look like the rest of the panels,and I can't use too much product all over because of the double sided tape on the body kit.Any suggestions!

Peanut Butter. dead serious.

Quote, originally posted by Whelan »Peanut Butter. dead serious. I bought some before I read this,and WUHOO! it worked.Thank god for peanut butter.Looks like brand new now,even took the wax residue off the door handles.Thanks for the post Whelan.

Ttell me more.

I rubbed it on with a rag,but it gets messy.I left if for a few minutes and wiped it off with a clean cloth.Can't believe this worked,I was worried I would have to replace the panel.It made my door handles look like new again.

I'm afraid I won't be able to keep my dogs from licking the car. Did you put anything on the plastic after the peanut butter? And did you use chunky or creamy? Somebody was going to say it if I didn't.

Go with creamy, stick to a base brand like JIF or Skippy. Basically it is the Peanut Oil in the product. The consistency of the butter allolws it to stick better and not run. i.e. if you used straight peanut oil, so you can let it sit, soak in and be good. Your car will not smell like peanut butter.It's the best for serious work and lasts a long time.

I utilize a more expensive option: Covered parking. I park it in a garage at home and I pay extra for covered parking at work. Really preserves your finish like no amount of chemicals can. Both my Vibes have been monotone, fortunately, and I have tried different products on it when I wash the car. Armorall is probably the most common. Fukken Wax works well on the painted plastic. The unpainted trim is definitely a different issue because the surface changes color naturally over time due to weathering.

That's not a bad idea. Peanut butter is basically vegetable oil with a very mild abrasive and a binder. It's full of emulsifiers, too. Mild oils actually can improve the look of plastics. The squirells will love your car.

Here is some really good stuf, learned about from a marina mechanic. It is called 303 Protectant, I buy it by the gallon.http://www.303products.com/

I recently tried Turtle Wax Ice. It works pretty good on the plastic. It didn't streak really bad the first time it got wet, like other products I've tried. I didn't like it on my paint, though.

Using a paint wax on plastic is kinda like cleaning tinted windows with windex. Sure it gets them clean and looks good. But it fades and hazes over time since it was not made for that product.

I've gone to Meguiar's site and still can't find #40. Good for cladding and interior plastic? Are you talking about the foam?

I bought mine from ebay.

Quote, originally posted by Whelan »Using a paint wax on plastic is kinda like cleaning tinted windows with windex. Sure it gets them clean and looks good. But it fades and hazes over time since it was not made for that product.But Ice says that it's made for exterior plastis, so don't you think it would be okay to use? I tried #40, and it looked great unitll it rained. Then it streaked and liiked like crap.

I'm just not a fan of the multi-purpose.How long did you put the #40 on before it rained, and did you remove excess?The best way to apply it is to spray a little (not a lot until your rag is soaked) and work into the area. You are basically polishing the plastic. I have had lasting results for weeks. The bottom line with it is that you need to work the product in and break it down, remove the excess and let it soak in an dry completely. If not and rain comes it will wash it off and give you that crappy look.

I used some peanut butter on a small area 2 weeks ago. After heavy rain in South Florida it still looks great! No residue that attracts dust & doesnt wash off after it rains. Only drawback I see is the effort that will go into doing all of the cladding. I will never buy another car with unpainted bumpers. Too much work to maintain!!!