[bentley/cooper]

I am killing the time waiting for my CR/W MCS by thinking about washing & waxing it! What sort of products are any of you using on the wheel arches & side skirts? Do they get white mars on them from wax? I have had other cars with plastic trim parts that held wax like glue(almost inpossible to get off). Any ideas on this would be great.

[Paul]

I use a green gloopy thing called Bumper Care from AutoGlym www.autoglym.com, but I think it's near impossible to find in the USA.

See this thread I just posted about cleaning my Red/White MCS. (Sad I know, but I don't care)... http://www.mini2.com/forum/showthrea...threadid=35533

[MINIAC]

People have recommended using peanut butter for removing wax residue.

I use Mother's Back to Black on these parts after waxing.

[BartMack]

I've tried Mother's 'Back to Black', Lexol Vinylex, and some other stuff I can't remember the name of.
Everything just washes off/shows rain streaks just a day or two later.(Grrr!) So I'm thinking about going back to Armorall on just the exterior plastic.
I have not used Armorall on the MINI, but my 2000 Jeep Cherokee had similar black plastic bodyside mouldings, bumper corners and door handles.
I would spray those w/Armorall and that would hold for a couple of months, longer in winter, maybe less in summer heat.

I still don't plan to use Armorall on the interior though!

I have also used the blue painters tape idea to tape off the plastic when waxing, and that works great (so long as you dont treat the plastic first, cause then it won't stick)

[Paul]

Quote:

Originally posted by BartMack
I've tried Mother's 'Back to Black', Lexol Vinylex, and some other stuff I can't remember the name of.
Everything just washes off/shows rain streaks just a day or two later.(Grrr!) So I'm thinking about going back to Armorall on just the exterior plastic.
I have not used Armorall on the MINI, but my 2000 Jeep Cherokee had similar black plastic bodyside mouldings, bumper corners and door handles.
I would spray those w/Armorall and that would hold for a couple of months, longer in winter, maybe less in summer heat.

I still don't plan to use Armorall on the interior though!

I have also used the blue painters tape idea to tape off the plastic when waxing, and that works great (so long as you dont treat the plastic first, cause then it won't stick)

This is why I use the AutoGlym green cloop, it lasts quite a while. I am sure someone like Zymol will do a similar product, I find it better than AmourAll too.

[Z1GZAG N]

If you have any thoughts at all about ever painting the wheel arches or side skirts, don't use Armourall or any other silicon based products as they soak into the plastic and you'll never get paint to adhere to those parts.

[Julz]

Simoniz do a teflon polish that doesn't leave white marks on the trim, and the also do a bumper restorer which is like a silicon spray and keeps the trim lovely and black!!

[Dark Silver S]

I've had good luck using liquid shoe polish and then 303. The shoe polish blackens the wax residue, and the 303 keeps a nice gloss. The shoe polich was $1.95 at the drugstore, and I found the best price for 303 at Car Crazy.

[bigbaddaboom]

The only way I've found to absolutely remove old wax residue of the black vinyl is to use near boiling water, a rough cloth, some rubber gloves and a large amount of elbow grease.



But I agree with Paul the green autoglym gloop is pretty good for masking it for a few weeks.

[Minty]

MINI do a cleaner, its called Plastic Care Emulsion, and costs £8 a bottle.

[Matg28]

I just use a silicon based spray - works a treat - lasts a couple of weeks, then just re-apply.

Halford's own brand no less !