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How does one clean the black molding around the bottom of the car. I am talking about where the aerokit would replace black with body color. I gave her a wash today but the black does not look clean and is full of lint from the terry cloth I used.
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Motoring in a 2005 MCS CR/W
Premium, Sport (w/V-spoke), Auto dim mirror/rain sensor, Chrono pack, chrome interior, chrome exterior, PDC, interior in CR, letherette, Stripes and a really big smile.
__________________ 5548 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim, CA 92807 866 707 9292
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someone else mentioned :MINI plastic care (part #83-12-0-142-624 $9.75) which can be obtained from the dealer-I plan to give this a try (I have experienced the same problems you mentioned).
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The Meguiars product is $2.99 and works much better. The MINI brand is a spray on liquid, where the Meguiars is more of a paste, so it doesn't run all over the place.
Richard
Quote:
Originally Posted by holdenontoit
someone else mentioned :MINI plastic care (part #83-12-0-142-624 $9.75) which can be obtained from the dealer-I plan to give this a try (I have experienced the same problems you mentioned).
__________________ 5548 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim, CA 92807 866 707 9292
Looking for Prima?? Buy Prima at ShowCarSupplies.com
11% off everyday discount code: MINI11NAM 2010 Midnight Black MCCSa
Let me not be the first to mention peanut butter! I've used ArmorAll on all my cars including my MCS. Works mighty fine!
Dogspeed.
I too think ArmorAll works fine, in spite of all the BS you can find about how terrible it is. I did buy a bottle of the Mequiars trim detailer but haven't used it yet. I have never bought a Meguiars product that wasn't excellent.
Peanut butter is excellent at removing wax residue and other things. I usually use it before I wash the car, then wash it really well, removing the peanut butter, and then end up using amour all, which has never given me any problem. I am not sure what negative comments were given about Armour All, but I have used it for 15 years on an old Plymouth Volare as well as many other cars, with no problems ever.
This is what I use too. After you apply and drive several days, dust will accumulate on the trim. Don't reapply. Just take a dry paper towel
and remove the dust. If you do this a few times the B-to-B's stickiness
goes away and less dust accumulates on the trim. :smile: Just a trick I
found out a couple of months ago.
One application of B-to-B lasts me about 6 weeks. Now, I don't drive
my car in the rain so if you do drive in all sorts of weather, it won't
last that long.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WannaMini_
This is my favorite:
Oh, and edited to add to use a ficrofibre towel as opposed to terry or 100% cotton to avoid "fuzzies"
i'm partial to Stoners Trim Shine or the 303 Aerospace Protectant. i believe the 303 has UV protectant, so it prevents the color from fading, but am not sure
When you use it, you only need a very little bit - too much won't hurt anything, but it'll attract dirt and dust that won't necessarily be visible but will come off with the slightest brush up against the trim, like when you get in and out of the car...
I've been using Trim Detailer for months, and it seems that the more I use it, the less often I have to; i.e., since using it often (and too thick) the first few times, now I can wash the car a few more times before I need to use it again. It seems to seep into the plastic to protect it. Love the stuff!
Peanut butter is excellent at removing wax residue and other things. I usually use it before I wash the car, then wash it really well, removing the peanut butter, and then end up using amour all, which has never given me any problem. I am not sure what negative comments were given about Armour All, but I have used it for 15 years on an old Plymouth Volare as well as many other cars, with no problems ever.
I don't like Armour because it makes things too slippery.
I find Vinylex to be as good as 303 protectant and in most ways superior to the Back to Black product. Vinylex is sold at Pep Boys.
303 is a good product. It kept my convertible top black for ten years. I ended up using some Meguiars stuff in the garage for the black trim and weatherstriping. But as soon as it's gone I am going to buy some 303..I forgot all about the UV protection that it offers.
Wraith has it right; 303 Aerospace or Stoner Trim Shine are the best.
Peanut butter or Peanut oil work best to remove wax & junk from the trim.
Armor All is EVIL It's chemical makeup will suck the plasticizers out of your trim and it will become brittle. There is no reason you should be using this product. ...As if it's greasy finish and painfully overglossiness wasn't bad enough
i'm partial to Stoners Trim Shine or the 303 Aerospace Protectant. i believe the 303 has UV protectant, so it prevents the color from fading, but am not sure
I've been using 303 since I got my car 2 months ago. An application every 4 weeks does the trick. It should keep the trim from ever fading in the first place.
I use it inside, too. When I first used it a few weeks ago, I missed a little triangle of space on a door panel, so that little spot didn't look as rich as the rest of the trim. Finally got around to filling in that space over the weekend. I thought the 303-protection on the panel would have faded since the original application, but the new app. blended right in - no fading whatsoever so I'd say 303 works great.
Let me clear up a few things about ArmourAll and (several other protectants for that matter). Many people think the "danger" in ArmourAll is the silicones. It's not. Silicones are found in a great many trim dressing products and most waxes on the market today. They are what give the product gloss. There are different kinds of silicones. Most are inert. Most are known as free silicones. They float continously and do not bond with anything else. That's why paint shops hate silicones. Get silicones near a paint job and they cause fisheyes on the surface of the paint-but that's another story. Anyway, none of that will harm rubber or vinyl, but since they float on the surface they are temporary. They look shiny for a while and then they wear off or wash off.
The BAD part is that many silicone products also have CLEANERS in them and the cleaners are petroleum based products. The petroleum based products leech into the rubber and vinyl, carried by this roaming silicone, and then eventually dries up and evaporates. This dries up the rubber and vinyl causing it to crak and become damaged. Hence the ralationship with ArmourAll and other silicone products doing damage to the vinyl. It's not the silicone, persee, it's the mix with the petro products.
Technically, the safest products to use are WATER based products. Vinylex and 303 Aerospace are examples of these. Someone mentioned UV protection, 303 has the highest UV protection of all of these.
303, however, is more of an interior-use product because of lower durability. But has a great matte finish. Vinylex is a tad more glossy, but not fake shiny.
Back to Black is a good product but the use of it on plastic that is not dull is really not the proper application. It's very thick, fills the pores and attracts dust. It's more of a coating than a dressing. Not the best choice.
Meguiars Trim Detailer is about the same sheen as Vinylex with the same durability. Not bad stuff.
I only use Trim Shine on the inside of the wheel wells. It's a spray and walk away product. I dislike the spray can mess for trim. I realize you would use an applicator, but it's too much hasle for me. And it attracts too much dust for my tastes. It is very black, though. Stoners More Shine Less Time provides a little better results on the trim. It's less sticky than TS, dries faster and attracts less dust.
I like Einszett Tiefenpfleger. It has a factory looking satin finish. I also like Mothers Preserves Protectant. Really black looking, strong UV protectant and lasts a long time.
I have probably 35 vinyl and rubber protectants and cleaners. It all comes down to personal choice.
Here is a shot of just some of the vinyl and plastic stuff people were invited to try at one of my Detailing Tips and Tricks events one year.
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Exterior...Vinylex. It's more durable against the elements and has a slightly "blacker" look which I like on trim but dislike on the interior. The interior I like to look factory matte and 303 fits the bill best there. Both of these are water based of course.
__________________ Bloomquist Garage! '04 PW Mini Cooper S....Gone but still here in spirit! My Other Rides.
Hey Cooper4us, that's fine, but have you even tried the Meguiars Trim Detailer??
It's ok to say you don't like something, and therefore recommend something else, but if you haven't tried it....
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cooper4us
I am the dissenting voice... I am not a big fan of Meguiar's products, but that's me.
__________________ 5548 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim, CA 92807 866 707 9292
Looking for Prima?? Buy Prima at ShowCarSupplies.com
11% off everyday discount code: MINI11NAM 2010 Midnight Black MCCSa
Oh, I've had trouble with p-nut butter! It worked ok to remove the wax residue, but then my dogs kept licking the wheel arches! P-nut oil works too.
I've just started using the 303 stuff, I like it. Did a really nice job cleaning up the plastic trim on my pickup truck. I'll have to pick up some of that Vinylex stuff and try that too.
Yeah, it used to be a garage, but now its storage for my car's beauty supplies.
I use Mothers Back to Black and once I run out, I'm trying something else. It doesn't work for someone like me who parks outside and lives at the entrace to a valley that rains daily. Under good conditions, B to B will last me a few weeks, but under normal conditions, I'm lucky if it lasts me a few days. Once rain hits it, it gets all streaky. Maybe I'm applying it wrong...i dunno.
I concur with the Vinylex on the exterior trim; you can go as glossy as U wish and it has UV. I've yet to do my interior yet tho and I'd like to give 303 a go, but I can't find it here (metro Denver area, Advance, Peps, NAPA, etc.) Ideas? Jimbo
I've used ArmorAll on all my cars including my MCS. Works mighty fine!
It's chemical makeup will suck the plasticizers out of your trim and it will become brittle. There is no reason you should be using this product. ...As if it's greasy finish and painfully overglossiness wasn't bad enough 
Oh, I've had trouble with p-nut butter! It worked ok to remove the wax residue, but then my dogs kept licking the wheel arches! 
