What is the best way to remove all wax so a vinyl stripe can be applied?

About two weeks ago I waxed a 1-week-old R56 MCS with Meguire's NXT. Now I have a 14" Racing Stripe from MightyStripes.com that I want to apply. What is the best way to remove the NXT and how can I tell it is all removed?

 

Because it's a polymer wax, you need either a paint prep solution (Griot's Paint Prep is the only one I know cuz it's the only one I've ever used, but I bet people could make other suggestions) OR you can make up a rubbing alcohol/water solution, put it in a spray bottle, and with either solution, just do the panel(s) you are putting stripes on.

 

I use a 50/50 mixture of 70% isopropyl alchohol and distilled water (so the final mixture is actually 35% isopropyl alcohol/65% water), or House of Kolor's "KC10 Wax & Grease Remover" (which is probably pretty close to the Griot's Paint Prep).

 

nxt is so weak water will take it off.


great advises above. Griots PaintPrep is wat i use, but
when i do decals sometimes i just use rubbing alcohol/distilled water mix
as it's easy to wipe off.

 

Thanks. I have an isopropyl alchohol solution I mixed up for applying the fog light protection vinyls. I could try that. How do I tell when I've succeeded?

BTW, I used NXT as a stop-gap solution when I thought I had to make a quick trip to Los Angeles, and it was the best I could get locally. My order of Hydro had not arrived from Detailer's Paradise. That is what I plan to use after the strip is on.

 

^^ that'll work. if your panel squeaks and grabs your finger when you run
your finger across the paint that means the wax is pretty much off the
panel. i do this when testing how much wax remains on the panel when
im testing durability.

i was just teasing about NXT. its a easy wax and good for wat it is.
just not OCD quality imho due to poor durability.

dont use any wax or liquids on/near the stripe for 24hrs. let it adhere
completely before you use anything on them. i used a heatlamp to
toast the solution completely off.

 

Thanks very much!

 

np! and post picts of your stripes when finished!

 

Will do.

Some pre-stripe photos in this thread, and with new wheels here.

 

More photos in my gallery.

 

^^ ooooo~~! very nicely done. i likes.

 

That's great, Robin. How were the measurments? I am planning to order from Mighty and would like to know how good the fit was, how much trimming, how long it took..... Looks great!

 

Okay, so not to take business away from what I'm sure is a very reputable vendor, but from what I understand (and you can do a search for this), the vinyl from Mighty is pretty low-quality and if it's something that has a complicated design (pinstripes, etc), they tend to come in pieces and it's up to you (or you can pay an installer I guess) to get it sorted out and on straight and correct. The vinyl from Cooper Flags and Aesthetic Creations is heavier and better quality, and the designs come in one piece and are really easy to install in comparison.

 

Not what I have read in NAM posts. But, the cheaper price of Mighty Stripes does make me wonder.

 

There's a thread around here somewhere...someone who ordered recently and noted that the vinyl was pretty low-quality and they'd had to piece together the stripes themselves...a couple of other people backed up the comments.

 

my black is the dealer one from 3M which i cut-off the white borders on.

talk about rip-off city for a pair of stripes (paid like $90...actually twice),
but at least it's OE quality. they continue to look fantastic on my car.

my car originally had no stripes, i added the dealer black with white borders,
then thought the white was tacky so removed it, got a new pair, trimmed off
the white and put them on.

 

Okay, I am considering the complete (bonnet, roof, boot, bumpers) Viper stripes from Aesthetic Creations. The main stripe will be black. Black or red for the pin stripe? I like the red accent, but think it may be too much on the lightning blue. Input anyone?

 

Hmm, tough call. Are you thinking about tying in red anywhere else (or maybe you already have somewhere)?

I like a couple of random touches of color somewhere, as long as it's in more than one spot. It'd probably look really cool!

If you ask Mike at AC, he can usually mock up a PhotoShop of what it would look like...

 

do black with a dark gray borders. you'll like it more
(and thank me later for it).


you're welcome in advance.

 

That sounds right. The side stripes are separate from the main stripe. They recommended using masking tape as a guide for the gap, but I forgot and measured it out.

 

Nah... if not the red, I'll go all black. I assume, then, that the pin stripe from AC is one piece with the main stripe?

 

This is the stripe you mean, right?

You would have to do something like red mirror caps for red side stripes to make sense. With a dark color like LB, you probably do need something liven it up. You might consider getting some very fine pinstriping in red and do both edges of the large stripes. Yellow or orage pinstripe would also work with LB.

 

The pinstripe from AC is printed over the base color. My white stripes have the black pin printed on top. Only thing you have to be careful of is that the ink on the pin is more susceptible to wear and damage. I got a little close when repairing a chip and the ink smeared a tad. I also tape over the black pins when using polish to prevent excessive wear.

 

blue and black should go real well. at least it looks great on my IB/B.

my IB is like a multiple personality color. dark blue under low lighting, light
blue in high lighting, more greener blue in dusk/dawn.

 

I was under the impression that you could only get red mirror cars through the dealer if you had a GP? Is there another way? (Besides spray paint)