To tape or not to tape
 

I've seen a few posts here where all trim pieces were taped prior to being polished with a DA. I am wondering whether this was done keep finishing products off of the black trim that would leave residues or because the DA may mar the finish of the trim in some way.

I plan on using Meg's Ultimate compound with their polishing pad after claying and then finishing with Meg's NXT Tech Wax 2.0.

I recall reading that the Tech Wax doesn't leave the white residue on the black trim that other sealers/waxes do. If this is the case, do I need to spend the time to tape off the trim?

Just make absolutely certain your wax doesn't leave white streaks. I'm on my second Mini and don't even consider pulling out the DA until the fenders are taped off. It really only takes a few minutes once you learn to wrap the edge of the wheel wells. Worth it in time saved not having to clean wax off plastic.

I agree. I tape them off prior to DA use

I'd tape. The NXT Tech wax has a ton of polishing oils, so it might not leave white marks, but it will leave you with some different shades on your trim.

+1 on taping the trim. Not only does it save the clean up but I find that I concentrate more on the polishing when the trim is taped off instead of concentrating on not getting any compound on the plastic.

Tape, tape, tape. You'll be happy you did.
It doesn't really take that long then (as CHKMINI said) you can concentrate on the polishing and waxing.

By the way, NXT goes on really well with a black pad on the DA. The pad eats a little getting started, but lays down a nice thin layer and saves you wax in the end. I do put the wax on the margins by hand though.

Not a fan of taping did it once & what a a pain. Yes it protects the trim, but it was too much work for this old fart. What I do now is apply a nice coat of black wow. I don't wipe it down until I'm done polishing & waxing. Any polish or wax wipes off the trim quite easily.

Oh yes. anything that is black and plastic on my car gets taped.

Try the black wow pre-polish treatment. You may discover that the tape is not needed. But I know some folks like to tape. ;-)

I may give that a try. Reordering the steps would save the time of adding another step.

Always tape!
 

I've detailed lots of cars for friends and personal use and I always tape! (Lotus Elise, GTR, Gallardo, Range Rover SS, Hummer, E350, CLS 500, Boxster, Cayman to name a few. Always taped before polished and/or waxed.)

It will save you in the long run and I tape more than just black trim like on lower half of Mini's. I tape off headlights, taillights and anything plastic if you're going to polish. One hit from even a light polish could scratch plastic.

Why take the chance, take a few minutes up front and tape. 8-)

Well, I finally got around to doing the clay-polish-wax/sealer process over the weekend. I did decided to tape it prior to the polishing step after reading all your advice.


For the most part, It wasn't too bad. I did find it somewhat challenging taping along the rain gutter on the roof. I went a bit more for the speed and general coverage aspect on this area. So far, I haven't noticed any areas that will need additional attention with the Ultimate Black.

The tape helped in tight areas. With the tape, I felt more sure that I could get good coverage by overlapping the tape slightly.

Here is the outcome of my efforts: (sorry about the picture quality)



https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...3_21_49_14.jpg