I have a 2017 black F56 JCW with stripes on hood, side and hatch that i bought about six weeks ago. This is my first car with stripes. On my other (silver) cars I typically clay bar, Porter Cable polish with Meguiars Mirror Glaze 205 and wax with Mirror Glaze 26. I do not feel comfortable doing any of that with stripes. Any suggestions on methods and products that will work well and not damage the stripes or look bad because of wax buildup around the stripes? Also anything that works well with black paint is a plus.

It would be nice if the suggestion plays nice with all the matte black molding.

I am open to either carnuba wax products or polymer sealants or even ceramic coating if super easy to apply.

While my original post was about avoiding the stripes, I am also interested in anything I should do to protect the actual stripes. Am I correct our factory stripes are vinyl?

I hand wash the car one to two times per week and currently paint is in good condition for a three year old car although it does not feel like it has been waxed recently.

Thanks! Dan

 

Depends on the finish on your stripes...

If they're gloss, in my experience owning multiple cars with stripes, including my R53, you can clay bar, was/polish, etc, either by hand or with a machine.

I used clay bar and my polisher to bring back quite a bit of shine to the factory stripes on my 06 that were quite dull and showed no signs of any protection.

I know there's a lot of folks who say don't wax stripes. I do, and have never had an issue with it. I am careful around the edges, but generally do mine while I'm doing the paint next to them, all in the same process. I've never had an issue with the edges lifting, or any other problems.

If your stripes are matte, then different story. I still clayed mine, then used a quality product for vinyl that doesn't shine (I use Griot's, but there's lots of good options out there).

 

+1 including Griot's.

 

Claybar with a LOT of lube on shiny stripes. Then wax, a toothbrush will get rid of the edge wax.

 

use bamboo skewer to clean wax around edge of stripes ... or anything else!

https://classicmotorsports.com/artic...etailing-secr/

Why the Skewer: The skewer is strong enough to dislodge crud, yet not hard enough to damage paint.

How to Use It: See that pointy end? Now put it to work. The skewer is great for picking away dirt, old wax and general buildup from nearly any nook or cranny, whether it involves emblems, trim, seals, fasteners and more.