[Rushfan]

Greeting all. The last few times I waxed the car, I managed to get wax on the black plastic piece below the back bumber. Of course it has become stained and I was wondering if there is anything I can do to get it off. If not, can someone give me an idea of what it might cost to replace this piece?

Thanks,
Nelson

 

[Rick]

A Picture would help a lot here, but generally wax shouldn't stain the trim. You probably just have buildup on it and should be able to remove it. I have some Meguiar's professional line all purpose cleaner which works really well to remove wax from trim. I'd say find some degreaser you have around and first test it on an unseen portion first to make sure it won't cause any further damage. Then use a toothbrush and see if it can break the wax up.

The other thing I can think of is maybe it has some abbrasive in it? I had one incident where I was using my buffer and it jumped and I barely bumped the plastic trim and that spot is now shinier than the rest because in that brief moment it polished that spot on the surface smooth so it stands out umong the rest which is textured. Though, to get this effect by hand would take some effort most likely.

P.S. A 50/50 mix of rubbing alcohol and water should break down wax too, but try it up underneath somewhere you won't see it first.

 

[devin1955]

I understand Dawn dishwashing detergent is aggressive enough that it'll remove automotive wax. Might try that.

By the way, once you get it cleaned up, I've always used a product called Black Chrome on black plastic parts, makes'em look brand new.

 

[Resist]

This is one reason why I can't stand it when manufactures use this black plastic non painted crap on vehicles, it's to hard to take care of.

 

[2hybrids]

I used stuff called Mother's Black Trim & Bumper Restore...at least I think that is the name of it. In any case, it's made by Mother's.

It not only removed wax build-up, it really made the black around the window, mirrors, and wipers look awesome.

 

[originalbadbob]

When I got my 2000, the black was pretty stained all over with marks from soap dripping and drying on it. I've been using Meguiars NXT Tech protect on them, and they are barely visible now after a wash without putting any protect on them. When I hit it with the protect, you can't see any lines until I wash it again.

On my left fender skirt, the black is peeling up at the front vertical edge. It was blistered somewhat when I got the car, but it is getting worse. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Robert

 

[Rick]

The black on the bottom of the fender skirts is just a big sticker. You should be able to order a replacment for not a whole lot. The only consideration is how steady and precise is your hand to put it back on. Might almost be worth paying someone to apply for you because if your a few milimeters off it might end up looking funny.

 

[highwater]

I happened on to a product of Mother's called Back_To_Black. I have used it on the Insight the last two wash/wax events. This could be the same product mentioned above, but the name is defeniently Back_To_Black. There is no need to clean any of the black parts prior to application, just wash as the rest of the car. It goes on with a gentle circular motion and after a brief drying, buff with a clean cloth. Looks great and I used it on the window trim and front lower air dams also.

On a simular note, the rear lower trim piece had some exixting scratches below the plate area, and I buffed on them by hand, with a Scotch Brite pad as well as the rest of the visable area, not underneath, of the black piece, to make it match, and then applied the Back to Black stuff. Can't tell the scratches were ever there .

Randall