I'm about to tape off the bonnet stripes on my '07 so I can use cleaner wax. If I don't let the tape overlap onto the hood (because I'm trying to address swirl marks right up to the edge of each stripe), will the cleaner wax hurt the edge of the bonnet stripes if it touches them? Staining, etc.?

I'm also trying to remove adhesive fingerprints left on my bonnet by the detailing guy who replaced those stripes. He worked so hard on removing the first pair (which had become damaged) that he also added a lot of swirl scratches trying to clean off the adhesive residue from the first set. I've tried 3M Adhesive and Wax Remover which seems to highlight or 'raise' the adhesive but does not remove it. Do I need to rub harder after applying the spray? A friend suggested nail polish remover which I'm a little skitterish about using. Suggestions?

Needless to say I'm pretty angry about that detailing guy's 'abuse' of my new baby which is only 4 months old!! In fact he did such a shitty job (cutting the bottoms jagged!) I ended up going to another dealership where the detailing guy there did a phenomenal job. He put the right stripes on correctly the first time. All in all I had to have those stripes replaced twice!

 

Try some claybar on those hard-to-remove fingerprints. Should come right up.

Don't hesititate to wax those vinyl stripes. Today's vinyls can not only take the wax, it will protect them. (Vinly from years past used to get brittle and crack if you waxed them).

Just be careful when you're working around the vinyl stripes. Don't rub against the edges very hard at all or you risk raising up the edges slightly. Instead, start the wax on them and move outward toward and then away from the edges.

 

Thanks, Man. Appreciate the feedback. Hey where do you get those custom "Cars" Mini's on the bottom of your reply? I've seen them around but can't seem to track them down online.

 

You're welcome.

Those cartoon MINIs in signatures come from one of our very artistic and creative members here on the board. His name is "COOPERation". His talents are in very high demand so you have to get on his good side (and even then, the wait can be as long as two months).

If you want to bypass that waiting list, I recommend you send him a PM and ask for his address. When he asks why you need it, just tell him you like his art work and you want to send him a box of fine Cubans, just to thank him for the privilege of laying your eyes on his creations. Then, you can pop the request for your cartoon MINI on him.

That should work.

 

Should they be waxed only by hand or can you use a PC 7336? Any difference in technique if using machine?

Also, is there any type of waiting period after stripes are applied before you should or can wax them?

Is wax more protective of the vinyl (from UV esp) than say the 303 Aerospace protectant?

 

I use a PC r/o buffer to polish and wax my MINIs and all three have vinyl stripes.

I wax the stripes by hand. But I polish them with the buffer as I do the rest of the car.

What I do before using the buffer to polish, is get a very thin roll of painters tape, the thinnest I can find. I use that along the edges of the stripes. Otherwise, as the pad spins on the buffer, it's going to go against the edge of the vinyl as it goes. Logically, it has to pick up the edge of the vinyl at least a tiny bit, even if it's not visible to the naked eye. Over the course of the vinyl's lifetime, it could become signigicant, IMO.

No, there's no need to wait after applying the stripes. The color is well set into the vinyl already.

Not sure about which has more UV protection, I guess it would vary depending on which wax you use. Maybe some of the wax gurus can speak to it. But I believe high-quality waxes contain plenty of UV protection for the vinyl stripes.

 

This was my suspicion . . .

Thanks for the clarification!!