Shown below is the perfect reason to tape off trim on your car! We have all seen it, but may not know how to fix it…I am talking about the stained rubber trim around windows, lights, door seals, etc. “Forgetting” to mask off these areas leaves an unsightly sight…white trim!
Here you can see what I am talking about. This is from a Mercedes that just came from a body shop. I had previously detailed this car prior to the accident so I know it wasn’t like this before getting treatment done at the body shop. By NOT taping this section off, staining occurs and requires more work to remove the damage. It takes about 20 seconds to tape off the window trim with some Meguiar’s masking tape. I would much rather do that than spend 5-10 minutes cleaning up the mess left behind!
In order to remove the polish from the rubber trim, I took a bit of Meguiar’s all purpose cleaner plus and a microfiber towel to it. What I did to prevent APC from spraying all over the car was spray the towel itself away from the car. Then I ran the towel over the whole area to get it pre-soaked. I reapplied some more APC to the towel and began wiping and scrubbing. I used my other free hand on the backside for support since without holding the back, the rubber would just come out of the plug holes and fold over. After this step, I washed the area with ONR to remove the APC from the door and rubber. Sometimes, you will have to take a tooth brush and APC and work a small section at a time for stains that have been there for a long time, or the use of a steamer might come in handy as well! I wouldn’t leave the steam in one spot too long, but a few quick passes might loosen from the polish/wax enough to make the cleaning much easier.
Once the rubber was cleaned up and looking fresh, I added some 303 Aerospace Protectant to it in order to protect against UVrays and the outside elements. This also adds a matte finish completing the look of the car!
So there you go! The steps to clearing up stained trim are: wash, APC clean, wash, protect. Step to prevent yourself from having to do this, TAPE IT OFF!!!
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