To tape off or not to tape off ?

[sprbst]

hello all,
had a question about taping off the car when detailing.
I see some people tape off and others don't tape off,
I've never taped off a car detailing,
would there be an advantage to taping off the car before detailing, if so what tape would you recommend.


thanks all,
sprbst

[Murr1525]

If you use a product that dries white, and stains trim, then taping off can save that trim from discoloration if you are not carefull about applying.

It also can reduce splatter in unwanted places when using something like a G-100.

[gb387]

I like to tape off my trim when I am doing a full detail.... IMO its easier than cleaning it up.

[Accumulator]

Some trim won't take much abrasion- stuff like chrome plated plastic emblems and clear anodized aluminum (like on Audis and VWs). Better safe than sorry.

[Tom Weed]

Myself, I usually only tape off when I will be doing work with the Rotary due to all the splatter involved. With a PC it's not really as much of an issue, you just have to be extra careful to keep the product off of the trim and plastic.

When I do tape, I mask off the glass usually with Newspaper and tape the edges. This takes some time, but when I am finished, there is no clean up really and no working the product out of the cracks. I started doing this when I was using 83 this past summer with the rotary and from the sling, the product dried on the windows. It was VERY difficult to remove once it had dried.
I have been taping and masking ever since.

The tape I use is the blue painters tape made by 3M, good stuff IMO.

Tom

[sprbst]

thank you all for the input

[Jeff Smith]

One alternative to taping is to apply a Trim Detailer prior to cleaning, polishing or waxing the paint. I use GC Trim Detailer for this and it work great. I use an Even coat Applicator and apply a decent thick coat of Trim Detailer. Then I do my paint work, then go back and remove the Trim Detailer. I can Trim out my whole truck in 5 minutes like this. It takes me 20-30 minutes or so to use tape.

So far I have had success doing this with GC Trim Detailer and Natural Shine.

[Tom Weed]

That's a great suggestion Jeff, I just may have to give that a try next time.

Thanks,
Tom

[Jeff Smith]

Originally posted by Tom Weed
That's a great suggestion Jeff, I just may have to give that a try next time.

Thanks,
Tom

So far I have been able to do this with the 2 products named above and it worked exceptionally well.

I got the idea one day when I, on a whim, decided to try #7 as a topper. I had done up a full detail the day prior and had already waxed and dressed the trim with GC Trim Detailer.

Before applying the #7 I broke out the bule masking tape to mask things off. The stuff would not stick the the freshly applied dressing. So I thought about it a bit and figured, well, if the tape won't stick neither should any #7, or for that matter any wax, sealant etc. So I went ahead just to be sure and dressed the Trim one more time, with a tab bit more product than I would normally use. Then I did up the #7. No problems. I then went back and remove the access Trim Detailer.

I then tried this again last week when I broke out the Rotary for the first time and applied #82, then #9, then 2 coats of #21 following by a coat of NXT. I used Natural Shine this time and got the same result. No residue on the trim.

I am not sure if this will work with all of Meguiar's Trim Detailers and dressings or not. Likely dependant on whether they are water based or solvent based. I do intend to try it with a couple of other products as I empty my bottles of the current stock.

I am hoping this will work equally well with the Pro and Detailer lines a I eventually hope to switch over to using those primarily.