The perils of pin striping ... how do you detail around them?

[dud]

I did a forum search an while there were a few threads ... I found nothing really definitive when it comes to detailing in-and-around pin striping. Only one of our cars (a 2007 Civic) has them and I am preparing (thanks to the friendly advice here) to do my first detail next weekend.

Though how do I deal with the pin striping?

I'll be using a clay bar followed by Maguiar's #80 applied via a PC with either a yellow or orange Lake Country cutting pad.

Are the pin stripes in danger? If so, please advise as to how I can detail the car yet save the pin stripes.

Thanks ...

[Murr1525]

Re: The perils of pin striping ... how do you detail around them?

Avoid them.... I try to avoid washing or drying over them with much pressure.

Esp if they are just the loosley taped on kind.

[AeroCleanse]

Re: The perils of pin striping ... how do you detail around them?

Mask over them

[Mr Mustang]

Re: The perils of pin striping ... how do you detail around them?

i dont fret over them too much, just kinda go around them while detailing, the bad thing about the stick on ones is that no matter what you do, over time they'll start to flake off

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: The perils of pin striping ... how do you detail around them?

I try to go up to them without touching them.

[Markus Kleis]

Re: The perils of pin striping ... how do you detail around them?

I get the blow dryer out and peel those suckers off!

Well, if it's my car at least

For customers, for example the Jeep I did recently, I just very carefully go around them, and make a final pass with my lighter polishes on/over them to clean up up a tad as well as long as they look properly secured to the paint.

If they look old, or are lifting near the edges I will either avoid them, or use extra thin painter's tape and cover them up.

[Black Bart]

Re: The perils of pin striping ... how do you detail around them?

I have a couple older Fords and I run the PC over them just like the rest of the surface. NO problem but I think the safe thing would be to stay off of them.

[yalerd]

Re: The perils of pin striping ... how do you detail around them?

Mask over them

[Mike Phillips]

Re: The perils of pin striping ... how do you detail around them?

The first question is, what kind of pin stripes?

• Are they vinyl tape?
• Painted stripes "on top" of the paint?
• Painted stripes "under" the clear coat?

Vinyl Tape: Avoid applying any product directly on or over them.

Painted Stripes "on" the paint: Avoid them, rubbing just about anything too hard over them will tend to remove them, that is you're remove small particle of the paint that makes up the pin stripe and over time if you keep doing this you'll see thin spots.

Painted Strips "under" the clear coat: Treat the clear coat as you normally would.