Pinstripe help!!!

[mustangnanna]

I have a 07 Shelby GT and the racing stripes are in terrible shape. They have dirty stains on them but only where they are apllied to the metal part of the car-hood, top and trunk. Is there a product i can use to fix this? They are also very dull. I live in an area of extreme summer heat.

Thanks

[aris]

Re: Pinstripe help!!!

Pictures would help

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Pinstripe help!!!

We're assuming these are the typical double racing stripes, in vinyl, common to this make and model?

Are they flat black or glossy in any color? Either way you can, to some degree at least, clean them up with M39 Heavy Duty Vinyl Cleaner. If they are deeply stained though you probably won't be able to do much of anything for them as that material usually doesn't lend itself very well to correction. You should be able to make them look better, but if the paint is in really good shape and you've got nasty looking stripes it really detracts from the look of the car.

With the constant heat and sun you get in Bakersfield it's understandable that vinyl stripes may not survive long, especially if the car is outside all the time. Glossy vinyl can be waxed just like the paint, but on flat stripes that can cause a blotchy, uneven appearance. Without seeing pictures it's a bit difficult to give a full assessment, but we're leaning towards M39 and wax for glossy stripes, and M39 and maybe some Ultimate Protectant (a very light application, maybe two or three times) for flat stripes.

[mustangnanna]

Re: Pinstripe help!!!

The car is black and the racing stripes are shiny silver.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Pinstripe help!!!

Try the M39 but apply it with a foam wax applicator pad and not terry cloth. Terry may end up hazing the finish pretty badly and you really don't want that. Glossy vinyl, as noted above, can be waxed and doing so will help with UV protection.

Any pictures of the current state of these stripes? Your initial description sounds pretty bad and we're hoping that they are not beyond repair. Vinyl can be very difficult, and downright impossible, to really bring back to life after a certain point.