Best way to remove wax from Vinyl Trim?

[Jwd1savh]

I have a Ford F-150 2002 Dark Green Supercrew. I used the Gold Class Clear Coat Liquid Carwax and got some on the Black Vinyl around the Side Mirrors and on the Bed Cap Vinyl Covers. I have tried to remove the wax during the next wash, using the Gold Class Car Shampoo & Conditioner, then the Gold Class Dash Wipes, but the wax remained. I even tried Armor All, it seemed to remove it until it dried after a week and the wax marks returned.
I see two products that may work, but which one is better for this problem and will not damage (dry out) the trim.
The Gold Class Trim Detailer or the Professional Heavy Duty Vinyl Cleaner?

Thanks for any Help,
John

[Ghettocivic]

Hey,
I currently use #39 and it works great. The way I clean trim is to get a clean towel and spray some on the towel and scrub away all the wax. You can spray it on the trim and scrub, however I like applying to the towel first so you don’t get any on the paint.
Ray

[Jwd1savh]

Thanks for the advice....

I will give that a try and post the out come.
Thanks again for the Reply.

[Henrydog]

Wax from Vinyl

Here is what worked for me on my wife's Volvo S60. After many tried with vinyl cleaner, I decided to wait for a hot day and had the car in the sun. The heat made the was softer, and one application of vinyl cleaner worked (after six tries).

[SVT Lightning]

I seem to recall a post here saying that a pencil eraser will work too. I haven't tried it myself.

[defectiveAggie]

I'm basically in the same boat here. Although i dont know what type of material mine is on. I'm not good with that kind of stuff. All i know is that it is trim. I have applied Trim Detailer on it before but that just seems to mask the wax thats on there as opposed to removing it.

Here are some pics of my current situation:








I have obviously learned my lesson and will have to tape off trim and what not next time i wax. I dont feel too bad, still a beginner. ANYWAYS, any suggestions on removing this? APC didnt do anything to it.

[dpeezy415]

I got some wax on the trim on our van and it looks TACKY.

Peanut butter took it write off, and made the trim look great again

[raydoug]

Use Peanut Butter (not chunky)

I know you will think I am nuts, but I am a Honda Element owner that has large plastic side panels. This topic has been discussed at length on the Honda chat site and the consensus recommendation is to rub smooth (not chunky) peanut butter to remoce the wax. This is not a joke. It does work.

[romulus]

I use Mr. Clean Magic eraser. It works really good. The draw back is that the pad dregrates with use. So, I cut a small section and save the rest for later. After that, I use GC trim detailer. By the way is just cost a few dollars.

[AutoNova]

Originally posted by romulus
I use Mr. Clean Magic eraser. It works really good. The draw back is that the pad dregrates with use. So, I cut a small section and save the rest for later. After that, I use GC trim detailer. By the way is just cost a few dollars.

I am now a big fan of the Magic Wand a device similar to ME but seems to have better durability. It is the answer to cleaning of scuff marks and dirt. I got 48 of them from Kleen-Rite for $30. The ME for tires is a terrible product, talk about falling apart.

[George G.]

Hey Jwd, the pink eraser works. I had the same prob with my truck on the mirrors and bed rail caps. I've heard of people using peanut butter...but that sounds messy. I simply used the pink eraser (like what school kids use) and be more careful next time around to not get so close to the edge...of course, I also switched to the products that don't dry white whenever possible.

[Jwd1savh]

I will give that a try...

Having trouble finding the # 39 Vinyl Cleaner locally. I will try the method you suggested and post the outcome. I also will not use the paste type waxes anymore and find a better product to use.
Any suggestions....

[SVT Lightning]

Originally posted by SVT Lightning
I seem to recall a post here saying that a pencil eraser will work too. I haven't tried it myself.

OK....got some NXT on trim yesterday in spite of my best efforts. Of course, it was more noticeable today after it had completely dried. Tried the pencil eraser and it worked GREAT!

[Jwd1savh]

The Final outcome.

Never could find either Meguiar's Vinyl or Trim cleaners locally. Used the Pencil Eraser on a small area and it did removed the old wax, but you would need a large eraser to clean more than a 2" x 6'" area. Never tried the Peanut Butter, so I cannot say how it works or not.
I finally purchased a product from Mother's called "Back-to-Black" and a small Detailing Brush Set from Grip Tech. The Brush Set had a Nylon Brush with V shaped Bristles that worked great with the above product. I was able to remove "ALL" the old wax on the trim and rubber area. After I finished cleaning the trim and rubber, I used the Meguiar's Quick Detailer and cleaned the painted area's around the trim that some the the Mother's cleaner got on and it came off with no problem. Put the Truck in full sun for 2 days and no more white wax showing on the trim. Even after it rained on the vehicle it still looks good, with the trim looking Black, not milky.
So, I believe I have fianlly got my trim work back to the color it should be as well as protected. The main lesson learned is I "WILL NOT" use anymore paste type waxes on this vehicle or any other with Vinyl trim work.

[AL-53]

I have used a product called Citra-Blast to remove wax stains, and it works very well. I seen the janitors at work use this to remove floor wax build up on walls ,so I said I will try it on my stained trim..and it worked great.

I sprayed on the trim and let it set a minute and scrubbed it and the stains wer gone. I waited a day or so to see if they would re appear before I treat them with a protectant and they never showed up. It has many uses also..like degreasing and wheel cleaning and to clean up interior..

Here is the link to the product.

http://www.nclonline.com/productdetail.asp?currcode=2001

They also use another brand citrus cleaner that works just as good but I can not find the can to give you the name, I think my son used it up cleaning his bike to degrease the engine..

This stuff comes out as a foam.
This is the only stuff I used that worked so fast and and removed wax stain so easy.

I believe you will need to get it at a janitorial supply house as I have never seen it in the local building centers or stores.

AL