How To Maintain Vinyl Graphics/Stickers/Stripes/Decals

[wyseilmykkar]

Re: vinyl stripes (the sequel)

I know this is going to seem extreme, but you could always remove the graphics and have them replaced with real paint.

I think Mike said it best, there's simply too many "flavours" of graphic materials out there to be able to generalize anything. I do have confidence in Meguiar's though, that you'll be able to find a product that works!

[Mike Phillips]

Re: vinyl stripes (the sequel)

Hey guys, I'm new around here

Since this was you're first post to our forum,

Welcome to Meguiar's Online!

Sorry it took a few days to find your thread and post a reply...

Anyway, some vinyl cleaner seemed to help. But actually, the vinyl cleaner only seemed to changed the surface "luster" so the spots are now only visible in "indirect" lighting. These spots now appear to be surface imperfections. Remember, the car only has 20 miles on it.

A dedicated vinyl cleaner like our M39 would tend to clean and also dull a vinyl graphic. Too aggressive for this kind of material.

So, I think I need something a bit more aggressive than vinyl cleaner, but perhaps not quite so aggressive as PlastX. So i'm thinking #17 Plastic Cleaner followed by #10 Plastic Polish on these vinyl stripes. I offer two threads to back-up my thinking :

With materials like you're working on where in the market place there are no dedicated products for this material by any company at least that I know of you're kind of left with trial and error.

That is test out a product in an inconspicuous area first and check to make sure it's working and getting the results you're looking for.

M10 is a non-abrasive pure polish and should and would be a safe product to test with.

M17 is a light cleaner/polish and very, very gentle as far as cleaning ability goes and would and should be a safe product to test with.

Gold Class Trim Detailer is a dressing for rubber, plastic and vinyl and I've used this successfully for years for flat black paint and also vinyl graphics, again you would want to test first in an inconspicuous area.

If the graphics themselves have some kind of defect in them, as in a topical imperfection then chances are no product is going to remove the defect because vinyl graphics don't lend themselves well to be abraded, (cleaned), with the end-result looking good and/or looking original.

See this thread for more info on that last paragraph,

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7228

(thread 7728 is a classic)

What do you guys think about #17 Plastic Cleaner and #10 Plastic Polish on vinyl stripes?

"When your choices are do nothing or try anything you're left with testing something"


Just test in an inconspicuous area first. Apply using a clean, soft foam applicator pad and wipe off using a clean, soft microfiber polishing cloth.

You know what's a bit disappointing ... these vinyl stripes & graphics are becoming more & more popular on cars. But yet, it's hard to get good product recommendations for them.

Just to add it's hard to impossible to get a GOOD product recommendation from the MANUFACTURE. (Wiping with with a cloth dampened with water doesn't count as a GOOD product recommendation)

Heck, it's hard to even get consistent answers from experts on simple questions like : should vinyl stripes be waxed? For what it's worth, I've always used #20 Polymer Sealant on vinyl stripes on my Fords without any difficulty at all.

Part of the problem is that there are so many different types of materials used to make graphics, some are glossy, some are matte, some are high quality, some are not.

The fact that the people making these and the car manufactures using them don't think this out far enough to offer your the customer some kind of product to maintain these materials over the lifetime of the car is not surprising. It's always been very apparent to met that the engineers that came up with the idea for pebble textured plastic for use as trim on a car have never polished or waxed a car before.

I've had the good fortune to buff out just about everything under the sun in my lifetime and that includes a wide variety of different types of vinyl graphics and each project always includes testing and qualify a product before dressing all of the graphics.

Some graphics take well to being waxed with a product like M20 or NXT while others seem to like Trim Detailer.

This is an all original 1982 Corvette with a large vinyl graphic sticker on the hood and sides that were dull and faded before the detail job. After washing and drying, I applied and gently worked in a coat of Gold Class Trim Detailer to the vinyl and let it penetrate while the paint was machine cleaned, polished and waxed. After everything was done the graphics were carefully wiped clean to remove any excess product using a clean, soft microfiber. It did a great job of restoring a clear, rich look to the graphics.













Trim Detailer won't work on all graphics that's why it's important to test first but in this case it was the best product for the job.

[werewolf]

How To Maintain Vinyl Graphics/Stickers/Stripes/Decals


Hey guys, I'm new around here

I didn't want to derail a recent thread on vinyl stripes, so i thought i'd start a new one.

Here's the situation : a new, 2009 Dodge Challenger with vinyl hood stripes. The stripes are fake carbon fiber, but i'm quite sure they are actually made of vinyl. After a pre-wax cleaner, I noticed tiny spots ... almost like watermarks, but too small ... on, or in, the surface of the stripes. Almost like small imperfections, kinda "inclusions" of sorts but no real signs of contamination that can be felt by gentle touching.

Anyway, some vinyl cleaner seemed to help. But actually, the vinyl cleaner only seemed to changed the surface "luster" so the spots are now only visible in "indirect" lighting. These spots now appear to be surface imperfections. Remember, the car only has 20 miles on it.

So, I think I need something a bit more aggressive than vinyl cleaner, but perhaps not quite so aggressive as PlastX. So i'm thinking #17 Plastic Cleaner followed by #10 Plastic Polish on these vinyl stripes. I offer two threads to back-up my thinking :

1. A thread where Mike Phillips remembers using #10 Plastic Polish on vinyl stripes :

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1212&highlight=m-1008

2. A thread where #17 Plastic Cleaner and #10 Plastic Polish were used, quite successfully, on a clear vinyl headlight protectant :

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27518&highlight=vinyl

What do you guys think about #17 Plastic Cleaner and #10 Plastic Polish on vinyl stripes?

You what's a bit disappointing ... these vinyl stripes & graphics are becoming more & more popular on cars. But yet, it's hard to get good product recommendations for them. Heck, it's hard to even get consistent answers from experts on simple questions like : should vinyl stripes be waxed? For what it's worth, I've always used #20 Polymer Sealant on vinyl stripes on my Fords without any difficulty at all.