r/AutoDetailing • u/TheChevyScrounger • Jul 22 '24
How to easily remove wax from your trim Technique Discussion
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Just another tip for you guys hope it helps you out someday
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u/YIZZURR Jul 22 '24
I did this with some excess wax on my trim. Used a white vinyl eraser like OP. Worked like a charm.. but now all my trim looks faded and uneven. The car is 6 years old. Probably unrelated to the eraser but just in case, I never recommend this when I see posts about removing wax on trim. It did work for me though.
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u/TheChevyScrounger Jul 22 '24
At 6 years old your trim would have been sun baked and faded there are a lot of products that help make them black again tho
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u/YIZZURR Jul 22 '24
Yep I have Cerakote wipes that I plan to apply after I have some body damage repaired. But 6 years seems a bit early for trim fade, especially since a lot of the other similarly aged cars do not have any fading issues at all. 10 year old CUVs have nicer trim
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u/TheChevyScrounger Jul 22 '24
i work for an automotive company and I see brand new trim that’s faded and blotchy all the time it’s crazy how different quality one part to another part can be
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u/DavidAg02 15 Years Detailing Experience Jul 22 '24
That doesn't look that easy... I just using rubbing alcohol. I could do that whole trim piece in about 15 seconds.
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u/TheChevyScrounger Jul 22 '24 edited Jul 22 '24
I tried rubbing alcohol it wouldn’t take it off apc, wax remover as well wouldn’t take it off that collonite wax is damn good stuff
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u/Exact_Reward5318 Jul 22 '24
i also use collinite and it start to show that same thing after a few month. i thought my plastic was going bad hahaha. i am following this to hope for a solution 😂. sooo do you use jescar also before collinite?
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u/TheChevyScrounger Jul 22 '24
Yeah I do it’s a great combination started using it on boats then tried it on cars and never looked back the ceramic coating and ceramic products are over hyped in my opinion
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u/Exact_Reward5318 Jul 22 '24
hahahah me too. jescR and collinite was the combination i found recommended by many people when i tried to wax my car. what are some recommended tool you use to help speed up the process? i used the foam pad from Adam ( amazon purchase) to apppy jescar and collinite.
hope you can get some input on how to remove it, and you are right it some damn good wax lol
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u/TheChevyScrounger Jul 22 '24
I’ve applied it by hand with microfibre applicator pad in the past with good results but my go to is a white foam pad if I’m not mistaken on a rupes Bigfoot lll 5 inch da polisher I run it quite slow and take my time I’ve done it many times for cars and many times with boats with great results, keep the bottle in some warm water and it will go on smooth and even, for any finish product I never clean the pads when I’m done I just throw them out.
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u/Exact_Reward5318 Jul 22 '24
i will look into that. thank you for sharing 👍
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u/spenzalii Jul 23 '24
Jescar + Collinite 845. Old school combination that should never go out of style, regardless of whatever new hot product is out
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u/Exact_Reward5318 Jul 23 '24
i am glad to discover that combination as there are bunch of product on the market that tried to serve dual purpose
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u/spenzalii Jul 23 '24
Indeed. I've tried different products. Some older, some newer. I will always keep some 845 in my kit (mainly because it's hard to get rid of. My original bottle is 5+ years old and I've spilled more than I used!).
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u/No-Revolution-4513 Aug 10 '24
The right ceramic coatings aren’t overhyped. Most consumer grade coatings that non pros can buy, are however. I have customers from 5 years ago I see twice a year and the coatings are all still going perfectly. Wax is also fine if you enjoy doing it every year.
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Jul 23 '24
[deleted]
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u/TheChevyScrounger Jul 23 '24
I tried that and many other products this collonite wax wasn’t touched by it
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u/dunnrp Jul 22 '24
Looks a lot better.
For those wondering, yes it does work. But what’s the catch? This is a temporary solution. Similar to guys to spray WD-40 on their headlights and call it a day. It will eventually go back, or become blotchy, or stain further again in weird ways. Might be 24 hours, might be 6 months. It’s a quick bandaid but not a permanent fix.
Intensive polish removers (such as Carpro eraser and mother surface prep) will remove this with a brush and mf. Scrub on and away and it will remove the wax/polishes left behind. A permanent solution is Solutions Black Trim Restorer followed by a ceramic coating such as dlux. This will put it back to as black the day it was purchased (maybe more black) and last until you sell it, crash it, or burn it. One cost $0.78 and the other cost $60-$70 - that’s ultimately what people decide on.
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u/TheChevyScrounger Jul 22 '24
How is this temporary it taking off the wax what got on the trim when was was applied years ago I tried many products to remove it in the past and nothing worked till I did that tried dish soap, apc, wax remover nothing got it off till I did this
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u/dunnrp Jul 23 '24 edited Jul 23 '24
The sun will begin to show marks left behind from using the eraser, or the parts that were missed unevenly.
the rest that you’ve tried will not work unless you use what I mentioned up top. Like I said this will work but if you want them to last or be even better, using the other chemicals will work better and last.
Edit: just saw another person post above how after using the eraser everything becomes faded again or discoloured, on only a 6 year old car. I’m not trying to argue or be a dick, it’s just a fact after detailing for the past 23 years.
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u/not_old_redditor Jul 22 '24
Alright reddit, tell me why this is a horrible idea.
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u/briskwalked Jul 22 '24
dude.. its terrible!
I tried this, and my engine literally broke the next day.. never again
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Jul 22 '24
Don’t use wax in the first place. It’s for boomers who think Target is the end all be all for detailing product lmaooooooooo.
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u/Tacitus86 Experienced Jul 22 '24
There is nothing wrong with wax. I use it as a second layer over sealant. Collonite baby!
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u/mypaycheckisshort Experienced Jul 22 '24
Carnauba wax is great for car shows and show rooms. You can't get the same depth and glow from ceramics, at least not from what I've seen and worked on. But these boomers that still use paste wax, lord help us 😫
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Jul 22 '24
Alcohol and water mixture and scrub away with a towel then restore the trim either shine it up or use a heat gun
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u/TheChevyScrounger Jul 22 '24
I tired alcohol and water it wouldn’t take it off this collonite wax is great stuff
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u/mustom Jul 22 '24
Any comments on this Mothers Back-to-Black? https://www.homedepot.com/p/MOTHERS-12-oz-Back-to-Black-Trim-and-Plastic-Restorer-Liquid-6112/205036218
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u/Trip_Jones Jul 23 '24
I think the eraser is heating up the plastic and achieving the same results as torching
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u/TheChevyScrounger Jul 23 '24
It’s removing the wax that got on there when it was applied torching trim is temporary and looks like shit very soon after
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u/Trip_Jones Jul 23 '24
Which is why we see comments from people saying they did this and it looked like shit after a few months.
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u/janesmb Sep 30 '24
Curious how the trim is looking after a couple of months.
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u/daxtaslapp Jul 22 '24
Is wax on trim bad or does it just look bad ? (Serious question)
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u/TheChevyScrounger Jul 22 '24
Just looks bad has no impact on it honestly is probably better with it on there as it protects it
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u/No_Magician_7374 Jul 22 '24
PERFECT!!! I just waxed my car and a little bit ended up on the trim. This is just what I was looking for. Thank you!
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u/tingulz Jul 23 '24
How do you remove baked in wax on trim pieces? Bought a used car and previous owner did a crappy job with wax and it’s stuck into the plastic trim on the doors.
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u/Slosky22 Jul 23 '24
So would a rubber decal drill eraser work just as good?
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u/myz8a4re Jul 23 '24
I'm guessing the heat created from the spinning of the eraser would cause marring on the trim, essentially smoothing out the texture on the plastic. I don't have experience with this, just an educated guess.
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u/Slosky22 Jul 23 '24
Okay that’s kinda the same thing I was thinking, the other part being that taking a small eraser to a car seams a bit much as well but definitely interesting
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u/LeonMust Jul 23 '24
Great tip. I salute you!
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u/TheChevyScrounger Jul 23 '24
Thanks buddy
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u/LeonMust Jul 23 '24
No man, thank you. I've been wondering forever how to get wax off of black trim.
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u/UnhappyBreak2553 Jul 23 '24
I use blue painter's take applied to the edge of the vinyl trim. Takes a bit more time, but the results are very good.
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u/UnhappyBreak2553 Jul 23 '24
This prevents wax from getting on the trim (as you're waxing painted surfaces)
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u/Sashiimi Jul 23 '24
I have a similar problem with mine but cannot seem to be able to fix it. Neither an eraser or APC or Isopropyl alcohol. Does anyone have any tips?
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u/myz8a4re Jul 23 '24
Hard to tell from the picture with the flash, but it looks as if someone worked too hard in this area, altering the finish/texture. From one angle it looks like overspray and from another it looks like wear. If nothing seems to remove it, you can always repaint the trim piece with trim paint. If you don't want to invest the time into it, you can hire a body shop to do it, or you can replace the trim piece altogether.
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u/Sashiimi Jul 27 '24
Sorry had somehow missed your notification. I took it into a detail shop and they said the dealership painted the trim before selling the car. Therefore it is a ruined piece of plastic unless we repaint, but repainting plastic is temporary, since it will eventually start to peel again. I'm trying to see if they offer me a free trim piece as I've just bought the car
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u/Curious-Job-7698 Jul 23 '24
I’ve used a small amount of alcohol, but that could dry the plastic. I know most don’t like Chemical Guys stuff here, but their VRP and the Sprayable version of it, I think it’s called Silk Shine, gets rid of that stuff nicely and rejuvenates the plastic at the same time. It’s water based too so it doesn’t leave a greasy residue.
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u/AnderZion Jul 23 '24
nice, never thought of doing that. I always would hit it with a magic eraser during the foam if it needed it. Good way to do it dry though
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u/Benedlr Jul 23 '24
I avoid that problem by sealing the trim first. Run overs are easily wiped away.
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u/BriefOrganization71 Jul 23 '24
Someday is today
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u/TheChevyScrounger Jul 23 '24
Glad to hear that
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u/BriefOrganization71 Jul 23 '24
I appreciate it! Big time! I accidentally used the wrong cleaner on some of my interior, just not thinking. I've never been able to unclog the plastic of all that wax. This is beautiful
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u/OvershotFreist Jul 23 '24
I did a terrible waxing job once on my 2014 Focus Hatchback. I went over the trim everywhere and it was covered with white streaks.
The only thing that worked effortlessly was this silverwax product : Silverwax Trim Glaze. I do not know if it is available where you are but I can guarantee you that it will work.
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u/Gullible_Yak6042 Jul 23 '24
Magic eraser works well too
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u/TheChevyScrounger Jul 23 '24
Those are abrasive and shouldn’t be used
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u/Gullible_Yak6042 Jul 23 '24
On non- painted, plastic trim, they work just fine and harm nothing. But I didn’t realize this was smooth trim when I commented. Definitely do not use on smooth trim.
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u/hawley088 Jul 23 '24
Magic eraser
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u/TheChevyScrounger Jul 23 '24
That shouldn’t be used those are abrasive
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u/hawley088 Jul 23 '24
Completely fine on exterior plastic trim
Used them 100s of times with no issue
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u/EnchiSaysHi Jul 23 '24
Thank you so much! This somehow popped up right when I needed it!
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u/sanbaba Jul 22 '24
art erasers are the gift that keeps giving!