GLOCKer

I swapped out the 5.0 badges on my 2014 GT for matte black 5.0 badges on Friday. It was starting to get late in the day and it was getting dark in my garage as I was doing it. I started by putting down some painter's tape (Green Frog brand) to be able to index the new badges. I then hit the badges with my wife's hair dryer to loosen up the tape under them. After that I cleaned the residual tape residue off the fender with some Goo Gone. It took a lot of Goo Gone to get the residue off.

The next morning, I went to work and checked out the badges in the day light. From four feet away, everything looks great. But when I knelt down to see if I missed any of the sticky residue, I noticed on the passenger side that there are faint raised lines that define the outer edges of where the painter's tape was. I am wondering if during the process of cleaning the fender while the painter's tape was on it, if the Goo Gone collected on the edges of the tape and caused this to happen.

For those in the know on paint; did I damage the paint down to the metal? Are these cars clear coated? If so, what are the chances that the cleat coat is just raising? If I try cutting it down with rubbing compound, am I just going to cause blistered paint to chip off? I'll try to get some pictures up later today, but I'm thinking it might not show as the paint is just barely raised in the affected area.

Thanks!

Surf City Garage

Can you take some pictures in the light of the affected area(s) so that I can better help you? Thanks!

Also, you want to stay away from the Green Tape and any other tape that has Edge Lock or something like that in it. The chemical used for the Edge Lock can damage your clear coat. Simple Painter's Tape without Edge Lock is just fine.

GLOCKer

And that's what did it. Frog tape with Edge Lock. Well damn. Something that simple. I had some blue painter's tape under it, but I just picked up what was on top.

Here are some pictures:








You can see there is still some sticky residue left. I couldn't see it that well in the darkness of my garage. I'm going to have to take a que-tip to it with some cleaner.

cruisin5268d

Holy cow...

Is that your paint job or a mirror with the 5.0 badging on it?

GLOCKer

Thanks! I try to keep the car clean and protected. It's hard being that my 'stang is a daily driver and sees the rain and pollen.

Surf City Garage

If you can swab in some cleaner to those areas, that should clean it up. Do you have a spray sealant or spray wax to protect that area once that's done?

GLOCKer

Yes I do. I rubbed it with a terry cloth and some quick detailer, but all it did was make the car shiny. What kind of cleaner would you recommend? As for spray wax, I've been using Turtle Wax Black. Will this be fine for this purpose?

Thanks!

Surf City Garage

For something around the same price point, I would recommend the Surf City Black Edge Detailer or Black Edge Spray Wax for that area. I personally prefer the SCG Professional Polymer Detail Spray as the results are stellar and it's still super easy to use! I would recommend switching from terry cloths to microfiber towels for when you touch your paint also. A quick way to tell if the cloth/towel you are using is going to abuse your paint when you touch it, is to take an old CD you don't listen to any more and rub it along the back. If it scratches the CD you know it's going to scratch your car...nonetheless, that wasn't the question!

For cleaning that area up prior to Spray Wax, try some Detailer first as it's not super aggressive. If that doesn't pull the remaining residue from the Goo Gone, from the SCG Pro Line, I would recommend diluting out the SCG Pro APC to 8:1, spraying that onto a clean microfiber towel, and gently try to remove the excess cleaner. It comes in a concentrate and Full Strength is way, way, way too strong for this. Diluted down to that should be effective and safe at the same time.

There are a few places online to find detailing swabs. These little guys are your friend in and around badging.

Thanks!

GLOCKer

Hey Surf,
Are you able to see the slight bubbling around the outside of the badge in the photos? I'm talking from the tap lines. Let me see if I can call them out with an arrow or something.







It's hard to make the issue show up as the car's paint reflects a lot of light. But I've circled or called out the areas of concern with arrows.

And duh, I meant micro-fiber clothe, not terry cloth. Duh. Thanks

Surf City Garage

Does it feel like the clear lifted right there? The pictures are hard to tell texture, I think because of the clouds in the reflection.