0NF1R

so, every now and then youll see someone post up a message about using wax on stripes...almost everyone that replies will say something to the effect of "dont use the wax on the vinyl, it will cause damage..."...

i can understand not wanting to use cleaning wax on the vinyl as some are gritty and could scratch the vinyl and i can understand that you dont want to use any wax on your matte stripes for obvious reasons but what about using normal everyday polishing wax on the gloss vinyl stripes?...

At first i didnt know about all of this and i waxed my car one day during a detail...man i waxed right over the vinyl gloss black stripes with some polish wax, let it dry to a haze, and then started to wipe the residue off of the car...as i passed over the vinyl with my microfiber towel, i noticed that the stripes became slicker, shinier, and cleaner...its like the color was restored to a deeper darker black....

i lifted the towel up off of the stripes and saw on the bottom of the towel really dark wax residue...it looked to be from all of the dirt that settled down on the vinyl as they are exposed to the elements...but after the car is done, what do i see? a nicely polished white beast with vivid dark black stripes holding a gloss that reminds me of the word "wet"!...

i loved the finished product and chose to polish over my striped from that point on...since the first day, i have not seen any part of the stripes start to get damaged, fade, or peel at all....

input?

Poco

Well...what polish did you use to make your stripes shine? A good friend used Ice on his black plastic parts and made that shine really nice. Sometimes we get lucky and find a product that works on stuff it wasn't intended for.

300GT

I've been using Zaino (a sealant, not a wax) on all of my vehicles for years, including my 2 Mustangs with vinyl stripes. I have seen no harm/damage to the stripes. If anything, it helps protect/maintain color on them. Now I certainly would not use a polish or even a cleaner wax on the vinyl, but a true wax and/or sealant should be fine. That has been my experience.

East87

Any idea about detailer spray or EagleOne spray wax?

0NF1R

i use NXT Tech Wax 2.0 liquid wax....leave an excellent excellent shine....i have had no problems with any damage or discoloration of my stripes...

gtguyonli

I use old fashioned simoniz together with a liquid glaze with a professional orbital polisher for years and my stripes as well as my paint is smooth as glass with no scratches or swirls at all. My stripes are glossy, not a matte finish. I was thinking about having them changed to a matte finish, but then I was thinking it would be hard to wax the car without getting wax on the stripes, so if I do them over I guess I will stick with what I have only wider.

Poco

I detail show cars for people who don't have the time or patience. I use painters blue tape over edge of the stripe so no wax or polish will muck up the stripe on the car. 1 inch wide tape does the trick.Put the tape on gently.

Orion_240

What kind of stripes do the the above posters who report no problems have?

I've heard that wax should be kept away from flat black paint and was wondering if that would include flat black stripes.

0NF1R

yes, keep wax away from all MATTE finish parts whether it be a spoiler, vinyl stripes, etc...

i reported no problems with waxing my stripes because they are gloss black...the stripes are supposed to be shiney to begin with so i decided to start waxing them along with the car some time ago and have had awesome results...

but any matte finish should not be waxed at all as the wax will leave white chalk marks on the part that is waxed....

East87

Any word on spray waxes or detailing spray?