Newbie ques: How to remove white haze on plastic sideskirt?

[Fatty Jones]

Hi,



I`m new to autopia and detailing. So here goes,



My car was new since 2002. I`ve only waxed it (probably improperly) once last summer using meguires gold, by hand. Since then the plastic pieces (sideskirts, low part of the fenders) have developed this patchy white haze. I can`t get it off depite touchless car washings, meg`s scratch x, eraser...



This is probably a pretty basic issue, right? Searching the forum has made me more confused than enlightened. Dawn? Claybar? Meg`s trim detailer? peanut butter?



any help is appreciated; thanks,

fatty

[CRXSi90]

Welcome to Autopia, and thanks for deciding to take care of your car.



The first thing that might help is to describe this plastic to us; is it rough or smooth, and shiny or matte? Something that might help more is telling us what car this is on, so we can visualize it. Best yet would be a digital picture that you could post here. Also, it might be helpful if you could guess at where the white discoloration came from; wax residue, plain old wear/weathering, or something else.



Anyway, it sounds like you`ve done your fair share of reading and searching, so with a little more info about the problem, we might be able to help you out.



Just a few things here:

If the plastic is shiny, or even matte but not porous, as long as it is smooth, you could probably use some polish intended for either paint or plastic to clear up the haze.



If the plastic in question is porous and textured, then your best option might be to try and clean it up with the methods you mentioned...just try them until something works...I`d probably start with an eraser, then maybe a toothbrush and some kind of cleaner. Somebody had luck with Eagle One`s A2Z...yeah the stuff for wheels and tires, and a toothbrush. Other products you could try are Simple Green or Dawn...None of this is the greatest for your trim, but if you are able to fix it now and prevent it in the future, then you are better off.



-rereads original post-

oh, ti looks like you already tried an eraser and scratch x and neither worked...I guess get back to us with some more info, and it might help. The last thing I was going to say was about trim dressing...and I guess I`ll still say it. A trim dressing will protect it in the future and might even blacken the whitened part now. The best thing to do right now would probably be to get back to us with some more info before you kill yourself trying everything under the sun.



kev

[Fatty Jones]

Thanks for the reply!



My car is a 2002 Subaru WRX sedan in World-Rally blue color. The car came delivered with these black sideskirts that I replaced with factory color matched items (the sidewskirts in question). I believe the white haze on the skirts are from the one time wax that I performed months ago. It looks like some kind of smooth residue. The surface of the sideskirt is smooth and matte(not as shiny as the painted and clear coated body panels). Dawn and scratch X did not do anything to improve the situation. The eraser removed very little of the haze, but not consistently(i.e. it removed some in areas and none in other areas). If i rub a spot with the pad of my finger for awhile, some of it does come off, but not completely.



If i use some kind of cleaner with a toothbrush, will the bristle of the brush scratch the plastic? What kind of cleaner could I try? I haven`t tried claybar yet either.



Sorry i have no digital camera. Another consideration is the fact that my garage is subject to the ambient outside temp of about 20F, currently.



Thanks for the help,

Fatty

[Jesstzn]

One thing to try is take the same wax you used and wax a 6" area on the sideskirt and buff it off very well .. It might lift the wax residue.. them maybe rub the area with creamy peanut butter and wash off. Also the Touchless car washes have very harsh detergents and are hard onthe wax/paint.

[CRXSi90]

Thanks for the reply!

no prob. that`s what autopia is all about

My car is a 2002 Subaru WRX sedan in World-Rally blue color. The car came delivered with these black sideskirts that I replaced with factory color matched items (the sidewskirts in question).

Just to clarify...the sideskirts are blue, unpainted plastic?

I believe the white haze on the skirts are from the one time wax that I performed months ago. It looks like some kind of smooth residue. The surface of the sideskirt is smooth and matte(not as shiny as the painted and clear coated body panels). Dawn and scratch X did not do anything to improve the situation. The eraser removed very little of the haze, but not consistently(i.e. it removed some in areas and none in other areas). If i rub a spot with the pad of my finger for awhile, some of it does come off, but not completely.

So did you get the feeling that this white haze is something that is on top of the plastic, or an imperfection in the plastic?

If i use some kind of cleaner with a toothbrush, will the bristle of the brush scratch the plastic?

You asking a question like this makes me thing this isn`t the approach you want to take. The toothbrush thing is mostly for plastic with a pattern in it to get the residue from the valleys.

What kind of cleaner could I try?

I guess if Dawn didn`t work, I wouldn`t look to a similar product for success.

I haven`t tried claybar yet either.

Clay bars are for removing stuck-on crud above the surface. Do the white areas feel rougher than the rest of the plastic piece?

Sorry i have no digital camera. Another consideration is the fact that my garage is subject to the ambient outside temp of about 20F, currently.

no problem...I did a little looking trying to find what the piece looks like. I suppose the temp could have something to do with it maybe...when did you first notice the condition?





I`d probably give what Jesstzn said a try. There is a unpainted plastic piece on the back of my mom`s Jimmy that I thought shouldn`t be waxed. One day, I decided to give it a try, and it turned out great. I guess the area wasn`t really porus, so the wax worked well. :nixweiss

Good Luck!

[imported_CBX Carl]

I use diluted SImple Green on a MF to remove dried wax/polish from trim. I would wash the car after this and restore protection to any parts the Simple Green touched. 303 works fro me.

[Fatty Jones]

The sideskirts are painted blue. They have a smooth surface, but not as `glossy` as the painted body panels. The haze is smooth, without an appreciable edge - it still could be wax residue, i suppose.



So here`s my plan:

Gonna try claybar with soapy water first.

If no good, then try meg`s wax/paint cleaner.

If no good, then try 3m adhesive remover.



Any other suggestions?



fatty

[CRXSi90]

it sounds like your plan should take care of it...there are some good approaches.



if it doesn`t work, let us know and we`ll keep rackin` our brains!

[Fatty Jones]

Ok,



The claybar (mother`s) removed some of this white haze on the sideskirt. There was no dramatic change, however. Then, I noticed a similar patchy white residue on the lower parts of the doors. This is becoming an obsession - not good. So I clayed the doors, again no significant help.



Next I used 3M medium wax cleaner. This REALLY helped. Most of the haze is gone! It did take a long time, and several applications, to buff out the surface by hand with a MF cloth. It also worked on the doors. There is still a suggestion of the residue, both on the sideskirts and doors, if I look at the areas at various angles. But, the areas are dramatically better. I wonder what the rest of the car looks like?!



That 3M general adhesive remover is some awesome stuff. It melts away all sorts of dirt/bugs/etc. I guess I`ll have to be careful on the plastic painted surfaces.



Now, my question is this: Did I simply cover over the residue, or did I actually remove it with the wax cleaner? Is the wax cleaner also some kind of wax?



thanks, great board,

Fatty

[CRXSi90]

It`s hard to say if the stuff is just covered or if it is actually removed...I`m guessing that it is removed...but that is just a guess. A cleaner wax is exactly that, a paint cleaner and a protective wax - in one. The paint cleaner, abrasive or chemical, could have removed the white haze, depending on what it actually is, I suppose. On the other hand, it could have just been covered up by the wax. Just tonight, I cleaned up a friend`s CD for a game in hopes that he could successfully install it...I used Meguiars Gold Class wax. I`m hoping that will cover up some of the scratches.



Hope That Helps,

Kev