Thanks for the Cladding Care Info

[SABR2TH]

With all the wet weather we've been having here in Alabama, I really haven't had a chance to clean the VX up to my satisfaction since we bought it in April (my wife is the daily driver of SABR2TH). This Sat. after I had cleaned up my Celica, I got my wife to leave the VX home at lunch and I washed it. I had known all along that I needed to give the cladding special attention, but it became particularly obvious after washing it the third time that soap and water wasn't gonna bring much of a shine to it. We both agreed that we needed to talk to someone at the local AutoZone or the like to see what was best for that type of material. Before going that route, Monday morning I got on here, did a search on cladding and clean, then care and got exactly the info I needed. Monday evening I went to Wal-Mart and picked up the Turtle Wax 2001 Protectant and applied it last night. It looks like I replaced all the cladding with brand new pieces. Absolutely amazing how much difference it makes. My wife was tickled and I was quite proud of how good it looks. I had to check it out a coupla times this morning before we headed to work. We both absolutely love our VX and it sure is great to have such a thorough and committed community with a great aficionado site like this one. Thanks all...
Mark & Beth

[Spike]

On a brand new VX that was on a showroom floor.

Was the cladding -

a. Shiny (like it was just sprayed with Armor All)

b. Flat (like a high grit sandpaper

c. Somewhere in between

d. all of the above (... oh, sorry.)

'c' would have been my first guess.

Now I don't know if I should take any wax off that may be on mine (was my intention) , or just leave it be.

One of the posts here, someone said that the plastic was pure black. I dont know, I see some grey in it, even in sections that don't get high exposure to light.

[SGT.BATGUANO]

On the showroom floor it had dressing on it.

[Spike]

Do you think a home made raspberry vinegarette would work?

Thanks,
I will take a trip to pep boys and get overwhelmed with the selection.... then try something out. Maybe that Turtle wax 2001...

[VX4EJR]

Has anyone tried this yet?


http://www.justonce.com/

[Spike]

Elliot,

I saw a post for that stuff somewhere before
If you want to go in on an order together, I am game... save on shipping.

Let me know.

[Heraclid]

Never have tried the Turtle Wax product, but I love plain 'ol Son-of-a-Gun protectant spray for this purpose. Whatever you do, don't ever use actual wax. :-)

[JasonB]

I'm kinda partial to good ol kerosene on the trim and bumpers of my Amigo. Granted...not the SAFEST thing to do, but it works. I met an old timer a long time ago that used to Kero his cars twice a year...and he never washed them between treatments...his cars looked AWESOME all the time.

[skullcap]

All you need to know...

Collinite on the painted surfaces

RainX on the glass

Blue Magic on the rims

McGuire's Tire Dressing (clear purple grape-scented stuff) on the cladding and sidewalls. This stuff hangs-on like armor until driving through heavy rain and road-spray.

[Heraclid]

Well, I got the Rain-X and Blue Magic parts right, then. :-) I use Armor-All tire foam on the tires, Son of a Gun on the cladding, Zymol wax on painted surfaces.

[hitnrun74]

I use Mother's "back to black" on my cladding. It works great! You have to be kind of careful with it though. Cladding has to be cool, if it's in the sun, it doesn't work very well. And if it rains within a few hours of applying it, it will streak.

[Dallas4u]

I've used the Meguiar's Gold Class Endurance (the gel stuff for the tires) on the cladding before. It lasts a long time, but you have to make sure and get it even. It will look streaky if you don't.

[2K1 1K2]

hi, guys.

1) rain-x on windows.
2 )clay bar, meguires 3 step on paint.
3) meguires grape scented gel on sidewalls.
4 )stoner's trim shine on cladding. i don't spray directly on cladding, but rather, spray on an applicator made for applying tire dressing. i think, the brand i use is 'eagle'. the applicator's got a yellow grip area so you don't get the stuff on your hands. i then wipe it across the cladding. i, personally, don't like it shiny - so i wipe off any excess - gives the cladding a new 'black' look!

-jose

[geshaw30]

Skullcap is dead on correct....
Those products are all you need to know.
I've tried everything out there and those are the best for each item.
Son of a Gun, Armor All, and most other "spray on" items, on the cladding, are worthless once they get wet.
________
BDSM LESBIAN

[skullcap]

The really nice thing about the Collinite insulator Wax is the oil-base (not water). I've found it's a little tricky to get buffed-out, but once I do, my black beauty can go for weeks without a reapplication. I just wash, dry, and go! As Johnnyapollo pointed-out, Collinite imparts a waxed orange-peel texture to the finish, which compliments the slightly finer teture of the cladding. The texture of the gloss is likely going to show up more on dark paints, but I can imagine this slightly increased glossy surface-area would enhance the reflectivity of even Proton and Ironman White.

The Meguire's dressing not only improves the appearance of the cladding, but I think it nourishes the poly, too. A buddy who's a Porsche afficianado has advised me to keep the ArmorAll, inside and out to a minimum. When he runs his 911 in Concordes, he says the Armor-all is removed as soon as the show is over. It sounds as if, left on in the sun, Armor-all might actually contribute to premature weathering of the interior and exterior plastics. Can anyone confirm this?