A week ago or so, I received a few great tips for washing, wax, etc.. on my car. I used some Meguiars Tire Cleaner on my door handles and man, did they look 100x better.. then it rained.. then it rained some more.

Now, they're almost back to the silvery-gray colour again but that's not the real problem. The tracks of film and gunge running down my doors and off of the rear view mirrors from the Meguiars residue is the problem. Is this bad for the paint (I can't imagine it's any good)? Any tips on keeping this from happening in the future?

As always, thanks in advance for any suggestions, opinions and additions to the thread.

Stephen Davis
1988 300E 90k miles with "Custom Vertical Striping"
MBCA - N. Texas Section

I know exactly the symptom you are describing. It is easy to fix with a few small/simple steps. If basic Zymol or Meguiar's 00 aka (Gold Class Shampoo) wash does not remove it try some good ole #7. After you #7 an area be sure to rewax the affected area. Most of the time the wash takes care of it. Small tip: try using either Vinylex or Mother's Back-to-Black on the handles in the future. Apply (sparingly) with a Q-tip, buff with a cotton terry or diaper. That should keep any run-off trails from bothering you in the future. BTW, some #26 wax on the door handles works quite well and it will never color off on anything. Just be sure you remove it with a terry that has enough nap to get all the wax out of the semi-textured door handle.

Enjoy....Lee

First off.....Thanks Lee for the great insight and ideas! When I first read Stephen's post....I thought oh s#%t!

I use Meguiars Endurance or STP's Son-of-a-Gun. The difference is: My car is a garage queen so it never sees rain or snow!

You will have no problems getting it off if you have wax on your car. And Lee answered exactly how to get it off.

My question is this: I've had some mixed results with Mother's Back to Black. I love the product, however I've seen it turn kinda brown...like a tire cleaner will often do to tires. I would also guess, that it would run after a heavy rain too?

You guys tell me.... Stephen can now be the "what doesn't run in the rain" expert.

I will be waiting for future posts.

Thanks
Mike

------------------
1986 300E 138k
MBCA Concours Judge
Board Member -
Western Reserve Section

Mike-
I humbly accept the honor of the "What doesn't run in the rain" expert.

Lee-
Thanks for the tips for getting rid of my Custom Stripes. It's a bit embarassing, you know..

I'll do it on Saturday morning. I'll try and scare up some Mothers and some #7 & #26.

On an unrelated note, I have placed my first order with the fine folks at Leatherique. Looking forward to working a bit on the interior. I did find some 303 here locally (stuff is expensive!) and have tried it out on the dash. Looks shiny like Armor-all however theres no film or residue. Neat stuff!

Thanks again for your help and suggestions.

Stephen Davis
1988 300E 90k miles "What Doesn't Run in the Rain Test Vehicle"
MBCA N. Texas Section

[This message has been edited by CafcoTX (edited 06-18-99).]

Mike,
My experience with Mother's BTB is that if the surface being applied to is reasonably clean and oxidation free it isn't a problem. If you just put some on a neglected area, expect well...Stephen's "Zebra" 300E look.

About 90% of the time I use Vinylex, but I always like to try and find new/better ways/techniques/etc.

Hope this helps...Lee