I was a little careless when applying polish to my Benz, consequently I have a white film on my mud flaps as well as the other rubber parts . I used Armorall to cover them up and that works till I was the vehicle again. Any suggestion as how to get the white polish out? [SIZE=3][FONT=times new roman][COLOR=firebrick]

You need a protectant with a bit more cleaner in it... try the brand new meguiars protectant, that is in the bottle that looks like their new wax, the nxt stuff...

This stuff works well, and only seems to attack oxidized rubber, I believe they also recommend it for wax that has got on rubber trim..

Greg

(my favorite for this is Black Chrome, by Turtle Wax, but it is discontinued, and I only have 6 bottles left)

This stuff should do the job http://www.autogeek.net/forblacbumtr.html

I'd surely rather clean the stuff off, rather than leave it on, and try to dye it black...

Greg

Each kit contains 4 oz. of Cleaner Concentrate and 4 oz. of Forever Black dye. Simply sponge surfaces to be treated with the cleaner to remove dirt, grease and dressings. Next, apply a coating of Forever Black using the shoe-dauber type applicator on the bottle. That's it! No buffing
is required. In 5 to 20 minutes, your trim will
be permanently black!

Question:

On your own car, if you got some wax on the rubber trim, would you put a dye on the trim (painting it), and thus leaving the wax and now the dye on your rubber trim

OR

Try to clean the rubber trim of the wax first?

I would much prefer leaving the rubber in good condition than layering impurities on top of it... I would only paint or coat my rubber trim as a last resort.

Greg

Greg.............. on my own car/truck I would use the Cleaner which comes with the dye and then I would dye it. Pretty simple procedure. I haven't tried this stuff yet but I might in the near future. The Mothers Back to Black works great, but it doesn't last. I haven't found a cleaner yet that pemanently removes the wax on black rubber/plastic.

I hear what you are saying.

I was under the impression that all he needed to do was get the wax off the rubber, thus my suggestion.

I have had success doing this with a number of protectants, my favorite being Turtle Wax Black Chrome, unfortunately now discontinued.

I have used back to black, but I would agree that on damaged rubber, i.e. oxidized, it does not last. In addition, I have found back to black to have a very strong solvent in it, and don't recommend it as my first choice.

If that does not work, I would agree that a more potent approach is in order, as in the one you suggested. I found another product, Black Again, (from properautocare.com) that worked on undamaged plastic and vinyl.

My example use was: I have a 2003 SL500... this has a socket in the front left corner of the passenger seat for a really nice, big cupholder. When you don't use the cupholder, a little plastic cover fits over it. Well, in my Designo edition, the interior plastic on the seat is dark, matte black. The cover appears to be a little different black color, lighter, and it looked out of place. I ordered another and it was the same color. So I used this stuff, which you spray on, and then let bake in the sun. It darkened the piece just exactly right. A small thing, but worked great, so I have added another chemical to my "bag of tricks".

Greg

Thanks for the heads up on the Black Again......... think I'll give it a try.

Black Again is the product you want to use. It is easy to use and works so well that you will find lots of other places to use it. It restores the rubber trim to its original color and makes wax residue disappear.

__________________
Richard Detoy
'84 300SD
'76 Moto Guzzi 850 Le Mans

Got the Black Again last week and your right. I've even used it to restore the finish on several weathered light fixtures on the house, garage and light post. They look new again. Also did a good job and the black trim on my ML430.

Good deal, glad it turned out well... always nice when a recommendation helps.

Greg

Meguiars Gold Class Trim Detailer can remove wax residue on trim.

For better protection of wax on paint around trim, Meguiar recommends spraying Quick Detailer and then apply Trim Detailer on trim.

__________________
1992 300D 2.5 turbo diesel. 319 k miles.
124.128 chassis, 602.962 engine, 722.418 tranny.

Dissolve any imbedded crud in plastic trim using a light coat of peanut oil. Wait 10 minutes or so, then wash it off. Should see the original color come back. Topcoat with something that has a UV protectant.

Try some Griot's Garage Vinyl & Rubber Dressing.

__________________
Fred Hoelzle