How do you protect rubber trim when using a sealant?

MrOneEyedBoh

MrOneEyedBoh

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My wifes car wears a sealant and gets treated twice to three times a year. The trim is also treated with WETS, because of that the tape doesnt stick well to it. When sealant does get on it, it typically comes off usually, but there are some spots that seem to to still stain... Any suggestions?
 
MrOneEyedBoh said:
My wifes car wears a sealant and gets
treated twice to three times a year. The
trim is also treated with WETS, because
of that the tape doesnt stick well to it.

When sealant does get on it, it
typically comes off usually, but
there are some spots that seem
to still stain...

Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
It sounds like you need to “Re-W.E.T.S.”
those spots that seem to still stain.


Bob
 
FUNX650 said:
It sounds like you need to “Re-W.E.T.S.”
those spots that seem to still stain.


Bob
Click to expand...

Is what you're saying, that I need to use trim sealant prior/before I apply a sealant? That would prevent staining?
 
2black1s said:
Be more careful!
Click to expand...

This would be my advice too, and it isn't meant to be mean-spirited .

Whether I'm polishing or applying an LSP of any sort, when I get to any rubber/plastic/vinyl trim, I really slow down and make sure I don't hit that area. I learned my lesson years ago with a carnauba wax getting into black textured trim on the car I owned at the time. That stuff would stain the trim white like crazy and was really hard to remove. After several instances of having to scrub the stuff out with a toothbrush I started being much more careful.

I'll still tape around the edge of a sun roof or lights, but otherwise I just take my time and be extra careful.
 
Here's what I would do. Before you apply sealant to the car, get Meguiar's #39 (Vinyl and Rubber Cleaner) and clean all the trim. It will remove the remaining WETS and the rubber will be clean. Tape should then stick and protect it like you wanted. Then after you seal the paint and remove the tape, protect trim again with WETS.
 
I'm a big believer in dressing the trim before applying products to the paint.
 
forrest@mothers said:
I'm a big believer in dressing the trim before applying products to the paint.
Click to expand...

^^ 100%.

I never tape and never have issues. Key is to coat or treat the trim first. Then if you happen to tap it with the polisher, a little $4 bottle of mineral oil does the trick. Just put a few drops on a rag and it will simply wipe away. No need wasting time and money on tape or fancy cleaners and wax removers.
 
TTQ B4U said:
^^ 100%.

I never tape and never have issues. Key is to coat or treat the trim first. Then if you happen to tap it with the polisher, a little $4 bottle of mineral oil does the trick. Just put a few drops on a rag and it will simply wipe away. No need wasting time and money on tape or fancy cleaners and wax removers.
Click to expand...

You don’t tape when polishing?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Coatingsarecrack said:
You don’t tape when polishing?
Click to expand...

Nope. Tried it to see what it's all about but no. No need. Again, dress all the trim prior and it solves the issue. I do a lot of trim coatings too and they are even more resistant.
 
I thought part of the reason for taping off trim was to avoid melting the rubber, not just keeping product off of it
 
CaffeineBuzz said:
I thought part of the reason for taping off trim was to avoid melting the rubber, not just keeping product off of it
Click to expand...

No way polishing paint would generate enough heat to melt rubber. It's all about not forcing product into the pores of the trim which are then really hard to remove as they're in the pores, not sitting on the surface.
 
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