Maserati Gummy/Sticky control panels and knobs

Wendell Jarvis

Wendell Jarvis

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Maserati Gummy/Sticky control panels and knobs




I have a up and coming full detail project on this Maserati, after inspecting, things were typical, scratches, swirl marks ( no concern in that area) here is my concern, this is number 39 of 60 made, personally ordered and made for this customer......the control knobs, panels and door handles have a gummy/sticky feel, customer thought it might be from the heat, ( had a great phone conversation with Mike Phillips) with some great ideas..........anybody else dealt with Maserati with problem like this? If so what di you use to remove this Gummy like stuff? Dust and lint even sticks to it.....here are pictures





 
Hey it was good talking to you Wendall, I'm sure some of our forum member have run into this issue and will chime in with what's worked for them.

My primary advice when dealing with this type of problem is to always start out following the sage advice of using the least aggressive products to try to undo the damage and fix the issue.

Starting with simple wiping using water dampened microfiber towels and/or water dampened cotton wash cloths. Sometimes simple approaches can fix the problem and what you want to do is two things,

Remove any substance on the surface that is causing the sticky problem.
Harden the plastic.

I've seen instances where simple water, or water and a mild soap solution, like even liquid hand soap, Woolite and even a quality car wash soap, can clean the surface and leave a harder plastic surface behind.

Anytime you're working on sticky plastic, it's going to be very receptive to stronger chemicals and introducing a stronger cleaning agent to the already soft surface can accelerate the problem, not reverse it.

Of course you cannot get water around electrical switches so only use dampened microfiber towels, not drenching wet towels.

Other safe products to try would be Optimum Opti-Clean or Optimum Power Clean, perhaps a phone call to Dr. G himself would be helpful as he is a PhD Organic Chemist.

Dr_G.jpg



:)
 
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
Hey it was good talking to you Wendall, I'm sure some of our forum member have run into this issue and will chime in with what's worked for them.

My primary advice when dealing with this type of problem is to always start out following the sage advice of using the least aggressive products to try to undo the damage and fix the issue.

Starting with simple wiping using water dampened microfiber towels and/or water dampened cotton wash cloths. Sometimes simple approaches can fix the problem and what you want to do is two things,

Remove any substance on the surface that is causing the sticky problem.
Harden the plastic.

I've seen instances where simple water, or water and a mild soap solution, like even liquid hand soap, Woolite and even a quality car wash soap, can clean the surface and leave a harder plastic surface behind.

Anytime you're working on sticky plastic, it's going to be very receptive to stronger chemicals and introducing a stronger cleaning agent to the already soft surface can accelerate the problem, not reverse it.

Of course you cannot get water around electrical switches so only use dampened microfiber towels, not drenching wet towels.

Other safe products to try would be Optimum Opti-Clean or Optimum Power Clean, perhaps a phone call to Dr. G himself would be helpful as he is a PhD Organic Chemist.

Dr_G.jpg



:)
Click to expand...

Thanks Mike.........I enjoyed our phone conversation ( could have talked for hours ) I will give the Doctor a call just to get his input........I will let you know whar his recommendation is You know a full write up and pictures will be done on this car......lol
 
is the person a smoker?

Ive seen residue build up like that from tar. Believe it or not a simple wipe down with a damp microfiber and some warm water did wonders. If its is indeed the rubber melting im not sure what to do in that area...
 
agarabaghi said:
is the person a smoker?

Ive seen residue build up like that from tar. Believe it or not a simple wipe down with a damp microfiber and some warm water did wonders. If its is indeed the rubber melting im not sure what to do in that area...
Click to expand...


Smoker ? Are you kidding, he would need a new set of lungs to cause this.....lol

This is a typical problem with Maserati and Ferrari
 
Call the importer to find out if this problem has been reported. They might be able to help you.
 
Wendell Jarvis said:
I have a up and coming full detail project on this Maserati, after inspecting, things were typical, scratches, swirl marks ( no concern in that area) here is my concern, this is number 39 of 60 made, personally ordered and made for this customer......the control knobs, panels and door handles have a gummy/sticky feel, customer thought it might be from the heat, ( had a great phone conversation with Mike Phillips) with some great ideas..........anybody else dealt with Maserati with problem like this? If so what di you use to remove this Gummy like stuff? Dust and lint even sticks to it.....here are pictures





Click to expand...

Those look like the typical VW problems on their interior, the gummy like stuff is the soft texture coating on the plastics which are melting which can be cause by heat in the interior over time. Best way to remove those, one method I tried which worked good on old MK4 Jetta was used Denatured alcohol on a soft terry cloth and wipe. **note**Buttons that have label on top of the coating will be gone.
 
This is common on those parts in Italian cars. Denatured alcohol can work.
I would highly suggest you google a company called sticky no more, that is what they do. The client may have to send them out for refurb.
 
FFguy808 said:
Those look like the typical VW problems on their interior, the gummy like stuff is the soft texture coating on the plastics which are melting which can be cause by heat in the interior over time. Best way to remove those, one method I tried which worked good on old MK4 Jetta was used Denatured alcohol on a soft terry cloth and wipe. **note**Buttons that have label on top of the coating will be gone.
Click to expand...

This is much thicker than VW's.I have dealt with plenty VW's and know what you are talking about....My wife owns a VW....this is extremly thick, in one picture you can actually see mt finger print......Denatured alcohol is not a option....the interior package was a extra $20,000.00 so anything that aggresive is insane.....
 
In my opinion, if those switches needs to restored, last resort would be to just replace them with new switches
 
If they opted for the $20k package they might as well have them dealer replaced. I only asked the smoking question cause I've seen a few amgs insides get ruined by cigar tar
 
I will say a good Apc + Steam. final touch a nice Protectan, your choice. I use Meg´s No. 40 Vinyl & Plastic Protectant.

Steam and Apc sure will help you clean those parts, for sure!!
Tell us how you did it at the end!!!

Remember the dilution you use is very important, like mike says start with a mild solution, not a strong one.
The steam defenitlly will do the job!!!
 
I wouldn't touch it. Let the owner deal with it, no point in risking it.
 
I had a similar gummy substance on the console of a 2007 Mercedes. I used 303 Fabric/Vinyl cleaner diluted 10:1 with distilled water. I did not spray it on but instead applied it with a microfiber towel wrapped around 2 fingers, slowly rubbing in the same direction, with not too much cleaner. You will see it come off if you keep working the towel in the same direction. You have to work the area a little at a time. It's almost like taking off the glue left behind from a price tag- if you keep working it, it should remove completely. As always, test a small area first. 303 has no petroleum or solvents so it may be worth a shot....
 
after working a few older Ferrari's with this issue it is best left to the owner to replace. Restoring them is an option but at this stage the degradation is too high for a simple OTC chemical to fix it correctly.

Maserati's also suffer the same issue, same story. As others have stated many owners with the right depth of pocket replace the pieces for new.
 
Mike lambert said:
This is common on those parts in Italian cars. Denatured alcohol can work.
I would highly suggest you google a company called sticky no more, that is what they do. The client may have to send them out for refurb.
Click to expand...

Thanks for chiming in Mike...



anonymoususer said:
Only way to FIX the issue is to refinish.
Click to expand...

Another good option, Wendell will have to decide if he want's to add refinishing poor quality plastic interior parts as a part of his skills or farm the job out.



BlackHawk said:
I wouldn't touch it. Let the owner deal with it, no point in risking it.
Click to expand...

Another good suggestion.

Wendell, if you decide to tackle this problem yourself, get some kind of release of liability and disclaimer singed by the owner before "touching" the interior.

I know you want this account for the future cars but work smart.



Sunshyne said:
after working a few older Ferrari's with this issue it is best left to the owner to replace. Restoring them is an option but at this stage the degradation is too high for a simple OTC chemical to fix it correctly.

Maserati's also suffer the same issue, same story. As others have stated many owners with the right depth of pocket replace the pieces for new.
Click to expand...


More very good adivce...


This is a very good forum indeed with a wealth of knowledge by very skilled, experienced and genuinely nice people.

Thank you to everyone that has chimed in to help Wendell with this project.


:dblthumb2:
 
I have run across the same thing on quite a few Mercedes. Especially the buttons on the steering wheel and the volume nob on the radio.
 
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