Polished Vinyl sticker

DistilledBison

DistilledBison

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First post here:

My brother has a 2016 50th anniversary Camaro that has the attached vinyl stickers on the hood. He claims to have rubbed water spot remover onto it and as a result has left a polished spot on the sticker. He wants to know if there was a method of returning it back to the factory matte finish? (Without having to buy and replace the sticker)

I took Mikes detailing Bootcamp this past weekend and failed to bring this up during discussion opportunities. (Nametag was “Short” for those who were there, HIGHLY recommend the class btw, will post a further review sometime in the next week)

My first assumption is that water spot remover is a form of mild abrasive that will forever leave that spot shiny and difficult to return it to a uniform matte finish. Looking forward to any and all responses to this question.

Best regards,
Short

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All water spot removers are acidic in nature AFAIK. Don't think you can get back that matte finish to blend in with the rest.
 
DistilledBison said:
My first assumption is that water spot remover is a form of mild abrasive that will forever leave that spot shiny and difficult to return it to a uniform matte finish. Looking forward to any and all responses to this question.
Click to expand...

Some water spot removers contain abrasives, some don't, so this is a case where it pays to read the fine print (or AG's very good product descriptions).

Meg's has abrasives - Meguiars Water Spot Remover

Blackfire doesn't - BLACKFIRE Water Spot Remover

It's also possible that the applicator he used might have been responsible.
 
Sorry, nope. Once it's shiny it's staying that way. He could polish over the rest of it to 'even' out the look...
 
Hi Short,

Sorry to hear about the shiny spot on in the middle of the matte graphic.

And as you know, the class is very fast paced and I do try to cover every topic under the sun - BUT because we didn't have any cars with matte paint or matte graphics - the topic slid under the radar.

I've worked a LOT on matte graphics and matte paint and there's really no way to take what was once matte and textured and undo the abrading action that created the shiny spot.

If you think outside the box though - and keep in mind at this point there's not much to lose, you could... machine polish the entire graphic to make the matte portion shiny like the spot. At least it would have a uniform appearance.


I would try a free spinning random orbital polishers and do a Test Spot using a foam finishing pad first with a high quality fine cut polish and/or a cleaner/wax like BLACKFIRE One Step. You could also try the product your brother-in-law used since it seems to have worked once without staining the matte graphic.


I think this is what I would do. AND if you can successfully polish the matte graphic shiny, it would make a great how-to article PLUS help others into the future to see how you do it. I know this has happened to others.


Me? I'm still cleaning up the garage and doing laundry after the class. :D


Pictures: 2020 September 3-Day Detailing Bootcamp Class


And it was a genuine pleasure to meet you, work with you and have you in the class.



:)
 
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