Cleaning plastic body panels

[SRLNCLT]

My dad has a 2003 E and is curious how to treat/clean the plastic body panels. What can he use? My guess is not Armour All.
L.

[Anonymous]

I had some stains and surface scratches on one composite wing panel, after experimenting I had great success using cellulose thinners on a piece of rag. Rubbing hard removed the stains and lost the scratch. I guess you have to be careful not to over do the thinners as they probably slightly dissolve the plastic.

[psschmied]

Clean with a good quality automotive car wash concentrate that doesn't contain any "wax". After you're sure that there's no wax residue left on the panels and they are dry, use 303 protectant. Follow the directions - and rub it dry. If you do it right, when you're done the panels should look as if nothing was put on them. They'll stay that way until they are physically damaged. The panels will gradually roughen over time.

Unless you want create an endless maintenance cycle, don't put wax, silicone, tire treatment, and especially not Armorall on the plastic panels. Clean the car frequently as above, retreat panels with 303 monthly during summer, quarterly the rest of the year.

If you wax your paint, do it by hand after treating the panels, so if you get a little sloppy, the wax won't stick to the panels for any length of time. Rub down any wax on the panels with a clean cloth until there is no white residue.

REPAIRING the finish of the panels is a whole different story, but the basic rules for any auto finish are never use any solvent without testing it first, and try not to avoid abrasives. Once etched or scratched, all you can do to a finish is try to cover it up with something, and it gets progressively harder to maintain.

Some people in this forum have experimented with Back to Black, various tire treatments and Honda's panel spray with mixed results, probably because none fixes the damaged finish. They are like putting a layer of shoe polish on a faded black paint job, an old used car sales trick. It might look OK under some lights for a while, but it's not going to last long.

[scull]

I have been reading most of the postings about the plastic panels, because I had replaced one rear panel that had been severely scratched, and had a front left panel that had a long white-colored scratch on it (as though someone had taken a key and scratched it as they walked by). Some people on this forum recommended Mother's Back to Black, Formula 303, the Honda Plastic Panel Spray, lacquer thinner, and mineral spirits. Because I had the old scratched rear panel that was replaced, I was in an unusual situation to be able to try out all of these solutions over time, without risking damage to a panel currently on the car.

The plastic panel spray seemed to work, but I had to be very careful not to spray too much, because drip marks seemed to occur quite easily. A handy, "do-it-yourselfer", mechanically-inclined person, probably could apply the spray with no problem. The lacquer thinner reduced the scratches on the old panel, and the mineral spirits did also, but to a lesser extent. A friend of mine gave me some Formula 303, and it worked fairly well, but it only reduced the intensity of the scratches. A second application reduced the intensity of the scratches a bit more. Mother's Back to Black reduced the intensity of the scratch more than 303 on the first application, and a second application made the scratch almost disappear (I had to look at it in the sun from a number of different angles to really see the slightest "shadow" of a scratch).

So, I decided to apply Mother's Back to Black on the scratch on the left front panel. Two applications one day apart did the trick, and the white-colored scratch, that ran the length of the panel, was gone (looking at the panel in the sun from an angle reveals the slightest shadow of the scratch). After two months in the harsh Nevada sun, driving through a number of small dust storms (we have things called "dust devils" out here, and they can have a sand-blasting effect on the surface of your car), and one car wash, there has been no reappearance of the scratch or any noticable discoloration of the area that had been scratched.

Overall, I spent about $25 on the various products, and tested them on the old panel over a period of two months. This process was, in my mind, preferable over just replacing the panel. Replacing the right rear panel cost me $250, so I was not anxious to replace the left front one.

Reed
Reno, NV

[Da5thelement]

I've read everyone's comment on this subject and I'm having a difficult time removing wax build up that got on the panels.

My first option was to go to the dealer and see the Prep Manager. All he did was wash the car down and applied silicone and advised me to apply the silicone before waxing so that the wax doesn't stay on the panels. Wrong thing to do! The silicone disappears when you wash the car and the wax reappears. That doesn't do me any help. I need it to come off and stay off.

After awhile I noticed that on the paint panel the silicone has left a film and now the panel has lost it's luster. This is just great! I go to the dealer for some professional help and this is what I end up with. I stopped using the silicone and now I trying to find a solution to my first problem of removing the wax build up on the plastic panels.

My last option was to contact the maker of the wax and see if recommend or have a solution to this problem. They told me that the product I need is only available to professional dealers which I found in my local area. The product they suggested was "WAX Blaster Wax Remover". This product is not that great. I still see left over wax residue.

I would like to know if I'm the only one that this has ever happen to? And if not, can anyone recommend a good product that can restore my panels to it's oringinal form!

Da5thElement,
Brooklyn,NY

[psschmied]

Your best bet is to have some patience. Within a few months, any wax residue will come off by itself.

If that doesn't appeal to you, you can use the old standby "Soilax" in any formulation. It will take almost any wax or polish off a plastic or vinyl surface, except for some "urethane" polishes. Just be careful to keep it off the painted surfaces as much as possible.

Work from the top down, using a concentrated solution, and a a soft sponge wrung ouit so it doesn't drip. Work on a one foor square area at a time. Hose off after every few minutes. Afterwards, use a high quality auto soap solution and wash the entire vehicle completely. Allow the body to dry off without wiping. The panel surfaces will look uneven after cleaning. A product like 303 protectant will soak into the surface where all wax has been removed, and even out the surface coloring, but it won't penetrate or protect wax.

You may need to repeat this to get everything off. If so, Wait a few days before repeating.

[IN MY]

I was ticked at the dealer for prepping my E. It seems they had gotten wax on the front panel, between the headlight and hood. The area where you grab the hood when you lift it. I didn't notice it at first, a small blob. Once I saw the blob it seemed to stand out. It bothered me that my E was in worse condition when I take delivery than when it had been parked at the dealer. They tried to buff it out and ran it through their car wash and repeated. Finally, it just disappeared on its own. I had taken it to my car wash probably about 2-3 times a month over the winter. Not sure if it was the car wash or just time that did the trick. Now I still check the area where the blob was to be sure it doesn't return. Sounds like a movie?

[scull]

I have a cleaning dilemma not unlike the fellow from Brooklyn (Da5thElement). On the tinted privacy glass portions of my E, I have a lot of water spots, and no doubt it's from the mineral-laden "hard" Nevada water that is used in car washes. I just can seem to get these waterspots out, no matter how much I try to buff them out.

Does anyone have any advice on getting the waterspots out?

Reed
Reno, NV

[fullforcelement]

for what people have said that peanut butter has taken off the wax residue on the plastic panels. i personally havent tried it but i have to. The back to black makes the panels look great.

[IN MY]

I meant to ask earlier if you could try and describe what each product looked like I guess after it dried? I think it was great you were able to test all of those products. That is what makes this site awesome, people like you. I like the way you graded each product, I was just looking for a description or analysis of each product if possible. One last thing, did you find any product I guess besides the Honda Plastic Panel Spray that covered or painted over the panels or did they just "treat" them? I mean the PPS I thought looked more like paint as you could tell where it was applied. Do the others work better by blending in or are they all similar? Thanks!

[psschmied]

Waterspots, if they aren't etched into the glass, can be gotten out by nuetralizing them chemically, or by dissolving them. Use a sponge wrung nearly dry for each test. you don't want to drip onto the body. Take your time and use a gentle touch, because if you try to buff or polish a hard deposit off the glass, you will scratch the surface and make it more susceptable to further spotting.

First try using distilled water. Second, white household vinegar, followed by distilled water. Third, a clear household ammonia, 10% solution in distilled water. The fourth option is radical, a product called CLR, which must not get onto paint. If nothing else works use drops of it on a cotton ball.

With patience, either the vinegar or the ammonia _should_ react with the residue. the distilled water _should_ then dissolve it. To prevent respotting, wash the windows with a weak solution of distilled water and a dishwashing anti-spot liquid. Buff them dry with soft cloths, then use a product like RainX, or a wax made for glass surfaces.

The problem with using any coating product like Back to Black on a plastic panel, is that it all it does is lay on the surface. It doesn't penetrate or react chemically with the plastic. Once you start using a coating, you are locked into maintaining the coating. Eventually, it will build up enough that it will start to look like a low gloss wax.

I suggest 303 instead because reacts with the plastic surface in a way where the plastic wears very slowly and evenly, maintaining a more uniform appearance than wax, silicone, or any dressing. Its sole drawback is that the surface must be clean, above 70 degrees F, and the 303 must be applied several times, rubbing it completely dry each time, before a streak free appearance can be achieved. Once that is done, upkeep is minimal. The hotter and sunnier the area, the more you will see an advantage to 303 over a dressing, especially on tires, which is what Back to Black was developed for.

I've used 303 on salt water boats, which are in a far more hostile environment than a car.

[Anonymous]

Thank you psschmied. I think that Formula 303 gave the second best result on obsuring the scratch of all the methods I tried. I also had a good experience getting a free sample from that company after the amount I used on my test panel ran out. In regards to using Back to Black on the plastic panel scratches, I guess I'll have to see how it holds up in the long dry sun in the coming months. If it doesn't, can the surface be cleaned of any remaining residue from the Back to Black, and then the Formula 303 applied? I appreciate your tips on the water spots as well. To MABCVP, I would have a hard time describing exactly the visual impact of each chemical applied. The lacquer thinner and the mineral spirits seemed to initially make the scratches completely disappear, but after drying, some of the whiteness of the scratches on the test panel reappeared. 303 consistently reduced the intensity, or white appearance, of the scratches, and did not allow the scratches to reappear to the same extent. The reason I liked the Back to Black is that it had the consistent reduction of the intensity of the scratch, like the Formula 303, but it reduced it to a much greater extent. Given what psschmied has said, I'm going to have to watch most carefully for reappearance of the scratch after a few weeks of exposure to the summer sun.
Thank you to both MABCVP and psschmied for discussing with and advising me on this and the tinted glass water spots issue. We must talk about what we are doing in regards to cleaning/waxing/polishing the painted finish of our E's sometime.

[psschmied]

If you use Back to Black and are dis-satisfied, it will wear off on its own. You can help it along by washing the panels with a dishwashing detergent liquid such as Dawn. Keep this off your paint, as it will also remove wax.

I'm going to do some testing this summer with the back side of a panel and various plastic dressings, solvents, paints and adhesives.

[cburton]

I have a question along these lines. Apparently, I ran over some chewing gum. I have had a :evil: devil :evil: of a time getting it off. I usually wash my Element every week - two weeks at the most. I tried washing it off, then gently scrapping it off. Heck, I even tried with what little finger nails I have. Not much success. It's been close to 2 months now; I washed the Element 5 or 6 times, not much more is coming off. It doesn't look bad, most won't even notice, but it's driving my NUTS!
Any suggestions?

[krslong]

Have you ever heard of "Goo Gone" ? It's sold at most stores and is found in the cleaning aisle. It's great for getting the sticky stuff left over when you try to remove price stickers from glasses, etc. I believe it is organically based (it has a citrus smell), and it would probably work on the gum. I would test in on a part of the panel that is somewhat hidden just to make sure that it doesn't discolor it or anything.

[psschmied]

I'd try peanut butter on the gum. Let it sit for a couple hours. The peanut oil will dissolve the dried gum and penetrate between it and the plastic. My second choise would be linseed oil, followed by turpentine. Neither will damage the polypropylene.