Buff Marks

[Spook]

When washing and polishing my car (bmw 318i se) for the first time this year ( the weather has been rotten!)I noticed some buff marks on the rubber trim that runs along the centre of the doors.

It looks as if when the car was getting prepared for sale whoever was cleaning it has used a PC and caught the trim with it a few times on each door.

The surface of the trim has been buffed down leaving it discoloured, which catches your eye now that you have noticed it.

Has anybody got any miracle cures or is it time to pick up new trim?

[AndyC]

I had a similar problem and I`ve found Autoglym Bumper Care works a treat. It seems to cover the scuffs well and repels water well (I treated my trim 4/5 weeks ago and haven`t had to retreat since). Main tip is to apply product sparingly, leave 20 minutes - 1/2 hour then buff off.



I generally do my trim last, pack all my kit away then use an old terry towel to buff up trim.



If you bought the car recently you could try going back to the dealer but I wouldn`t guarantee any success with this!



There are a lot of other threads on this and I`m sure other autopians have helpful hints & tips.

[Spook]

Andy

Tried taking it back but got the expected reply "It was like that when it came into us" so it was back to the drawing board till I found Autopia!

[Anthony O.]

Spook,



I had a miscalculation one time with my rotary and a door trim on a BMW M5. It basically "burned" the trim piece down in one area and it turned a light grey color (By the way, your trim was most likely hit with a rotary and not a PC).



My solution was to gently wet sand the piece with some 2500 grit paper and then use a vinyl dye to re-color the area that I messed up. A black vinyl dye was used, the type they use to re-dye convertible tops and door panels, and after a few light coats you couldn`t even tell I had goofed:xyxthumbs



So ask around about a permanent vinyl dye and give that a try.



Anthony