Did magic eraser damage my textured trim?

Hey fellas-

I just soaked my magic eraser with some degreaser to clean up my textured trim on the corvette.

I did the middle part of the diffuser as it was caked in some wax residue.

The first pic is where I used the eraser lightly.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...3b368170bf.jpg


Second pic is where I didn’t touch it with a eraser.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...38b4655320.jpg


Extra cautious not to f up this 8K mile car.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Striker

Hey fellas-

I just soaked my magic eraser with some degreaser to clean up my textured trim on the corvette.

I did the middle part of the diffuser as it was caked in some wax residue.

The first pic is where I used the eraser lightly.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...3b368170bf.jpg


Second pic is where I didn’t touch it with a eraser.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...38b4655320.jpg


Extra cautious not to f up this 8K mile car.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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In my experiences with Magic Eraser, it removes a part of the top layer of whatever it is rubbed on.. That is the Erase part.. :)
Dan F

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Stokdgs

In my experiences with Magic Eraser, it removes a part of the top layer of whatever it is rubbed on.. That is the Magic part.. :)
Dan F

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I don’t think I did damage anything fingers crossed [emoji1696]


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Did you wash with soap and water after using the eraser and degreaser? Guys get lazy and leave that residue which soaks into the plastic.

I did not. All I did was I soaked the eraser with degreaser (diluted) I guess I’ll give it a rinse with some water.


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Striker:
My suggestion is hindsight, kind of critical, BUT I try not to use Magic Erasers. I personally think they are much too abrasive, but you used them. Truth be told, they do have a purpose and place in detailing, but I reserve them as a last-resort method and use them mainly on shoe scuff marks on lower interior door panels that no other cleaning method can remove and, yes, I have scuffed up that plastic.
For cleaning your exterior plastic trim of wax residue, I know that there are car-care product manufacturer`s who make specific detailing products/chemicals for that exact task. But like most hobbyists, you may not have that specific cleaning product in your detailing product arsenal/collection/inventory/stash, so you are forced to use what you do have on hand along with the tools you have.
I find that a good APC like Optimum Polymer Technologies` Power Clean diluted 1:3 and an old medium-to-hard-bristle tooth brush work pretty well as a substitute for removing ingrained/embedded wax on exterior textured plastic trim, along with a little judicious application of "elbow grease" and circular brushing. Does it work all the time? NO! Wax that has been left on by less-than-Autopian-Standard detailers/vehicle owners for a long time will stain the trim plastic and even use of a plastic trim restorer/protectant will not "cover" the stain left behind because the trim plastic color dye has been chemically changed/leached or discolored from the petroleum products used in a wax, depending on the quality and type of wax that was used.

Not exactly the "advise" what you wanted to hear. But in the future, I would try the method I suggested above before resorting to Magic Erasers. The advise about washing the areas scrubbed by the Magic Eraser pads with a good All-Purpose Cleaner (APC) or automotive-safe degreaser soap-and-water seems like very good advice to me. I will have to try that myself on the rare occasions I use a Magic Eraser pad.

And , yes, I have resorted to using a very harsh chemical wax remover (PPG DX-330) designed for vehicle repainting pre-cleaning on a cotton swab (AKA, Q-Tip) and tried to spot-clean an small area by dabbing/rubbing a particularly stubborn wax stain, but the plastic trim became discolored. At least the ugly visual white-wax stain remnants were gone, but now I had a discolored area on the trim. Sometime you choose between the lesser-of two evils; White wax stain OR a discolored trim area.

I do have one Captain Obvious (that`s me) question for you: What specific trim protectant /restorer do you use on your exterior trim on the `Vette??
If you have some questions about or suggestions for a plastic trim protectant/restore, you can see this linked thread on this very subject:
https://www.autopia.org/forums/car-d...tml?highlight=

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lonnie

Striker:
My suggestion is hindsight, kind of critical, BUT I try not to use Magic Erasers. I personally think they are much too abrasive, but you used them. Truth be told, they do have a purpose and place in detailing, but I reserve them as a last-resort method and use them mainly on shoe scuff marks on lower interior door panels that no other cleaning method can remove and, yes, I have scuffed up that plastic.
For cleaning your exterior plastic trim of wax residue, I know that there are car-care product manufacturer`s who make specific detailing products/chemicals for that exact task. But like most hobbyists, you may not have that specific cleaning product in your detailing product arsenal/collection/inventory/stash, so you are forced to use what you do have on hand along with the tools you have.
I find that a good APC like Optimum Polymer Technologies` Power Clean diluted 1:3 and an old medium-to-hard-bristle tooth brush work pretty well as a substitute for removing ingrained/embedded wax on exterior textured plastic trim, along with a little judicious application of "elbow grease" and circular brushing. Does it work all the time? NO! Wax that has been left on by less-than-Autopian-Standard detailers/vehicle owners for a long time will stain the trim plastic and even use of a plastic trim restorer/protectant will not "cover" the stain left behind because the trim plastic color dye has been chemically changed/leached or discolored from the petroleum products used in a wax, depending on the quality and type of wax that was used.

Not exactly the "advise" what you wanted to hear. But in the future, I would try the method I suggested above before resorting to Magic Erasers. The advise about washing the areas scrubbed by the Magic Eraser pads with a good All-Purpose Cleaner (APC) or automotive-safe degreaser soap-and-water seems like very good advice to me. I will have to try that myself on the rare occasions I use a Magic Eraser pad.

And , yes, I have resorted to using a very harsh chemical wax remover (PPG DX-330) designed for vehicle repainting pre-cleaning on a cotton swab (AKA, Q-Tip) and tried to spot-clean an small area by dabbing/rubbing a particularly stubborn wax stain, but the plastic trim became discolored. At least the ugly visual white-wax stain remnants were gone, but now I had a discolored area on the trim. Sometime you choose between the lesser-of two evils; White wax stain OR a discolored trim area.

I do have one Captain Obvious (that`s me) question for you: What specific trim protectant /restorer do you use on your exterior trim on the `Vette??
If you have some questions about or suggestions for a plastic trim protectant/restore, you can see this linked thread on this very subject:
https://www.autopia.org/forums/car-d...tml?highlight=

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Thanks for the response- I also have mckees wax residue remover. It doesn’t do anything besides smell okay.

I had much better luck with diluted ISO and a bristle brush, like you suggested.

I use a degreaser called ZEP 505- it is safe on plastic and aluminum. I dilute it 5:1. I may switch to a APC in the future.

As for trim care- right now it has 303 on it. But I also have einszett vinyl and rubber as well as Cerakote which I think works great.

Base on my pictures above- would you say my trim is damaged from the use ?

These are also the rear wheel well mud guards (please note the bottom portion is naturally darker as it is just a part of the molding process- both sides go darker half way down)


https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...b208022570.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...38dd3262af.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...1c45c1cfc1.jpg


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Hard to tell from the first photo if there is any difference from the first two photos. I have had success with the blackfire wax remover and also with the mckee`s trim cleaner using a stiff bristled brush. They won`t give good results with a soft bristled brush. I also don`t use magic erasers on plastic trim. If the trim needs restoration then I would go with solution finish with their new over the top sealant or wolfgang exterior trim sealant.

If it is new or rather new then a ceramic coating would be a good option.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Guz

Hard to tell from the first photo if there is any difference from the first two photos. I have had success with the blackfire wax remover and also with the mckee`s trim cleaner using a stiff bristled brush. They won`t give good results with a soft bristled brush. I also don`t use magic erasers on plastic trim. If the trim needs restoration then I would go with solution finish with their new over the top sealant or wolfgang exterior trim sealant.

If it is new or rather new then a ceramic coating would be a good option.

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For now it has 303 on the trim. Car won’t see any use till spring and when it does, it’s hardly used. [emoji23] like many vettes.


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You may want to use a magnifying glass or phone app to look at the texture on the trim. Look to see if the peaks of the bumps of the texture have been changed { smoothed out } from the Magic Eraser. This may help you determine if there is any physical change to the trim. Wish you best of luck with this.

I took some pics up close. I didn’t see any changes.


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Just a quick update with some proper pics-

Side I touched with the eraser :

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...b741aadaa7.jpg

Side I left be:

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...3ae7fb6c66.jpg


Same order:

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...0a3fe726f6.jpg

Non eraser:

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...0e55fb68bd.jpg


I don’t know, but I think i lucked out and didn’t alter its appearance and surface finish. Priced out a new diffuser from GM; $800 [emoji23]


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The magic eraser cant do the damage on its own, the user does. You cant blame the tool. Doesnt look ruined to me from the pics

Well yes, that goes for anything don’t it? Cars don’t polish themselves either [emoji23] I won’t be using it anymore. Although it did remove all the wax residue which is nice.


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