What wax can I use that will not leave residue on moldings & trims?

I

Insane

New member
Hello all,



I've decided to wax my car for the first time. What product can I use that is NOT time consuming, and how can I avoid residues left on moldings and rubber trimmings caused by waxing?



Remember, I want to keep this project as simple as possible with good result.



What do you guys recommend?



Thanks in advance
 
AIO from klasse and the follow up with SG use the wipe on wipe off method and you'll be hooked up..



BTW you can use the AIO right on the trim and it will look great
 
Yep or simply tape your molding and trim before hand with blue painters tape. Doing so really isn't terribly time consuming. It's much less than taping everything you don't want rotary usage contacting
 
How good is Meguairs NXT? They claim that it does not dry white but I don't know what happens if you stray onto plastic trim or rubber. :confused:
 
im not sure about nxt, but i remember reading that the chemicals used to make the scents for the wax are what stain, so i would think nxt would stain since it has that fruity smell. i know for a fact that p21s does not stain...
 
NXT will not stain smooth plasic or rubber. Textured moldings such as the ones found on the tailgates and door handles of Ford/chevy trucks will stain for sure.



Products that do not stain in my experience:



TS

S100

EX

UPP

LS

AIO

SG

EX-P

#26

Deep crystal #3

Mother's pure carnauba



I am sure there are others that I am forgeting.
 
how about you just not wax the trim pieces you are worried about? is your hand cordination really that off that you can't keep the applicator from hitting the black pieces?



vernon
 
For carnaubas, I've used Souveran, #16, P21S, and Collinite 476S on textured black trim without any staining, but you have to wipe off any excess right away. It's almost like using a w-o-w-o method. If you leave excess on there you'll get staining.



Souveran is the best in this regard, I've used it on the textured trim and rubber bumper covers of the XJS for nearly 20 years with no issues at all.



I usually use KSG on black trim these days. I clean it with AIO and then do the w-o-w-o method with SG (this is the only time I w-o-w-o with that product). Six applications/layers last me over a year.



vdog0531- I dunno, I have decent (i.e., above average ;) ) eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills, but I still find it pretty difficult to avoid getting product on the trim of some vehicles. When the trim fits flush, it's not like you have any real margin of error to work with. In those cases it's tricky to get it right up to the edge of the trim but not *on* the trim. Yeah, some vehicles are easy (like my MPV), but others I've done aren't (the black fender flares on some older VWs come to mind). So I only use products that don't stain trim.
 
I've used 16, definately doesnt stain. If you're looking for over the counter type stuff, be wary. Most of the stuff that i've used that can be bought at advance auto or pep boys (or even wal mart for that matter) seems to stain trim. I havent tried NXT, so i cant offer any real opinions, but that would be a good bet IMO for a readily available wax. I know NuFinish stains (not that anybody would ever use that any more) as does the RainX wax. I'm pretty sure that regular old turtle wax stains too, but not sure.



If you want to get something in a local store, I would try NXT. Just be careful, even if it doesnt stain, its a lot easier to do it nice once, than spend the time getting all the stuff off the moldings.
 
Thanks, for everyone's reply. I'll give AIO a try if I could find it locally. Otherwise, I'll go with NXT and take caution around textured moldings.



vdog0531,



I just want get this done quickly without spending time too much time on attention to detail.
 
ebpcivicsi,



Products that do not stain in my experience:



TS

S100

EX

UPP

LS

AIO

SG

EX-P

#26

Deep crystal #3

Mother's pure carnauba
Click to expand...





Do you mean [not stain smooth plastic only] or [not stain textured moldings too]?



When I used TurtleWax Platinum Series Ultra Gloss, which is said not to stain trim, I got some stain on textured trim.
 
Just an observation . . . Iâ€â„¢ve found that most waxes do not stain if the trim/molding is relatively new or well-kept. If plastic or rubber components are weathered, staining is almost guaranteed
 
ktlimq- While you're waiting to see if ebpcivicsi responds, the products I consider trim-friendly work on the textured stuff just fine.



A few specific examples: I just put another application of KSG on the pebble-grain black plastic sideview mirror housings of the MPV. Souveran doesn't stain *anything*, in my experience. I used both Meg's #16 and Collinite 476S on the textured trim on the '84 Volvo we use to have.



It is important to wipe off any excess product when using it on textured trim. Using the w-o-w-o method is usually the best way to avoid staining caused by excess product.
 
If you want to keep it simple, you might want to try a cleaner wax like Mother's Carnauba Cleaner Wax or 3M Cleaner Wax. Most of the aforementioned waxes like P21S, #16, or even NXT require that the surface be cleaned first (I.E. polishing the car after washing it). If you don't clean the surface properly, you're just wasting your money with those waxes. Klasse AIO is probably your best bet, but I doubt you'll be able to find it locally.

BTW, Consumer Reports stated that the Mother's Carnauba Cleaner Wax "stained trim less than most." Furthermore, Gurureports gave the wax a very good review.
 
Knockwurst said:
Just an observation . . . Iâ€â„¢ve found that most waxes do not stain if the trim/molding is relatively new or well-kept. If plastic or rubber components are weathered, staining is almost guaranteed
Click to expand...



Sometimes a good cleaning will be all that's required. The Volvo I mentioned was *horribly* abused and neglected before I got it, yet when I experimented with products with regard to trim-staining, I didn't have any trouble.



But yeah, sometimes once it gets sufficiently weathered you just can't do this sort of thing any more. There are two little pieces of textured trim on my wife's A8 that it no longer works on. They're down by the rocker panels and all the abuse from thrown up road-stuff has taken its toll.
 
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