Peanut Butter...

[ventmore]

Ok, not sure if I've done it wrong, but I applied peanut butter to all the black trims last Sunday to cover all the white, and its come off already. I thought peanut butter actually removed the marks rather than covering them. I rubbed the peanut butter in well, and then removed the excess with a cloth.

Cheers

Ventmore

[RobClubley]

Eh????

[robmawer]

Nah, just covers 'em...the marks will come back eventually, something about silicone or something...

Rob.

[ventmore]

Cheers Rob. Must be just the torrential rain we've had then...took it all off.

Cheers

Ventmore

[Kentish]

Mine stays black for quite some time after application, and seems to get better with every application. However, I try not to get any wax on the trims really, and when I have used the peanut butter I leave it in place for about 5-10 mins before buffing up.

[ventmore]

Mine stays black for quite some time after application, and seems to get better with every application. However, I try not to get any wax on the trims really, and when I have used the peanut butter I leave it in place for about 5-10 mins before buffing up.

I might try that next time...may apply to the full car then go back round to buff.

Cheers

Ventmore

[Clean_Image]

I have enquired about this. And here's the answer.

the white stuff on your bumper is wax residue. Putting peanut butter on it hide the residue by soaking it with peanut oil. Some oils are solvent in nature and after 3-5 applications, the solvent in the oil may soften and melt the wax residue... we think, although peanut oil is not known for it's solvent properties. If it works at all, then this is the reason.

you are much better off using a proper mild solvent to remove the wax and then applying an oil (for shine) which has a bit more life in it.

You could use white spirit or meths or surgical spirit. Personally, I would go for surgical spirit but here we use brake cleaner which is good if you can get it. Followed by by a bumper gel designed for the purpose.

I traced the source of this peanut butter thing, it comes from a chap called Chuck Bennett of Zymol. When Chuck Bennett is talked about in professional circles, you can expect someone to say of him, "That man is a GENIUS". But not because of his ability to produce amazing products, instead because of his ability to get enthusiasts to pay stupid money for them.

His marketing ploy has everything to do with making his products look like they contain only natural ingredients... they do contain solvent it's just that they desguise the names. but I would think that he came up with this peanut butter solution because making a product with solvents in them wouldn't fit in with his company marketing strategy which depends on those rumours we see that man made chemicals are a bad thing.

The thing is, if you want decent quality products, they have to contain solvents and silicones, even the origional paintwork contains solvents and silicones! All waxes and glazes do, even the expensive brands which hide the fact.

You know? the car care industry is so full of hype and bull that sometimes it makes me want to puke.

[ventmore]

I have tried autoglym bumper care gel, and the hot weather has caused it to melt and run down the paintwork leaving black streaks as it went.

Cheers

Ventmore

[Clean_Image]

yep, there is no good answer for bumpers and trim. the very very best way it to take them off, wash them, and if that doesn't work, respray them... but then you have the problem of breaking them while trying to get them off.

My wife suggested a peel off face pack which may work... I haven't tried it.

The only reasonable thing we have come up with is soap, hot water, and elbow grease, followed by a solvent cleaner. This is my prefered method... with NO bumper gell, just naked plastic which looks good if it's clean.

My car is getting on a bit now, and I use engine dressing on it... or should I say the guv put it on. It was done last friday and has held up to the last weeks rain with no probs.

but there is no substitute for getting the wax stains off. They need to be melted, either with hot soapy water and/or a solvent.

[ventmore]

What if the solvent touches the paintwork?

Cheers

Ventmore

[C.J.]

Have to agree with Danny. These gels/silicone sprays lah de dah etc., etc.,are the bain of my life, mainly because I have to spend ages getting every trace off before I can do an effective repair on the dashboard or bumper etc. Paint doesn't adhere to them!

Once in a bodyshop doing a dash repair,the boss came steaming over thinking I was using a silicone based product on a dash.Nearly went off his head! FISHEYES :eek: I wasn't though.

Went to another bodyshop recently. They called me in 'cus the customer had complained that his Focus driver door inner panel looked odd.

The muppet that had been painting hadn't masked off properly and got silver overspray on it,and decided that black BOOT polish would hide it :eek:

Took me 3/4 of an hour to remove it then another 3/4's to recolour it!

They honestly thought the customer was moaning about nowt...but you should have seen it! :eek: Even moaned at me when I gave them the bill,saving them over a 100 snotters!

As a foot note, a valeter that I know reckons just plain water is the best way of getting wax/polish residue off plastic parts. Use an old toothbrush to get into the textured bits.

Bit worried and careful with window cleaner cream too. Certainly on the current Mondeos if you get any on the matt dark grey door pads it won't come off..not even with water. The Fabia door pads appear to be very very similar in terms of finish.Would advise all owners of same to either be VERY careful,or preferably use a claer liquid spray type cleaner.

[Clean_Image]

What if the solvent touches the paintwork?

Cheers

Ventmore

Then it will take the wax off... so re-wax.

In the short term, solvents wont harm your paintwork, unless we are talking about an area where you have had paintwork done. But factory finish paint is solid as rock. Bear in mind, I am talking about solvents like paint thinner!

But with mild solvents like surgical spirit, which is alcohol, there is no problem at all. It will work just like a degreaser. Just don't be tempted to drink the stuff.

I'm trying to take some before and after phots of the cars we have around the building, but the battery has run out on the camera mid way through. But with any luck, i'll post some stuff up later.

[Kentish]

Lets be clear here.....as someone who takes pride in their car and likes it kept clean, I find the peanut butter trick works a treat and is very effective. In the past(and one different cars) I have tried countless black trim cleaners and gels and none have worked and all have been heaps more expensive than a tub of smooth peanut butter (and lasted no-where near as long.)

What I am saying is this... for me peanut butter works so try and diss it all you want because I know from my own expierience on my pride and joy that it works. End of story.

[MonkeyHanger]

Just to add to Andy's post...

It's also cheap

[C.J.]

Using this Turtle Wax, wash n wax all in one soap again on the caravan...sorry slip up..bloody shed on wheels, Pete Fantastic stuff for a quick beady shiny short term clean. Ded cheap too, in fact Halfords were doing buy 1 get one free!

CJ jnr. doing the car with it now....AGAIN! :eek: Kiss of death..the rain will start again now!

Oh by the way...never really knocked the peanut thing, just laughed about the fact that it WAS peanut butter! Just sounded funny.No insults intended. Bloody expressionless computers Doddle

Like my tortoise soap, if you get on with it...USE IT!

[Kentish]

Oh by the way...never really knocked the peanut thing' date=' just laughed about the fact that it WAS peanut butter! Just sounded funny.No insults intended. [/quote']

Dont worry Colin, none taken

[C.J.]

Just finished polishing the glass on the Furby. Polish all over the window rubbers too. Guess what? Damp chamois got it all off!

[Clean_Image]

I did some testing with the surgical spirit because I just happened to have a bottle in my tool kit (way down deep in the bottom).

Unfortunatly, the battery ran out on the camera, and by the time it had recharged, all but one of the four cars I had tested had been reurned to their customers, so I only got the one before AND after shot.

and unfortunatly, the one before and after shot I did get was not of plastic trim at all. Anyway, here is what I tested:-

MkII Golf rear bumper and side trim.

This had gone grey with streaks. The plastisisers in the bumper had floated to the surface giving that waxy look and feel. Surgical spirit didn't do a whole hell of a lot, but this was to be expected. The best way to deal with this kind of bumper is to clean them with a brillo pad and plenty of elbow grease. You can actually scratch the loose stuff off with your fingernail and make it black again. I have a lot of experience with Golfs and have found that you can even use fine wire wool.

As for the side trim, this was okay apart from actual wax stains, a damp leather had little effect, but the surgical spirit removed them.

Vauxhall Astra (approx 6-7 years old)

the bumpers were in a terrible state and somebody had already attepted to clean them, and then applied a bumper Gel. The reason I had a bash on this car is that it was now parked in direct sun light, and as it was hot today, the bumper get was evaporating. On the side that was in the sun it was almost gone, in the shade it looked good.

One of our blokes had already done this trim with brake cleaner, but it was worth a try. But there were no visable results. this was the kind of trim that goes dry and powdery and is beyond all help from chemicals. A hot air gun would work though.

this car was parked next to my own, and although the sun had evaporated the bumper gel on the Astra after an hour, the engine cote on mine still looked good after a week.

Ford KA.

By shear luck, we had a KA in today, the one with the blue plastic bumpers. there was wax on the bumpers, rubbers, and some plastic trim. The damp leather removed stuff from the rubbers but not the trim, The surgical spirit removed it all. This car was pretty new and already in very good nick so the bumpers were not suffering the problems of age. Still wax is a problem on plstic of any age.

Peugeot something-0-something (didn't look, don't much care, I'm not a big fan of French cars).

This had black plastic everything as french cars tend to be a bit plasticy. The trim on the side was a mess because the car had had body work done on both sides, and it was done very badly, so After the Ford KA, I didn't bother with it. There was staining of both plastic door handles, but this was slight and didn't really show up on the photos.

There was however a very coarse vinyl panel on the door post (see photo).

This had pale smears all over it, plus a very white patch of wax. as you can see above.

Because this panel was very coase compared to the other trim, it was the hardest to do. As with all the other panels I tested, I gave it a wipe over with a leather but this had no effect once dry. I then wiped over with surgical spirit, and when it dried, I found that I hadn't removed all of it, and had sort of pushed it around. So I put a lot more spirit on the rag and had another go and this left the whole panel looking much cleaner. Same goes for the door handles.

As you can see from the photo, it looks much cleaner than in the first. This photo was taken at least 3 hours after I did it, and as surgical spirit is alcohol and evaporates in seconds, you can bet that this is permanent. the trim in this photo is bare naked with no Gel or coating.

[flyingscot]

I tell you what I find is good for the burper trim. Those wipes you get for your dashboard from Armor All or Turtle Wax. They actually remove the white from the trim, clean, blacken and shine up the plastic nicely. It's cheap at

[Gwilo]

Personally, I was sceptical about the Peanut butter thing too, however, ahving done half the trim on the Octy almost a month ago now (rear half) and having had the same torrential rains that other have experienced (I do live in the wettest place in the UK), I don't know what the problem is.

Mine trim is still black, still fairly shiny. I didn't rub off any excess, I just kep working it in till it was all gone, then just wiped over lightly. Little at a time, small patches, seems to get a very good result.

Dowsing panels with surgical spirit and the like doesn't exactly appeal to me - although I'm no chemist, solvents are used to strip srufaces of things like, erm, paint....lacquer.......etc etc.....

Besides, I don't get on with any sort of solvent with my asthma. Even a whiff of nail polish remover sends me off.....Imagine the fun with a car, a bottle of solvent and a mid afternoon sun.......... :(

[philc]

Imagine the fun with a car, a bottle of solvent and a mid afternoon sun.......... :(

Around here, that's considered a "fun day out"

Phil