So I washed and waxed my car this week. The wax I used was a mothers type and is the same I use on my 79 TA which obviously is decal heavy. Well I noticed after I removed the wax that the hood stripes on my 98 are stained/discolored/swirled





This did not happen on the stripes on the roof,deck lid, or spoiler. Any ideas what the problem may be? Can these be salvaged or do I need to get new stripes?

 

Did you apply the wax to the decals? If so, why would you do that?

 

I've always been told to do so to prevent them from fading. I have been doing that to my 79 TA for 10 years now and have had no problems.

 

I've never waxed any type of decals, so I can't speak to any experience I've had with this issue happening. I can say that if you did this to the decals on the spoiler and sail pannel and they didn't do this, then it could have something to do with the decals on the hood. Have you tried to spray them down with water or a spray detailer and the wipe them off? Not sure what to tell you.

 

Yea I've always heard never apply wax to vinyl. Just wipe them down with detail spray.

 

Is the vinyl gloss or matte?

Cautions, Watchouts, & 'Don't Do That!' Warnings:

Never work on stripes while they are hot to the touch. If you've been driving or the car has been sitting in direct sun for an extended period of time allow a few minutes for them to cool down.

Never work across the edge of the stripes with polishes or waxes. Tape off edges if necessary, dressings on the other hand are OK as they do not build up along the edges.

Always test the process in a small area before proceeding to the rest of the stripe. No sense in doing the whole process if you're not sure you'll like the result.

Do not use heavy abrasives or aggressive polishing methods as they can damage the stripes beyond repair.




Technical Data direct from 3M in regards to vehicle wraps and graphics:

Cleaning: Use a cleaner designed for high-quality painted surfaces. The cleaner must be wet, non-abrasive, without strong solvents, and have a pH value between 3 and 11 (neither strongly acidic nor strongly alkaline)

Additional Note from Tech Support: "The use of acidic or alkaline cleaners may be required to remove some types of stubborn contamination, but should be limited in use as repeated cleanings with such chemicals can result in drying of the material."

Section 6: Polish & Wax said
Most standard graphic films and overlaminates can be polished or waxed with a high quality car wax. Before use, test and approve in an inconspicuous area. Do not use any abrasive polishes or cutting compounds. We do not recommend any polishing or wax product for the matte or textured films.




Additional information from Oracal on their vinyl products:

Keep in mind that the recommendations from both the other manufactures (3M & Avery) specifically encourage the use of wax and/or sealants on their gloss materials to provide protection against fade, fallout, and damage. The majority of vehicle graphics provided to OEM are (to our knowledge) produced by 3M.

 

I must have 50 coats of Zaino on my 30th T/A. I have ZERO problems of what you are all talking about. My car is Plastered with Vinyl Decals/Stripes.

 

That's what I'm saying Dan. My 79 TA has gotten waxed twice a year since 2003 and I have had zero problems.

 

Egott the stripes are flat black maybe that is the problem. It'd still odd to me that the rest of them are fine, and that the first 2 wax applications caused no problems.