I purchased my 09 MCS about 2 months ago. The bonnet stripes were faded, kind of looked like mold. Used a plastic polish to bring the shine back and then waxed the stripes. With the exception of a few chips from rocks, everything looks up to par. Is there anything else that I can do to keep the stripes from fading again? Thanks in advance for your ideas.
I removed mine completely. I think it has a cleaner look now. Without the strips the bulges and contour stand out much better. The hood has a more muscular look to it......
Many good waxes/sealants have UV protectors, so if you seal/wax regularly you should be OK. To protect from rock chips you may want to apply an invisishield-type cover.
Think I'll keep on waxing them for a while. There's no sense in spending $$ if I don't have to. Thanks for the responses.
What color are the stripes? I have white ones and just use a bleach cleaner and then wax. To get the wax off just use straight and liberal use of Dawn dish soap or can spring for expensive putty. Nano technology protestants have worked best for me. My black checker board on the roof top is difficult to keep shiny.
Stripes..... Take it off, take it all off..... [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkpGM_MvZ2Y]Take It Off, Take It All Off - 1967- Noxzema - YouTube[/ame]
The stripes are white. When I used the plastic polish a very, very fine layer of material came up. The texture and way it smeared on my fingers was like powdered aluminium or powdered graphite. Had to wash the bonnet twice to get the residual off (paint is Astro metallic black).
I got that free special spray coating on the outside and inside ($500.00 reg price). Says paint will not fade and interior will not either and spill resistant. Salesman said I needn't even put up a sun shde in the summer (Fla summer sun). It took 5 minutes that car was gone to shop so I wonder if it really got coated? What do you all think?
:cornut: Well after listening to all of this,I'll just count my blessings. I've never had any problems(knock on wood) with Margi's(08 R56 MCS/JCWm BRG) white front and rear center line racing stripes nor her extensive black and white checkerboard scoop, boot handle, or moon roof. However, her FACTORY checkerboard side scuttles are now yellow and black.:lol: Jason
:cornut: No. I would remember having paid $500 for something like that.:lol:I also remember getting the side view checkerboard mirror covers replaced when they turned yellow and black. They were replaced for free as they were on Margi when she was originally purchased. No such luck with the side scuttles.:mad2: Jason
If the stripes have deteriorated beyond the UV coating, there isn't much you can do to keep it from fading more. A wax applied atleast monthly or more frequently can help, but replacement is the best long term option. Stripes should be waxed and best waxed with a synthetic sealant rather than a natural wax. Dawn soap is only going to remove a natural wax, not a synthetic. Care of your stripes is the same as paint. Wax them, keep bugs and bird poo off of them, but unlike paint, you can replace them every few years. If you have clear bra, put the stripes on top of the clear bra so you aren't forced to replace that too. I use Prima Epic. I've polished out white vinyl both perforated and regular using Prima Swirl. The stripe was polished along the center as a test, and the old oxidized vinyl with the black pin stripe was the "before". And even though this wasn't vinyl wrapped, it IS possible to reduce the yellow in painted parts BEFORE AFTER (INSIDE) AFTER (OUTSIDE) Btw, that "special dealer coating" does nothing for your paint except encourage you to neglect it. I had a customer with a white 2009 328i come in with her baby today and ask me about some problems with her paint. She told me she had the special coating as well. I showed her in the light that if this coating was protecting her paint, she wouldn't have visible swirls, scratches, haziness. Also the bird poo that was sitting on her hood wouldn't do any damage, right? If it doesn't protect from the elements, then what does it do? Provide slickness for a long time? Make it easier to wash? But why? Owners are lead to believe they don't have to wax their cars for 5 years!
What Richard said, there's pretty much nothing you can do with factory stripes. From my understanding, factory stripes are ink coated and horrible. My suggestion is if you like stripes, get them replaced with aftermarket because they generally last longer. I've actually tried polishing them before and my pads literally turned black. Results were fair but nothing to write home about.