GT500 stripes - wax or no wax

[long time comin]

Does anyone know how to care for the stripes on the Shelby? I just bought my '10 and the dealer couldnt tell me how to care for the stripes....can i wax them or not? Is there a special wax for the stripes as my salesman told me?
2010 sterling gray with black stripes

 

[yc420]

The general rule is usually no wax on vinyl. However, I keep being told that the factory stripes are clearcoated which makes them okay to wax. I don't know if there is any truth to this but I have waxed the stripes on my '09 and I don't seem to have any issues. I will warn you though that any decal including vinyl is a PITA. Try to keep them out of the sun and all that. Garage kept or car cover is best.

 

[Leonard 95]

Wax the stripes!

 

[mustang loco]

I wax them too & no issues .Only thing that I do is tape the edges of the stripe with some "painter's tape" ,1/2" is what I use cause when you'll use your polisher (if this is the way you do it) there's always some wax building up at the edge of your stripe!

 

[ESPN8]

Does anyone know how to care for the stripes on the Shelby? I just bought my '10 and the dealer couldnt tell me how to care for the stripes....can i wax them or not? Is there a special wax for the stripes as my salesman told me?
2010 sterling gray with black stripes

I found a Spray cleaner made by Lucas . Its called Slick mist . Seems to work real good on the stripes as well as the rest of the Car .

 

[brisk_tea]

or the nu-finish(?) or mothers wipe on/off liquid stuff works great. You just wipe on, and then off within a minute or 2. I had slight scratches in mine, and all gone now. It also doesn't get stuck at edges.

 

[Baby Gorilla]

No wax.

 

[Grunnsetning]

Treat it like the rest of the car just be more careful around the edges of the stripes.
Have worked great for almost 3 years for me.

 

[VNMOUS1]

Absolutely NO wax on the stripes. First of all, they're porous. Each of the pores absorb and fill with the wax. ALL wax yellows. It actually become more dull over time. You can't get the wax out of those tiny pores and it just sits there. Exposure to sun, heat, etc exacerbates the problem.

So, ANYTHING will seal the stripes. The objective is to use something that won't yellow/dull, create more dryness of the material, yet give it a level of protection.

A synthetic "wax" will do that. Even though most of them have some color in the can/bottle, they wipe away very clear and clean. McGuires has NXT (I think that's what it's called), Turtle Wax ICE is what I use and has proven to work very well for the past couple of years.

The BEST, and certainly the most expensive option is to pull the stripes and have them painted on. It won't diminish your car's value, you can wax to your heart's content and it simply looks and feels remarkable when done correctly. Assume $3,000 for a good job of over-the-top and side stripes being painted.

Happy Holidays-

bj

 

[snakecharmer]

Wax, no. Polish, yes. I Zaino my stripes same as the rest of the car. I have seen stripes get water spots, same as paint. A quality polish will help guard against that.

 

[long time comin]

Wax, no. Polish, yes. I Zaino my stripes same as the rest of the car. I have seen stripes get water spots, same as paint. A quality polish will help guard against that.

Thanks for the input....what color stripes are on your cobra? Mine are black, almost a flat black/matte black. I am worried about how porous it is. I am a believer in the Zaino system, a friend has a 6 yr old 350z that looks better than anything on thee showroom floor.

 

[long time comin]

Absolutely NO wax on the stripes. First of all, they're porous. Each of the pores absorb and fill with the wax. ALL wax yellows. It actually become more dull over time. You can't get the wax out of those tiny pores and it just sits there. Exposure to sun, heat, etc exacerbates the problem.

So, ANYTHING will seal the stripes. The objective is to use something that won't yellow/dull, create more dryness of the material, yet give it a level of protection.

A synthetic "wax" will do that. Even though most of them have some color in the can/bottle, they wipe away very clear and clean. McGuires has NXT (I think that's what it's called), Turtle Wax ICE is what I use and has proven to work very well for the past couple of years.

The BEST, and certainly the most expensive option is to pull the stripes and have them painted on. It won't diminish your car's value, you can wax to your heart's content and it simply looks and feels remarkable when done correctly. Assume $3,000 for a good job of over-the-top and side stripes being painted.

Happy Holidays-

bj

Thanks for the help.....what color stripes do you have? I have been debating having a local shop pull the stripes off and go sans stripes till I get the scratch to paint them in. I'm really concerned with the how porous these stripes seem to be; thus my reluctance to use anythin on them. The dealer was of NO help at all.

 

[long time comin]

The general rule is usually no wax on vinyl. However, I keep being told that the factory stripes are clearcoated which makes them okay to wax. I don't know if there is any truth to this but I have waxed the stripes on my '09 and I don't seem to have any issues. I will warn you though that any decal including vinyl is a PITA. Try to keep them out of the sun and all that. Garage kept or car cover is best.

Pretty sure they arent clear coated....you can feel a distinct border/ridge where the stripe begins; plus, the car is sent to a different location for striping to be applied after it solls off the production line. I asked the dealer how much it would cost to clear them in.....deer in the headlights look!

 

[hawaiiancobra]

with no wax they look like crappola,
i waxed mine up after no wax and they look much more presentable. the whole stripe trend or fad is just obnoxious and makes the car look like poo poo

 

[Q8_Shelby]

No wax.

 

[03 DSG Snake]

Been waxing mine since I got it. No problems and they look great.

 

[Six_Offender]

ive been using a product by the name of Plastex. it used to clean plastics found on motorcycles. it doesnt streak, it cleans the vinyls, and polishes the slight swirl look. i buy my can of Plastex at my suzuki dealer. best product i've used to clean my bike and car. just a suggestion.

 

[mullens]

When I took delivery of my car the stripes looked great. I asked the dealer what they used and they said liquid wax.

I use Showcar detailer for touch ups and when it's time to wax I'll use their glaze. They work fantastic. I would never use Armor All or like products. I agree you need something on the stripes or they look like crap.

 

[ruiner]

the best

RejeX®: So Slick, Bugs Can't Stick!

 

[snakecharmer]

Thanks for the input....what color stripes are on your cobra? Mine are black, almost a flat black/matte black. I am worried about how porous it is. I am a believer in the Zaino system, a friend has a 6 yr old 350z that looks better than anything on thee showroom floor.

White. You can definitely tell when they have gotten dirty and the polish helps bring out some of the embedded dirt. You can almost (carefully) clay them to remove debris, same as the paint. White will show if they are dirty. I use Zaino's all-in-one for the stripes.