Today I will test Peanut Butter's ability to remove wax from the plastic parts of the 8. A couple people on this forum have sworn by Peanut Butter, but I think most have doubted the theory.

I will use the following supplies:

1. Skippy Creamy Peanut Butter
2. Cheap Tooth Brush
3. Dawn Soap
4. Bucket of Warm Water
5. Diaper Soft Cotton Rag

I will apply and remove the Peanut Butter in the following fashion:

1. Apply Skippy directly to affected area.
2. Brush Skippy in for several minutes.
3. Wipe Skippy clean using the diaper soft rag and warm water and dawn dish detergent.
4. Rinse with water

I will not apply a products like "Back to Black" to cover up the wax. I will take before and after pics, so that everyone can judge for themselves.

 

303 Aerospace protectant works very well and does not just cover it up.

 

Here are the before and after of the front bumber.

 

Here is the before and after of the mirrors

 

The application and removal was surprisingly easy, and in total took about 30 minutes. The only hang-up was getting the Peanut Butter out of the cracks around on the bumper and the mirrors. I was really impressed with the results, and will cautiously give it thumbs up.

In applying the Peanut Butter I noticed that it was very greasy, and this could account for the shinny appearance of the plastic. Only time will tell if it actually removed the wax, or if it just covered it up like “Back to Black.” At the very least, the product works better than any of the current cover-ups, although it takes a little longer to apply.

I will take more pictures in a week, so we can see how the look holds up. I will also let you know if my car is attacked by any small woodland animals looking for food.

 

Thanks for verifying the PB removal tip. The better thing would to not let the wax get on the plastic parts, even better yet, use Zaino (or similar) type product and avoid the mess completely.

 

Pk: I posted this link a long time ago, but you might consider 3M Adhesive & Wax Remover. I've used it a few times and it seems to make the black parts turn whiter--I suspect that it is drying up the wax residue--but I follow it up with vinyl dressing and it looks great.

Otherwise, my only other advice is to use the vinyl/plastic dressing before waxing so the excess wax is much easier to remove.

 

I have a large (and expensive!) bottle of 303 Aerospace, which works very well, but I have recently learned from the 'detailing' forum about the uses of ordinary 'Pledge'......

BETTER than 303, and no messy residue, and of course - a beautiful shine!

That large piece of black on the mirrors is the perfect test - apply some white type polish, leave overnight to harden, then wipe it clean away, mit der Pledge.

Why would you want to use Skippy?

S

 

Be careful that squirels don't eat your car now. :D

Interesting idea, though.

 

If nothing else you will have a sweet smelling ride :D

Maybe mix the peanut butter with deep fried bananas then you could call your car ...ELVIS........... j/k

cheers
michael

 

I use Zaino now, so it will never be a problem again. I also agree that prevention is far better than the solution, but we all have our off days. The good news is that this technique appears to be a permanent solution, rather than a quick fix. I will be posting pics in a week as a follow up.

 

Damn squirrels...can't turn your back on them for a second

I didn't think anything could get that damn wax off the black plastic

 

StealthTL,

Ordinary Pledge for the plastic interior and black exterior pieces? I would have thought that Pledge has wax in it and it would only add to the problem. Sounds like it's worth a try though.

Which detailing forum did you find this tip on?

 

Actually, a spritz of WD 40 and a rub in with a toothbrush accomplishes the same thing, although I must say Skippy tastes a lot better than WD 40. But Jif tastes a lot better than Skippy!

What you're going for here is OIL to dissolve the dried wax crud that's normally suspended in the liquid or paste wax by the water/petroleum emulsion that carries the wax.

Try this interesting trick next time you're painting anything with oil based paints - especially alkyd enamels used in house paints - "wash" your hands liberally with COOKING OIL! Works like a charm - the oil dissolves the paint right off your hands.

Another helpful hint: Use either WD 40 or Ronsonol lighter fluid as an adhesive remover - it also kicks *** on road tar and doesn't strip your wax like the 3m remover does.

Stew