First of all I have gotten many, many greats tips on here so thanks for everyone's involvement.

Having said that, let me offer my own little tip...of what not to do! Don't wax your panels with McGuiar's Tech Wax! For some odd reason, after doing my own research online, I thought it was OK to wax the panels as well as the body of the car. The car initially looked great, even the panels. But after about 2-3 weeks a lot of white residue started showing. I didn't think much of it at the time, just figured I would wash it off or get something that would restore the wet look. After some of the residue washed itself off I noticed some areas that look like scratch marks. So today I went and picked up some 'Ice' exterior cleaner stuff...something that is suppose to bring back that wet look...and guess what...it is scratched....all over....top to bottom...left to right...around the light wells...over the wheel wells...EVERYWHERE. It looks like my panels have been sand blasted. I tried the Ice stuff in certain bad areas and while it looked good being rubbed in, it dried and looked the same...scratchy!

Yes, I am an idiot for not testing a small area but I swear I thought I read somewhere that someone used the same stuff and it worked great. Anyone got any other ideas or fixes? it would be much appreciated! Here are some pics...

UPDATE:

WOW! Just wow! Thanks everyone! Looks like problem solved....unreal....friggin peanut butter! I went over about 3/4 of E with peanut butter and then ran out and switched to veggie oil. It looks great! I am wondering how it will look in a few days after it gets some weather on it? Guess we will see. Until then I am a happy camper.

Thanks again!

Peanut butter.

As silly as it sounds, it has been suggested on the forums since day one.

I don't know what advice to give you, but somebody will. There are a lot of smart, and helpful people here. One of them will help you out.

Wow. I for one really appriciate you posting this info and hopefully saving someone else the same misfortune. That's terrible! *Hug* to you and your E.

Any other details? What year of E? What model? Just wondering of this is specific to a 2003 DX for instance. The panels seem to be different materials on different models, years.

Have you considered a plastic bodypanel antiscratch covering?

Durabak as some are considering now

http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43490

http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43303

Or

Hurculiner as Empire has done

http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27292&highlight=herculiner

Another option if you're not into the ruggad look is maybe you can trade panels with someone who is about to coat theirs.

If you happened to be in Boulder for instance I'd trade panels with you if you helped me swap em, bought the durabak ($120) and helped me prep mine (yours) for coating.

Anyway, good luck! Hope you're spring gets infinitely better from here on out for you and your E.

Peanut butter.

As silly as it sounds, it has been suggested on the forums since day one.

Beat me to it!:lol:

Some have also suggested vegetable or olive oil.

Good luck and welcome.

Peanut butter.

As silly as it sounds, it has been suggested on the forums since day one.

What he said. I had got some wax on my panels once and it was the Jiffy smooth variety that did it. Something about the oil in it. Put some on in a small area and see what happens before you extend a lot of time and effort. Should work though

Thanks for the support. It's a 2005 EX.

Well, I just tested a spot with some JIF creamy and am crossing my fingers. It actually looked awesome when I left it. Gonna give it a while then go check it. THANKS to all of you for the suggestions.

Boy, can't wait to explain to my neighbors what I am doing with 8 jars of peanut butter smeared all over my car!

Thanks for the support. It's a 2005 EX.

Well, I just tested a spot with some JIF creamy and am crossing my fingers. It actually looked awesome when I left it. Gonna give it a while then go check it. THANKS to all of you for the suggestions.

Boy, can't wait to explain to my neighbors what I am doing with 8 jars of peanut butter smeared all over my car!


Screw the neighbors and what they think! Handle your business man. This method should work for you. I'd use a nice terrie cloth towel or something like that, let it sit for a few and then remove it. Doesn't take much. You're just applying a nice thin coat and rubbing it in and then move on to the next section. Since you posted pics of the disaster, post some pic of the end result.

Here's an old detailers trick also . Take a paint brush and cut it off really short , so it's super stiff ( Bout an inch long ) Then in the spots where you can't get the " peanutbutter " Tap it with the bristles " straight in , takes forever to do but it actually pops the wax out of the holes in the mold of the plastic . My E had wax on the panels , not nearly as bad as yours but defo looked like crap . Also maybe try to call them and see what they suggest , good luck , I'm confident with enough elbow grease and tlc you can get it lookin good again ........ :)

Warning: Jelly, Preserves, or Honey do not amplify the effect of the peanut butter. They will only attract small hungry children.

Warning: Jelly, Preserves, or Honey do not amplify the effect of the peanut butter. They will only attract small hungry children.

There has been reports of the PEANUT BUTTER treatment attracting armies of squirrels. Be careful out there! :cool:

There has been reports of the PEANUT BUTTER treatment attracting armies of squirrels. Be careful out there! :cool:

Dogs too. :)

OLIVE OIL WILL DO WELL TO HIDE YOUR SCRATCHES! BE AWARE< THEY DO WASH OFF!!!! when it rains, the clock strikes twelve and cinderella goes right back to scrubbing decks.

Go with straight vegetable oil too.

Cut to the chase, cheaper and avoid the squirrels!

Thanks yall! The spot I tested looked good an hours ago...gonna go check it out in the morning. I will certainly post before and after pics.

Boy, I feel a lot better!

Thanks yall! The spot I tested looked good an hours ago...gonna go check it out in the morning. I will certainly post before and after pics.

Boy, I feel a lot better!

Don't feel too good. Disaster is alway around the corner.

Now it's your turn. Fill in your LOCATION and PROFILE or Rocket Dog may come over and ....Well, you don't what that to happen.:smile:

[quote=IRV;587651]Don't feel too good. Disaster is alway around the corner.

The minister said Sunday that everyone is either heading into a storm, going through a storm or coming out of one. I seem to be doing the first two right now with no out in sight.:cry:

I'm interested to see after pictures. :)

I had white fading on all plastic panels from attempts with other products to clean them. Both Vinylx and aerospace 303 looked good for awhile, then streaked after rain, then weeks later began to fade (dull out) and get patchy white, or light colored areas. Not as bad as your panels though.

About 2 weeks ago, I used that new product called "ICE", by the Turtle Wax people, the package reads it is a Polish (rather than a wax), and it took the white patches off the panels. They still look pretty good, even after several rains. For some reason, the dry/buffing cloth seemed to pick up considerable static, and I kept getting minor shocks...annoying, but doable.

Thank you for sharing your experience with the forum.

Dave in Virginia

Boy, can't wait to explain to my neighbors what I am doing with 8 jars of peanut butter smeared all over my car!
You'll also need about fifteen loaves of Wonder Bread to apply the peanut butter. Do not, under any circumstances, use one of those whole grain breads with the seeds and bran chunks. Don't forget to take pictures. Not just of the before and after, but also a couple of you smearing peanut butter on your Element with a slice of bread.

You'll also need about fifteen loaves of Wonder Bread to apply the peanut butter. Do not, under any circumstances, use one of those whole grain breads with the seeds and bran chunks. Don't forget to take pictures. Not just of the before and after, but also a couple of you smearing peanut butter on your Element with a slice of bread.

i want to see that happen..
then you'll see hungry children dancing til they drop for the peanut butter sandwich
you might even catch dancetiludrop go by just to eat some of the left over crumbs ;-):lol::lol::lol:

While you're applying the peanut butter, be sure to practice the special "peanut butter spreading" motion they use in the commercials to get the perfect wavy finish on it...before you mush the bread into it :D

Boy, can't wait to explain to my neighbors what I am doing with 8 jars of peanut butter smeared all over my car!

Stick a piece of bread on each side with the PB & make a Peanut Butter & E Sandwich...yummmy:D

Beat me to it!:lol:

Some have also suggested vegetable or olive oil.

Good luck and welcome.

you guys are making me hungry :lol::lol:

All this peanut butter talk is killing me...because my Orthodontist forbade it, i haven't had peanut butter in 15 months! :-(

hmmmm Peanut Butter &Banana samwich ..Yummy..:cool:

Peanut butter & Nutella samich... Nutella is a chocolate hazelnut spread.:D
My mother used to make them every once in a while, typically on miserable dreary days... That'd brighten them right up. A Reeses samich.

All this peanut butter talk is killing me...because my Orthodontist forbade it, i haven't had peanut butter in 15 months! :-(

Thats the worst news someone could have given me.
No one should be denied good peanut butter.:-(

Wait, wait wait...

You're supposed to put peanut butter on the toast; not the Toaster! :rolleyes:

I think the most important lesson is that you obviously have come to the proper location for information, because wherever you read that advice before was obviously not a good source. Its usually best to not put any form of WAX on the panels. Only the true diluted liquid forms seem to offer decent results (such as Wax As You Dry by Eagle 1)

So I guess a hardy welcome is in order!

This is supposed to work well. Have some on order.

http://www.showcardetailing.com/bw/

You could always buy new panels............effort to clean vs cost of new panels...........how much is your time worth?

Meguiars.com has a detailers forum, I would go there and post your problem. I'm sure someone can at least tell you if you can fix it or if your screwed. There are plenty of professional and DIY folks over there that are willing to give opinions. Or you could call Meguiars at thier 1-800# for free detailing advice, of course they are going to recommend thier own products, I'm sure.

Good luck, let us know how it turns out.

PS peanut butter is for eating!:D

NOOOOOO! Not olive oil. Olive oil goes in your mouth not on your E!

Good luck with the sandwich;-)

You could always buy new panels............effort to clean vs cost of new panels...........how much is your time worth?

I agree, buy new panels and give your old ones to me to do the Durabak treatment on :D

rhinoline that pig!!!!


I am looking for any excuse to do mine....first scratch or discolor on my plastics & in it goes.......

I feel for you.You have Blue panels.
Although pretty, it's by far the toughest panel color to deal with.
They are unforgiving and it's much work to keep them looking new.

Try Mother's Back to Black (probably a few bottles) do a small area first and see what the results look like.
If that fails, return the other bottle and try some of the other suggestions.

There's gotta be a way to fix it. Don't give up!

A Honda Tech told us once that to get old plastic panels (make sure they are the plastic not rubber) new again. Is to carefully take a butane torch, gently, at a safe distance and easily, back and forth on the panel to get the oils back to the surface. Which is what the peanut butter is probably doing, but just putting oils on the surface, instead of bringing them back out.

Try Coconut Oil.

LuAnn coconut oil is on the shelf at all super Wal-Mart, in the cooking oil section.

It also has other useful fun benefits that you will discover.

Try Coconut Oil.

LuAnn coconut oil is on the shelf at all super Wal-Mart, in the cooking oil section.

It also has other useful fun benefits that you will discover.

You shore got purty teeth mister.

A Honda Tech told us once that to get old plastic panels (make sure they are the plastic not rubber) new again. Is to carefully take a butane torch, gently, at a safe distance and easily, back and forth on the panel to get the oils back to the surface. Which is what the peanut butter is probably doing, but just putting oils on the surface, instead of bringing them back out.
On the plus side, if you apply too much peanut butter, you won't set the E on fire.

You shore got purty teeth mister.


Back to your den Meercat.

On the plus side, if you apply too much peanut butter, you won't set the E on fire.

Ah, but a flaming Element would make a bloomin' great photo op.:smile:

Just a thinking; Isn't there a disillusioned member around here that just might try this?:confused:



:lol:

Any up-dates?:confused:

Curious as to the outcome, myself.:cool:

Any up-dates?:confused:

Yeah, I wouldn't forget about you all!!! Updated the original post with new pics. Turned out great!!!!! Hope it lasts! Thanks everyone!

Peanut Butter to the rescue!

http://www.breaktaker.com/albums/pictures/kids/PeanutButter.jpg

Well, what do you know! That does look good!
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b173/goodie_/dblthumb2.gif

Peanut Butter to the rescue!

http://www.breaktaker.com/albums/pictures/kids/PeanutButter.jpg


I wouldn't personally know but I hear they have websites for this particular type of fetish!

....

UPDATE:

WOW! Just wow! Thanks everyone! Looks like problem solved....unreal....friggin peanut butter! I went over about 3/4 of E with peanut butter and then ran out and switched to veggie oil. It looks great! I am wondering how it will look in a few days after it gets some weather on it? Guess we will see. Until then I am a happy camper.

Thanks again!


Keep us updated. Inquiring minds want to know what that looks like in a couple of weeks.

Looks good.....I hope it stays looking good for you.



BTW....where are the pics of the peanut butter smeared all over your E? I have been hearing about peanut butter and E's for 5 years but have yet to see it done.

yeah , thats looks INCREDIBLE , even if you have to stay on it it's great !!! Eoc holds it down again .............!!!!!!!!!!

so this is what Ive leaned whenever I need to fix something on my panels:


http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/banana


:)

Glad you got it straightened out. :)

so this is what Ive leaned whenever I need to fix something on my panels:


http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/banana


:)

LOL that's awesome! I actually thought you were linking to this:

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/badgerphone

Still holding strong!!!!

I'll post some updated pics to show what it looks like after 2 weeks.

Thanks again!

OK, I've applied 2-3 rounds of peanut butter and it would only last about 2-3 weeks at the most. It made the panels look great as you can see from the pictures. Now, after getting tired of smearing peanut butter I began looking at alternatives. Long story short, I don't think that wax I used actually scratched the panels. I said screw it and took out a hard bristled brush and rubbed some of that Ice Interior stuff on it and scrubbed it hard into the panel in a test spot. I went back with a cloth and wiped it down and I think I discovered that the 'scratch' marks were actually the old wax that is in the tiny little groves on the panel! I'm gonna go at it pretty hard and try and muscle out that old wax by using a semi-coarse bristled brush and some type of moisture cream or something. Bottom line, there is hope!

had the same problem with my blue panels. my first wax when i picked my baby up last year was a bit sloppy around the edges. used nxt wax too, great stuff but a total b!tch if you don't go slow around the panels. well this year i finally was able to get rid of those damn wax spots without covering it up. picked up a jug of simple green max concentrate (great degreaser for the engine btw), worked great. just use it full strength on a rag and lightly scrub it out. make sure the area is fully saturated to make sure it dissolves the wax. did this at the beginning of the wash and wax season and the wax spots haven't come back at all. totally gone! used the pb trick, and it does cover it up for awhile... but after having an incident with a friend that apparently has a nut allergy, the pb trick is just not worthwhile for me.

Much appreciated! I will try the green stuff.

Green stuff isn't working. Maybe just a little but the grooves on the panels are extremely small. I might have to get someone to buff them out professionally.

Have you considered trying Oxyclean? I hate their ads but that stuff does clean up the weirdest things.

Wash your E well and use Turtle wax ICE liquid on the blue panels it should take care of it and you can use it to wax your whole E. It's very easy to apply and takes very little to do the whole E. Drew;-)

Box-E, thanks! I have some of that and have tried it. It works, but the white residue comes back. I've scrubbed the crap out of it, doused it with Simple Green and scrubbed it in...nothing. Now some of the residue is gone but the texture of the panels is so fine that the was hides in there and is hard as hell to get out.

Peanut butter, veggie oil, Ice, back to black...those are all cover-ups. They do not get the wax out. It would take a concerted effort and lot of tie and energy to get it out with those things. I'm at a loss other than trying some type of professional buffer or something like that. It sucks.

how about this? It looks promising. http://www.autogeek.net/wax-remover.html Drew:)

I have an experimental panel that I do testing on. I recall using brakleen to clean it then putting some dressing on it and it seemed to be okay. Let me know if you need me to test someting.

I have an experimental panel that I do testing on. I recall using brakleen to clean it then putting some dressing on it and it seemed to be okay. Let me know if you need me to test someting

I have not tried any kind of brake cleaner because the plastic items that I tested it on wound up permanently hazy. Try a terry cloth and denatured alcohol ( any paint dept.) and let us know how that works. thinner Next time I am near a Honda place I think I will pick up a damaged panel for testing. Good idea! Think that laquer thinner, and especially acetone, would do serious damage to the panels .

Oh definetely acetone is a no no.

I spent hours today scrubbing the living piss (sorry, no other analogy) out of my panels with Mr. Clean erasers. I scrubbed the panels so hard my fingers and hands still hurt 3 hours later. Next I washed my car and then hand dried it. Then I applied a layer of Turtle Wax Ice spray. So far it looks good but there are spots that I can tell there is still some wax. I know I took a layer of coloring off the panels because the erasers were completely blue. I didn't care, I just wanted to get the old wax off. I swear I think the only thing that will truly work is elbow grease. My belief is that anything strong enough to remove wax from those grooves is probably too strong to use on the panels.

All I know is that when I get my next E, it will certainly NOT have panels...and hopefully will be a hybrid!

My solution is just Durabak or Herculiner over the panels, then you don't have to worry about the wax at all :razz:

how about this? It looks promising. http://www.autogeek.net/wax-remover.html Drew:)


I tried this stuff to try and get some Wolfgang wax off of my panels. Didn't work!


...from Meguiars' FAQ (I chose Meguiars because they made the NXT that the OP had problems removing)

22. How do I remove wax from vinyl trim, plastic cladding, and rubber parts?

The best way to remove wax from vinyl or rubber is to use Meguiar's #39 Heavy Duty Vinyl Cleaner (http://www.meguiars.com/?pro-vinyl-rubber-care/Heavy-Duty-Vinyl-Cleaner). #39 will emulsify and breakdown the dry wax residue. If you have a tough time locating #39, any all-purpose cleaner should also do the job. Agitating the cleaner by gently scrubbing the surface with a soft bristle brush, like a toothbrush, can help break up the wax
Once you have cleaned the vinyl and/or rubber surface, bring back the natural color and help protect it with an application of a vinyl/rubber conditioner and protectant like NXT Tech ProtectantTM (http://www.meguiars.com/?vinyl-rubber-plastic-protectants/NXT-Generation-Tech-Protect), Natural Shine (http://www.meguiars.com/?home-vinyl-rubber-care/Natural-Shine-Vinyl-Rubber-Protectant), Gold Class Vinyl/ Rubber Protectant (http://www.meguiars.com/?vinyl-rubber-plastic-protectants/Gold-Class-Vinyl-Rubber-Protectant), M-40 Vinyl and Rubber Cleaner/Conditioner (http://www.meguiars.com/?pro-vinyl-rubber-care/Vinyl-Rubber-Cleaner-Conditioner), or Gold Class Trim Detailer (http://www.meguiars.com/?car-trim-molding-care/Gold-Class-Trim-Detailer)

I'm telling you, if you scrub hard enough it will come out...it's just a pain.

Just remember while the peanut butter and oils work, they are a mask. Get a magic eraser and scrub the crap out of a test spot...wash it down good and rub it with a wash cloth. Then hit it with turtle Wax Ice...mine is holding up strong after 48 hours.

What I used to do with my Avalanche was to use 2" painters tape and use on all of the plastic trim. Takes time to tape off but saves alot of troubles and headaches later.

3 days and holding strong! Seriously, if you want the white wax residue gone, you gotta scrub it out. Of course test it on a sample spot but I am positive that I got it out.

And if you look at the the first post, those are not scratches, those are just residue marks. I'll try and post a new pic of how it turned out using the magic erasers and the Turtle Wax Ice.

I got a couple of cell phone pics of Mother's Back to Black for you guys. Its been over 1 week since I did this and the plastic still looks great. There a couple of spots that I needed to apply more to than other spots but I still have just under 1/2 the bottle left after doing every piece of plastic on the outside of my E.

Also I finally got rid of the front dealer plate!

Before
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y205/killektiv/IMAG0041.jpg

1/2 way - The passenger side it done. You can see where I stopped in the middle for the picture.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y205/killektiv/IMAG0042.jpg

Fender before. You can see where I overlapped a little bit at the fender line
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y205/killektiv/IMAG0043.jpg

After
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y205/killektiv/IMAG0044.jpg

Believe it or not it actually looked better the next day. I guess the treatment fully settled into the plastic.

If I end up having any problems with it Ill repost, but for $6 a bottle I say it was worth it.

I got a couple of cell phone pics
Yikes! Got any better photos?

Yah I wish I did. I went to go use our digital camera and it kicked the bucket. So this is the best I have until I can borrow a good camera from someone.

Let the car sit in the sun for a while to get everything nice and warm. Then hit the panels with a pressure washer. Keep the nozzle about 1-2" away from the panel. It SHOULD blow everything right out of there. If that doesn't do it, you're screwed. I can't think of anything that will do a better job than 2400 psi of water pressure.

I did this to mine when the knucklehead dealer decided to wax my panels before I picked up the car. Grrrr. Morons.

let it sit in the rain...slowly it will take out the wax...... my two side trims was done that way and the remaining area that needs to be done is the front bumper!