Tape won't stick, What do you use?

[SIN R G]

Last week I used the clay bar on my front bumper to clean it for the clear bra I had put on Monday. Tonight I was going to tape off the stripes and the clear bra and clay bar the rest of the car, then use an orbital buffer to polish and then wax it. But, I could not get the tape to stick to the car. I used scotch masking tape and it would not stick to the car at all. I then just tried regular freezer tape and that would not stick either. My Camaro is kept super clean and I never even wash it with water. I use Eagle One Wipe and Shine to clean it. What kind of tape do you guys use to mask off the stripes so you don't hit it with the orbital buffer.

[babaron]

I have the same prob all over the car. Would be interested to know.

[timppg]

wipe down with alcohol first then use 3m green automotive tape

[DylanVK]

If you're masking off vinyl and it won't stick its likely b/c the existing dressing on the surface is still doing its job.

A trick you can use is to dress all the exterior trim FIRST with your preferred (water based) dressing and skip the tape. Given you have to be a bit more careful, but in the event you do get a little polish/wax residue onto a trim part it should wipe away relatively cleanly as the dressing will prevent it from sticking, like it does with the tape.

Worst case you have to remove the residues and then redress after the paint work is done.

[SIN R G]

Originally Posted by timppg

wipe down with alcohol first then use 3m green automotive tape

Thanks, I gave this a try and it worked great.