Vinyl Hood Care

[CrystalRedTintcoat]

I've been concerned with how to care for the vinyl hood. Do I wax it or not? Do I Zaino it or not? Etc Etc.

I found a page on C5 about detailing and read through several posts and searched a bit too. Net net is, thus far, I have not found a satisfactory solution.

Here's what I found, for what it's worth. Naturally everyone has opinions:

• Zaino Clear Seal (Z-CS)
• Turtle Wax Ice
• Adams Clear Polish
• Don't use Carunba Wax
• Mask it with painters tape and wax around it
• Don't use a spinning waxer, can cut vinyl inadvertently

I've written to Zaino tonight to ask what they recommend. Note that I did *not* ask them about Z-CS. I want to see if they recommend the same thing as other C5 members in the Detail forum.

I had an 1984 Z28 that had vinyl on the hood in the indented area. It was horrible and peeled. I replaced it once. My suspicion is that the 1LE wrapped hood will be better quality. Maybe we will need to wax this bad boy with the hood open then close it and put polish, clear seal, whatever on top not worrying about overflow onto the paint.

Please share your thoughts and research here too. Anyone know what Chevrolet recommends?

CRT

[JimE]

Several threads in the detailing section, such as http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=260401 and http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showth...caring+stripes

[CrystalRedTintcoat]

Found this on another forum too:

http://www.moderncamaro.com/forum/ap...x-stripes.html

Originally Posted by Junkman2008
This is a question that often comes up on a lot of car care forums so I decided to dig into the vinyl strip industry and get the scoop straight from the manufactures. First, a little background on the industry.

There are 3 major manufactures, 3M, Oracal and Avery. There are plenty of smaller manufactures but they do not do the volume, nor provide the size of raw materials that these three manufactures do. One thing to note. The companies that actually manufacture the sheets that the stripes are cut from do not sell directly to the public. Thus, if you do not know where the raw material was purchased from which your stripes were cut, there's no way to tell who manufactured your stripes. Your car manufacturers are definitely not going to let you in on this information and your local dealerships don't have a clue.

Just like in any business today, you also have your Chinese knockoffs. They have flooded the market with their usual sub par quality junk and you can usually spot them by their low prices. Of course, a lot of consumers only see the dollar signs and are easily manipulated out of their money for low grade materials.

The secret to finding out who manufactured your stripes lies in the adhesive backing that is peeled away during the installation of these stripes. Sometimes, the company who buys the materials in order to cut your stripes will request that the backing be left blank in order to conceal that information. That way, you always have to go to that installer to get the exact same quality stripes, unless you go with something different.

Vinyl stripes are NOT all the same. They are created to be used in specific situations. From outdoor to indoor, from cars to signs, the vinyl industry creates decals that cater to specific applications. You would not believe how many different blends of vinyl that one company can create. In vehicle lettering alone, Oracal has over 20 different "blends" to choose from. That's over 20 blends, from 1 of 10 categories that cater strictly to outdoor use! Indoor graphics consist of 6 more categories, each with their own set of blends. Talk about the secret recipe vault, I'd like to know who is guarding that thing!

So as you can see, the vinyl industry is very complex in what they put out. Thus, care for your vinyl stripes can be very specific, depending on what you have. However, Oracal made me privy to their care and maintenance information, which I am going to share with you all. In a nutshell, the ONLY thing you should be doing is washing your stripes with soap and water. They suggest a mild car wash soap. In their information that they gave to me, they suggested Dawn, Joy or Ivory. Now although those product are safe for your car and paint, they will wipe out any wax or glaze on your car. Thus, you want to use something safe for the products that are protecting your paint. That would be something like the Car Shampoo from Adam's.


Care for Your Stripes

I spoke with Dean Strohmenger who is the Sr. Product Support Specialist for Oracal. First, he directed me to this document, which outlines specifically the care of vinyl stripes. Here's the deal. Oracal and other companies like them do not sell directly to the public, they sell to distributors. The distributors either cut the patterns from the sheets that they purchase, or sell to the people who cut the patterns and/or install the cut materials on your car or sign.

The vinyl material for lettering and stripes vary in quality due to their plasticizer content. This plasticizer content consist of various materials/chemicals and determines how long the stripes will last. This also determines how long of a warranty you will get with your stripes/lettering. Each company has their own "secret recipe" that makes up their platicizer content but I'm sure that the maintenance procedures are going to be similar for all of the various manufactured stripes/lettering.

One very interesting thing about the warranty of these vinyl stripes. They are warrantied based on a sliding scale, depending on where you are located. In other words, a 10 year warranty is not 10 years in Arizona or Texas, like it would be in New York or North Dakota. Also, and this was the most shocking point that he made, the warranty is based on the vertical plane. That means the stripes on the side of your car is where the warranty is applied, not the horizontal parts. The horizontal parts are NOT warrantied because the elements of weather are too brutal to warranty that part! Wow, I never knew that!

So there you are. A document that definitively instructs you on how to care for your stripes. One thing that he said to definitely not do is wax your stripes. He said that waxing the stripes will dry up the plasticizing content in the vinyl and cause them to fail well before their supposed lifetime. he also said that waxing the stripes will have adverse affects to their appearance like causing them to turn white. I've seen plenty of car owners who have found that out the hard way.

So there it is folks, straight from the Junkman's research desk. You learn something new everyday if you go off looking.


The Junkman

[Bad@ssCamaro]

^^^^That's a good argument for getting your stripes painted instead of getting vinyl.

[CrystalRedTintcoat]

Originally Posted by JimE

Several threads in the detailing section, such as http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=260401 and http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showth...caring+stripes

Ok. Wow. In the Adams video from your second link I'm now totally sold on Adams VRT - vinyl, rubber, tire. At the very end of the video a gray camaro with matte hood strips gets the VRT treatment. It's just amazing.

I believe we 1LE'ers have a matte hood. Right? No wax on matte. Ok to wax gloss accordingly to this video. Sooooo, this VRT looks super promising for us.

And I'm obviously way behind the eight ball here. I see from your first link everyone was already talking about the hood treatment. :-O

Note: I'm in no way associated with Adams.

[BLKSS1LE]

Okay I used griots paint sealant on my hood and it worked great.

[CrystalRedTintcoat]

Heard back from Zaino:

You're going love Zaino especially on all those decals. Zaino Show
Car Polish works great on all vinyl decals. It is non-abrasive, leaves
no white residue or wax buildup and actually makes the decals last
longer. It's UV40 protectant will keep the decals from shrinking, fading
and drying out. Plus it will make the decals look like they have a clear
coat over them. Try it on all the decals you'll love it.

You can use Z-2, Z-5, Z-6 or Z-8

NOTE: For Flat Black or Matte Decals.

Try a test spot on the Flat Black decals and see if you like the look.
It will make the decals have a slight gloss to them.. It boils down to a
matter of personal preference.

[speedmon]

I don't use wax on matte black vinyl.....you can but it will streak.

I use a vinyl conditioner. Non-greasy or dust will stick.

I actually use Macguiers leather conditioner on all the vinyl and plastic on the car.
....and yes I have a black vinyl hood and other sections.

[cornerspeed92]

First things first my 1LE was made today YEA!!!!!!!!!!! )))))))))))) ok so i have the answer.I not only am a camaro owner,and soon to be a 1LE owner,i am also a distributor for a high end car care product,DWG http://www.dwginternational.com/WebSite/DWG.shtml I have been using this product for 10 years,you should see how my 1998 toyota tacoma with 329,000 miles(showroom ok well, super shiney) looks.I have never once washed it with water or waxed it.Same with my 2011 1LT RS/RS http://www.cncexotics.com/view-inventory.aspx i have it here for 1 more week hoping to sell so i dont have to give it away to the dealer.There are 81 pictures of this beautiful car that speak for them self as to how incredable this product is,and remember water has never touched this car or yuck,wax! It takes me 1 hour(including inside the rims)to do what you would spend 4 or 5 hrs.doing and after you're done all you have done is polish you're car you haven't protected the paint from the harmful UV sun rays which this product does.One of the best things is i wash my car in my garage.I contacted corporate today and what we want to use on our hoods and entire car is the "ULTRA ION" Those of you that are interested i can and will sell cheaper then you can buy it from the company. Happy day 1LE'rs

[Bad@ssCamaro]

Originally Posted by cornerspeed92

First things first my 1LE was made today YEA!!!!!!!!!!! )))))))))))) ok so i have the answer.I not only am a camaro owner,and soon to be a 1LE owner,i am also a distributor for a high end car care product,DWG http://www.dwginternational.com/WebSite/DWG.shtml I have been using this product for 10 years,you should see how my 1998 toyota tacoma with 329,000 miles(showroom ok well, super shiney) looks.I have never once washed it with water or waxed it.Same with my 2011 1LT RS/RS http://www.cncexotics.com/view-inventory.aspx i have it here for 1 more week hoping to sell so i dont have to give it away to the dealer.There are 81 pictures of this beautiful car that speak for them self as to how incredable this product is,and remember water has never touched this car or yuck,wax! It takes me 1 hour(including inside the rims)to do what you would spend 4 or 5 hrs.doing and after you're done all you have done is polish you're car you haven't protected the paint from the harmful UV sun rays which this product does.One of the best things is i wash my car in my garage.I contacted corporate today and what we want to use on our hoods and entire car is the "ULTRA ION" Those of you that are interested i can and will sell cheaper then you can buy it from the company. Happy day 1LE'rs

Ok, I must live under a rock. :( Why is it I have never heard of this stuff if it's been around 20 years?

[speedmon]

Originally Posted by Bad@ssCamaro

Ok, I must live under a rock. :( Why is it I have never heard of this stuff if it's been around 20 years?

Thats a good question......

We'll see how you guys like your vinyl in about 3-4 months.....

Its more durable than paint, which is why I have a vinyl hood (cuz it goes to the track) but its a b*tch to maintain.

Waterspots are a pain and the vinyl gets blochy after several months....especially if its left outside....and mine isn't...nights in the garage.

If you're not going to track that car but want the black hood look, cuz it does look good.....you should rip that vinyl off and paint it.....that way it can be properly cleaned and protected so the color stays consistent.

[cornerspeed92]

Originally Posted by Bad@ssCamaro

Ok, I must live under a rock. :( Why is it I have never heard of this stuff if it's been around 20 years?

Yes this stuff has been around a long time,i have been a distributor for 10 years.People are just plain stupid and doubters.I did a car show with my black camaro at my dealership(Rotolo here in so cal) and had some idiot arguing with me that it will scratch it.My car was right there,i pointed to it,and not so much as a swirl or feather scratch and still gave me a hard time.THIS STUFF IS THE BOMB!!!!! so easy,so good,and so quick.

[Black N' Yellow]

I use a little bit of Adam's Super VRT on all my vinyl parts, it gives it a deep black look. I don't think you ever want to wax or polish vinyl.

[TripleB]

SmartWax makes a matte vinyl detailer that I use on my matte black vinyl on my car. No streaks, makes it look new, and has UV protection.