Black spots on vinyl side stripes? - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

nUcLeArEnVoY · 11-17-2013, 04:32 PM

Can anybody help with these? Probably one of the most bizarre things I've seen on any car, ever.

I have the Bigworm Motor Sports Reverse Hockey Stripes and especially on the passenger side front bumper piece of the stripe, there are these black spots on them that are impossible to remove. I don't know WHAT they eye. Some weird facts about them:

- They're only on the vinyl stripes. Can't find them anywhere on my paint.

- They're the worst on the passenger side, but they're also on the driver side.

- The reason abrasives won't work is because these spots actually dug into the vinyl surface, so clay and polish glide right over them. If you look at the right angle, you can see the edge of the indentations each spot made highlighted by whatever light source.

- The spots are perfectly round.

- On the passenger side, you can see some of the remnants of the spots that managed to slough off and they appear as sort of a "shell" with a hole in the center... like a tiny yellow barnacle. Hard to explain.

I can't remove them abrasively. Clay won't work and polishing vinyl is pointless, even if it is glossy vinyl. So far I've tried TarX, Super Clean degreaser at full full strength, and undiluted isopropyl alcohol and none of them have touched these things.

I don't think it's Artillery Fungus, since that stuff is described as looking 3-dimensional in that it is above the surface and that it can be picked off by a fingernail... this stuff can't, because it dug into the vinyl.

It's been on my stripes for several months and I can't really remember whether or not it's gotten worst or if they all happened at once. I guess it just bothers me a lot more now that I know how hard they are to remove.

It's hard to get them in photos with my shit camera, so I have no pics.

CamaroDreams07 · 11-17-2013, 05:52 PM

Did you try Iron X?

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2

nUcLeArEnVoY · 11-17-2013, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CamaroDreams07

Did you try Iron X?

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2

Just tried it per your suggestion. Nothing.

I guess I have no choice to remove them. Me and Dani are going to hand-cut some hood spears this week to replace them. I figure hood spears with my big ass cowl would still give me plenty of orange to contrast my black car.

CamaroDreams07 · 11-17-2013, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nUcLeArEnVoY

Just tried it per your suggestion. Nothing.

I guess I have no choice to remove them. Me and Dani are going to hand-cut some hood spears this week to replace them. I figure hood spears with my big ass cowl would still give me plenty of orange to contrast my black car.

That's exactly why I keep pushing the idea of vinyl out of my head. It's such a pain and there's no fixing it most of the time.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2

nUcLeArEnVoY · 11-17-2013, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CamaroDreams07

That's exactly why I keep pushing the idea of vinyl out of my head. It's such a pain and there's no fixing it most of the time.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2

You make a point, but the convenience is too much to pass up. Don't like? Rip it off. It's that easy.

I have a feeling these spots happened all at once. I never had anything like this happen to my old hockey stripes.

Adam's Polishes · 11-19-2013, 10:40 AM

As Matt mentioned, once vinyl is damaged to this point, there's no fixing it. It's so soft compared to clear coat that it's a HUGE pain to care for in almost every instance.

Luckily, peeling them off an polishing the paint underneath isn't too much of a hassle...and much easier to maintain.

11-17-2013, 04:32 PM	#1
nUcLeArEnVoY Oldbie that nobody knows Drives: 2011 1SS/RS M6 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Homestead, FL Posts: 3,459 View My Garage	Black spots on vinyl side stripes? Can anybody help with these? Probably one of the most bizarre things I've seen on any car, ever. I have the Bigworm Motor Sports Reverse Hockey Stripes and especially on the passenger side front bumper piece of the stripe, there are these black spots on them that are impossible to remove. I don't know WHAT they eye. Some weird facts about them: - They're only on the vinyl stripes. Can't find them anywhere on my paint. - They're the worst on the passenger side, but they're also on the driver side. - The reason abrasives won't work is because these spots actually dug into the vinyl surface, so clay and polish glide right over them. If you look at the right angle, you can see the edge of the indentations each spot made highlighted by whatever light source. - The spots are perfectly round. - On the passenger side, you can see some of the remnants of the spots that managed to slough off and they appear as sort of a "shell" with a hole in the center... like a tiny yellow barnacle. Hard to explain. I can't remove them abrasively. Clay won't work and polishing vinyl is pointless, even if it is glossy vinyl. So far I've tried TarX, Super Clean degreaser at full full strength, and undiluted isopropyl alcohol and none of them have touched these things. I don't think it's Artillery Fungus, since that stuff is described as looking 3-dimensional in that it is above the surface and that it can be picked off by a fingernail... this stuff can't, because it dug into the vinyl. It's been on my stripes for several months and I can't really remember whether or not it's gotten worst or if they all happened at once. I guess it just bothers me a lot more now that I know how hard they are to remove. It's hard to get them in photos with my shit camera, so I have no pics.

11-17-2013, 05:52 PM	#2
CamaroDreams07 Drives: Slow V6 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: East Lansing, MI Posts: 9,361 View My Garage	Did you try Iron X? Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2 __________________ [B]

11-19-2013, 10:40 AM	#6
Adam's Polishes Drives: The shiny ones. Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: In the detail shop! Posts: 5,979	As Matt mentioned, once vinyl is damaged to this point, there's no fixing it. It's so soft compared to clear coat that it's a HUGE pain to care for in almost every instance. Luckily, peeling them off an polishing the paint underneath isn't too much of a hassle...and much easier to maintain.