The dealership waxed the crap outta my bumpers! I scrubbed and scrubbed. Thought I got it all but when it dried, the white came back. What do you think would work?

Thanks

They make a wax remover product, don't know if you've tried that yet. A fine grit sand paper or fine steel wool might work. I heard of some guy using paint thinner, on his paint though. Idk what it would do to the plastic though. You could try it out on the inside of the bumper to find out. I think it would be fine though.

-Clint

Take a cheap house paint brush (about 2"-3" wide) and cut all the bristles down to about 1 1/2" long. Then just rub it back and forth a bunch on the wax (dry) until it all goes away. It will not hurt anything this way. It's an old detailers trick. If that doesn't get all of it, you can go to an auto parts store and get a body work prep cleaner (called wax and grease remover). This is designed to remove wax and grease before you paint a car, so it won't contaminate the paint. You can use it in conjunction with the brush

I would not use sand paper or steel wool, those will damage it really bad, lol.

Listen to Creepy, he knows his $hit...

If all else fails...bring it back and let the dealership worry about it?

Creepy's idea works great. When you cut the bristles down, they will be more stiff and able to get into the texture of the bumper but still be flexible enough to not scratch up anything. The wax remover works well too but I prefer the brush first and the wax remover as a last resort. When it comes to plastics, other chemicals can hurt the finish. Especially the harsh stuff like paint thinner, acetone, etc.

https://www.ezorderschoolsupplies.com/images/Pink%20Pearl.JPG

Seriously. Its all you need

wow - cool tips.

Creepy's idea works great. When you cut the bristles down, they will be more stiff and able to get into the texture of the bumper but still be flexible enough to not scratch up anything. The wax remover works well too but I prefer the brush first and the wax remover as a last resort. When it comes to plastics, other chemicals can hurt the finish. Especially the harsh stuff like paint thinner, acetone, etc.


Yep, Drake, I couldn't agree with you more. Chemicals can be really bad for any plastics. That's exactly why I said to try it dry first, and only if it for some crazy reason it doesn't get it all, then try a little wax and grease remover with it, (maybe I should have made that part more clear, lol). Drake brings up a great point, while wax and grease remover is pretty mild, most other chemicals will trash your plastics, and only use the wax and grease remover as a last resort.

Well Im glad someone else chimed in, I'd hate to be responsible for an ugly X. My suggestions were more for if all else fails abrasives WILL take it off mindset. But I did say to test it out first...

-Clint

Lol.

I figured if you sand some material off the bumper (and its all the same color injection) whats underneath would be the original color before the bumper was sanded down. It would just have a different finish. Am I wrong on that too though??

-Clint

Well actually, if you sand the texture off, it will look like a different color, because the light will reflect off of it differently. (technically the color is the same, but it will look quite different). It will also have no shine left at all, so would need to use a heat gun to melt a shine back onto it. Once you mess up the texture though, it is really hard to repair it to look right again. It can be done, but it's not easy.

All this questions and answers should be moved to the "How to repair a plastic bumper" section instead, lol. And not just how to remove wax from one.

Heh, fair enough. If nothing else she knows what to and not to do.

-Clint

Yep, lol.

I've used Dawn dish soap on a sponge to get wax off of plastic in the past.

I agree with TJQ, I've heard a pink pearl eraser works pretty well

Magic Erasers work great too! You know the kitchen cleaning ones... Just be careful as you might remove stuff you don't want too! For example any of the white lettering off of window buttons or anything like that... But they work great on wax and especially on exterior surfaces! I use them on mine after waxing it.