Need some advice: Tape effect on rubber trim

[Eidolon]

So for my G8 I purchased some OEM Holden trim to go atop the doors. It's metal with a rubberized coating so that it's a nice matte black. I'd taped up the trim to polish the car and pulled it when done so I could coat it with Super VRT. While so doing, I noticed the trim had become splotchy. I can only guess that this is the effect of the tape adhesive, as it appears that the trim has swollen from it. I used 3M blue painter's tape for this job.

 

Any advice on how to correct this? Will it fix itself in time, is there anything I can do to hasten the recovery, or am I looking at replacing my trim?

 

[GXPaycheck]

Did you try wiping it down with IPA (not the beer)? Maybe some goo gone in a test area?

[Eidolon]

Yup, I tried some isopropyl. No effect. I'm hesitant to try Goo Gone on rubber. So near as I can tell - after trying a fingernail this morning - it's not a sticky film. I dunno what it is.

[THE Mook]

Have you tried some APC on an Edgeless Towel?

 

What does it feel like? Raised from the surface? OR does the rubber coating appear to be missing now?

[Eidolon]

Have you tried some APC on an Edgeless Towel?

I haven't, but it seems a good plan of attack. I can tape up the paint so as not to strip the wax, then try attacking the trim. You're referring to the black/gray utility towels, right? I've got a few I can break out.

 

What does it feel like? Raised from the surface? OR does the rubber coating appear to be missing now?

The rubber coating is still in place, but there's definitely a texture to it. I'm not sure which is the part that's been affected by the tape, though, and which part is just the trim. I don't have the car right in front of me, unfortunately. I'll have to go look at it again at lunchtime, get a better pic of it.

[THE Mook]

I haven't, but it seems a good plan of attack. I can tape up the paint so as not to strip the wax, then try attacking the trim. You're referring to the black/gray utility towels, right? I've got a few I can break out.

 

Yes those. Simply shoot some APC onto the towel and scrub the trim.

[Team Adam's]

Quick question - what kind of tape were you using? I know you said blue 3M, but was it the basic stuff or the stuff with 'edge lock' and the orange text printed on it?

Edited September 10, 2012 by Dylan@Adams

[Eidolon]

Quick question - what kind of tape were you using? I know you said blue 3M, but is the the basic stuff or the stuff with 'edge lock' and the orange text printed on it?

Just the basic stuff, blue paper low-tack tape. No text printed on the tape itself.

[Team Adam's]

OK... reason I ask, is stuff like Frog Tape and the Blue 3M with 'edge lock' have a chemical additive that reacts with moisture to seal the ends. I've seen this EXACT same issue when those tapes are used. Whatever that chemical is reacts funny with rubber trim and stains paint in some cases (usually single stage)

 

But if it was just the regular stuff not sure... go with Mooks suggestion of APC and scrub with a utility towel.

[Eidolon]

Will do. I'll double check the roll, too, make sure it is what I think it is.

[Eidolon]

Well... Crap. I double checked the roll after remembering that I have two rolls, one that's 0.5" in width and another that's 1.5" in width. I used the 1.5" on the door trim. Wouldn't you know it, it's #2093. Edge Lock. Lovely. I'd picked it up without knowing there was a difference. My 0.5" roll? Just regular tape. So if I'd used that, the trim would be fine. Anything that can be done to salvage the trim? It's unfortunately pretty noticeable in sunlight.

 

 

Car otherwise looks good. Though there's still some tiny scratch marks beneath the door trim. Looks like I didn't spend enough time on it with FMP.

 

Edited September 10, 2012 by Eidolon

[Team Adam's]

My lord! Thats one dripping wet red paint job!!

 

Sorry to hear I was right, but all is not lost... its fixable. What you have to do is get that 'edge lock' stuff out of the trims pores. What its essentially doing now is what its supposed to do... keeping anything from penetrating.

 

The APC scrub should help... you can get pretty aggressive with it if you have to.

 

On a side note - permission to use your pictures for a writeup on tape? This is an issue I've been trying to warn people about with the prevalence of these new 'chemically enhanced' tapes at most any hardware store. Its getting harder and harder to find the regular tape anymore - so I want to help make people aware of the possible pitfalls.

Edited September 10, 2012 by Dylan@Adams

[JBlack151]

My lord! Thats one dripping wet red paint job!!

 

I'm stuck in a trance staring into that beautiful paint!

[Eidolon]

My lord! Thats one dripping wet red paint job!!

Thanks! About 11 hours on Saturday polishing, then 2 hours last night waxing with BG and Americana. There's still some slight spider-webbing on certain panels, so it's not perfect. But they're so slight the sun's reflection just about blinds me if I try to look for them.

 

Sorry to hear I was right, but all is not lost... its fixable. What you have to do is get that 'edge lock' stuff out of the trims pores. What its essentially doing now is what its supposed to do... keeping anything from penetrating.

 

The APC scrub should help... you can get pretty aggressive with it if you have to.

Hey, I'm glad you're right. It means I know what the issue is, how to avoid it next time, and hopefully it'll respond to the APC and come out of the pores. I just wish I'd known and hadn't used the wrong stuff! Which actually brings us to...

 

On a side note - permission to use your pictures for a writeup on tape? This is an issue I've been trying to warn people about with the prevalence of these new 'chemically enhanced' tapes at most any hardware store. Its getting harder and harder to find the regular tape anymore - so I want to help make people aware of the possible pitfalls.

By all means feel free to use them, no attribution needed, and let me know if I can get you any further information or shots of the trim. I'd prefer others not have this same issue. On that note, it's actually a darn good thing you guys now carry tape that is known safe.

Edited September 10, 2012 by Eidolon

[Team Adam's]

By all means feel free to use them, no attribution needed, and let me know if I can get you any further information or shots of the trim. I'd prefer others not have this same issue. On that note, it's actually a darn good thing you guys now carry tape that is known safe.

 

Awesome. Thank you!

 

Its funny b/c we never really were in the mindset we needed tape, until the whole tape business wen't bonkers for edgelock. I get that probably 90% of their sales are centered around painting a wall in your house - but heck... us detailers need love too! LOL

[Eidolon]

Its funny b/c we never really were in the mindset we needed tape, until the whole tape business wen't bonkers for edgelock. I get that probably 90% of their sales are centered around painting a wall in your house - but heck... us detailers need love too! LOL

Truth! It makes sense to have the tape seal more firmly when moistened with paint. That's the very time you don't want it coming loose. For my case, the thing that probably activated it and caused the splotchiness was actually the moisture from the generous spritzing with DS necessary to clay the car before polishing. I'd taped before I clayed in the hope that the tape would stick better if it got wet with DS rather than having to stick to trim that already had a layer of DS residue on it.

[Blue04SSS]

Guess i figured out how the "detailer" (and i use that term very loosely) At the dealership i bought my truck from managed to mark up the rubber window trim on my truck. Now i know how to get rid of it.

[GXPaycheck]

Funny lookin hood scoops ya got there, buddy

[Eidolon]

So... I tried scrub-scrub-scrubbing with a utility towel and APC. I'm making progress, but I think I'm doing so only because the relative abrasiveness of the towel is actually taking off rubber. And it's still splotchy, unfortunately.

 

Pics.

 

 

For the heckuvit, I also tried some Goof Off and WD40. Of course, the Goof Off skipped removing the residue and went straight to removing the rubber. Meanwhile, the WD40 did NOSSINK.

 

Anything else stronger I could try? Maybe actually chase it with some Revive, see if I couldn't intentionally take off the top layer of rubber?

 

Otherwise I'm thinking I may have to break out the OEM chrome strips I've got and paint them like I did the trip above the windows, use double-sided trim tape to stick them in place, and consider these rubber-coated pieces as a write-off. Because of... tape. Somehow that almost seems ironic.

 

Funny lookin hood scoops ya got there, buddy

I was wondering if someone would notice that. I have an appointment to get portions of the car rewrapped on Thursday. So the scoops are sitting on the table in my living room at the moment. No use putting them back in only to remove them again. That is, assuming the wrap guy wanted them removed.

[02Xtreme07ss]

You could try some 3M Adhesive Remover on a utility towel.

[Eidolon]

You could try some 3M Adhesive Remover on a utility towel.

 

I dunno if it would help or not. The trim isn't sticky at all. It's more like the chemical in the tape seeped into the trim and caused the rubber to expand. The surface of the trim is physically uneven.

 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[Team Adam's]

You could try some 3M Adhesive Remover on a utility towel.

 

NOOOOOOOO! That stuff can easily bleach rubber and plastic. Guy over on another site just sprayed his onstar antenna with it to get some goop off... turned it light gray everywhere it touched.

 

I dunno if it would help or not. The trim isn't sticky at all. It's more like the chemical in the tape seeped into the trim and caused the rubber to expand. The surface of the trim is physically uneven.

 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

If you dress it now is it still obvious? Try a couple heavy applications of SVRT and let it sit, then wipe off the excess.

[Eidolon]

If you dress it now is it still obvious? Try a couple heavy applications of SVRT and let it sit, then wipe off the excess.

Can and will do/try. It is definitely less obvious already. It's just the rubber's obviously not as smooth as it once was. Better than splotchy, though!

[Team Adam's]

don't worry too much about the smooth thing... it'll come back. Your basically drying the surface out with APC and abrading it with the towel so its going to be a bit rough, but after a few rounds of SVRT it'll look good as new.

[02Xtreme07ss]

NOOOOOOOO! That stuff can easily bleach rubber and plastic. Guy over on another site just sprayed his onstar antenna with it to get some goop off... turned it light gray everywhere it touched.

 

I've literally used it on almost every surface imaginable without issue for years, but I guess there is always something out there that could end in disaster. Thanks for the heads up.

 

EDIT: I did some looking around based on your comment and I see there are quite a few people having issues with it on textured plastics. Some really terrible horror stories out there. As a result, I definitely won't be using it anywhere near those surfaces again. Good lookin' out, Dylan.

Edited September 11, 2012 by 02Xtreme07ss

[Luken10]

I made the mistake of unknowingly using the edge lock tape on some rubber trim and plastic that was over 15 years old. Finished polishing, started peeling off the tape, and the rubber/plastic just peeled right up! Obviously just a very thin layer, but still did the whole splotchy number on it. Hopefully I will never make that mistake again.