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Home > Tires Exterior Rubber and Vinyl Protection
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| Tires Exterior Rubber and Vinyl
Protection |
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Why use an exterior rubber/vinyl
protectant? The two main reasons are to improve the appearance and protect
the tire or trim against long term damage. Use a rubber or vinyl protectant
on only unpainted rubber or vinyl. Rule # 1: Choose a product compatible
with the top surface. A classic example would be the bumper of your car.
If you have hard or soft rubber/vinyl, uncoated bumpers or small bumperettes
use an exterior rubber/vinyl protectant. In this case the top surface is
uncoated rubber or vinyl. If, on the other hand, you have painted flexible
bumpers, then use a wax. In this case, the paint is the top surface and
does not care what material it is adorning. It is still paint and you must
treat it as such.
Appearance: The appearance provided
by exterior rubber/vinyl protectants varies from matt to gloss, with lots
of stops in between. Some people like a matt or more natural appearance,
while others, consider a high gloss shiny look attractive. The choice is
according to your personal taste, so when we use terms like matt or gloss
they are very subjective. Most high gloss products are based upon raw silicone
oil.
Protection: There are two main degrading agents that
attack tires and rubber trim. They are UV light waves and ozone. Both of
these attack the long hydrocarbon chains of the rubber and, by breaking
these bonds, shorten the molecules with resulting loss of elasticity and
other problems. Tire manufacturers add two primary sacrificial protectants
to the rubber. To protect against UV, they add carbon black. This is why
tires dont come in designer colors to match your paint. The carbon black
will turn white/gray as it absorbs the UV and dissipates the energy as
heat. This is the basis of rubber parts turning gray as they age. To protect
against ozone, tire manufacturers add a wax based, sacrificial protectant.
The ozone attacks the wax and depletes it. As the tire rolls, additional
wax is forced to the surface of the tire. This is referred to as blooming.
This blooming refreshes the surface wax protectant. A tire that has not
been flexed will have the wax depleted by the ozone and thus begin to degrade
and suffer dry rot. The raw silicone oil that is the main ingredient in
most of the nationally advertised, auto parts store, high gloss products
may actually dissolve the wax and be the cause of premature tire sidewall
cracking/failure. The quality tire/rubber dressings should contain a strong
UV protectant to bolster the efforts of the carbon black and not contain
any raw silicone oil. Many of the nationally advertised rubber and vinyl
products also contain formaldehyde. If you plan on having a funeral for
your vinyl/rubber, then you may wish to use one of these products.
My personal
favorite tire and exterior rubber/vinyl trim protectants are One Grand
Exterior Rubber & Vinyl Dressing and 3M Rubber Treatment & Tire
Dressing. These are, in my humble opinion, the best non-silicone oil based
products available. (We are working closely with a company to help them
develop a product that will restore the jet-black patina to tires and exterior
rubber/vinyl.) If raw silicone oil based products have been previously
applied to the rubber/vinyl, the raw silicone oil has saturated the material.
One Grand E.R.V. or 3M Rubber Treatment will help dissolve out the silicone
oil (this is good) but do not seem to be able to do so evenly (this is
bad). The finish may be slightly splotchy after the first couple of applications.
The only solution is to apply several coats about a week apart and the
finish will eventually even out.
Application of protectants: Spray
or pour a small amount onto a clean, soft, 100% cotton cloth. Wipe on a
thin, even coating, allow it to penetrate for a 10-15 minutes and then
buff off the excess with another clean, soft 100% cotton cloth. Never spray
directly onto the surface as the overspray will land on the paint or wheel
or whatever. Applying with a cloth will help avoid uneven coats and splotches.
Rubber/vinyl protects will not usually damage the paint or wheel, but you
have to spend a lot of time to remove the overspray. It is easier to avoid
the problem by simply using a cloth.
Cleaning: Most rubber/vinyl
protectants will gently clean the trim or tires as they protect. If you
have dirt or grime that car wash or your favorite rubber/vinyl protectant
will not remove, you may want to try a stronger cleaner. (If you have wax
residue stains, see the below section on cleaning white wax residue.) Spray
or pour a small amount of the cleaner on a clean, soft, 100% cotton terry
cloth and gently rub the dirty areas with the saturated section of the
cloth. It may take a couple of applications to remove the dirt and grime.
Once you have removed all traces of the dirt, wash the trim and surrounding
areas thoroughly with car wash. Rinse the area completely with water to
remove any traces of solvent and then dry. Finally, apply a protective
coating of your favorite rubber protectant and you are done.
One
Grand All Purpose Cleaner & Shampoo: A strong, water based
heavy duty cleaner.
Meguiar # 39 Heavy Duty Vinyl Cleaner: Deep
cleans heavily soiled vinyl and rubber.
P21S Total Auto Wash: Ignore
the name, think Citrus Degreaser. A citrus based, biodegradable cleaner
for almost anything. My personal favorite.
Cleaning White Wax Residue
Stains on Trim: One of the more common problems is white wax residue
stains on your exterior rubber or vinyl trim. To remove these stains, simply
dampen a small spot of a clean, soft cloth with a wax solvent such as One
Grand Tar, Gum & Wax Remover or undiluted Wurth Citrus Degreaser. I
use a piece of 100% cotton terry cloth because the texture of the cloth
helps remove the wax residue from the millions of tiny depressions in the
pebble surface. Either spray a small amount on the cloth or place the cloth
over the top of the bottle, hold it in place with your index finger and
momentarily invert the bottle to dampen a small spot on the cloth. Rub
the white stained area carefully with the solvent saturated section of
the cloth to dissolve the wax residue. Repeat as necessary, as it may take
several applications of solvent to remove significant amounts of wax residue.
If the cloth does not get down into the bottom of these tiny depressions,
then you may have to resort to a soft brush. Dampen the stained area with
the solvent and gently brush the residue with a soft brush to dig out the
remaining residue. Use the brush carefully, as it may scratch you paint.
Once you have removed all traces of the residue, wash the trim and surrounding
areas thoroughly with car wash. Rinse the area completely with water to
remove any traces of solvent and then dry. Finally, apply a protective
coating of your favorite rubber protectant and you are done. To help minimize
wax residue stains on your rubber trim, apply a coating of rubber protectant
before you wax. This coating will help prevent the wax from adhering to
the rubber or vinyl trim and any that does sneak onto the trim may usually
be removed with the application of a little more rubber protectant.
One
Grand Exterior Rubber & Vinyl Dressing: A matt, low-gloss,
finish product for all exterior rubber and vinyl that does not chalk or
turn brown. My co-favorite product.
3M Rubber Treatment & Tire
Dressing: A rich, emollient oil based conditioner that cleans
and restores exterior rubber and vinyl. 3M has a slightly more glossy finish
than One Grand, but is better choice to help restore slightly faded rubber
trim. My co-favorite product.
Harly Tire Nu: A pump spray
product with a medium to high gloss finish. If you like a higher gloss,
then this might be your choice.
Lexol Vinylex: A fantastic
product for the exterior rubber and vinyl but does not stand up to rain.
One rain and it is history. If you have a garage queen then this may be
your choice.
Meguiars #40 Vinyl & Rubber Conditioner: A
vinyl/rubber cleaner and conditioner. I feel it works better on vinyl than
it does on rubber. It leaves a medium-gloss finish.
Sonax Trim
Protectant: Cleans and protects exterior vinyl and rubber and
leaves a high-gloss finish.
Wurth Rubber Care: An aerosol
product designed for the live rubber door gaskets. Will also help clean
minor wax residue and restore the black patina to rubber parts, bumper
casings and body side moldings.
Zymol Seal: A thick, glycerin
rich product designed specifically for live rubber gaskets and seals.
Zymol
Tyre Preserve: A waterless, natural cleaner and conditioner that
leaves a medium-gloss and helps restore some of the black patina to rubber.
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