doing my boss's carerra on monday and he said he applied wax to his clear bra once and now it looks like crap.

anyone have any idea how to treat a clear bra? can i polish it?

thanks!

 

From what I have read, you can definitely polish it. You won't really need anything aggressive though and you'll want to keep the speed down since it is plastic after all.

 

Nice.....I just use a light polish like Optimum or a paint cleaner. Never go too aggressive with a polish on vinyl......Im certain your going to need to perform some wax removal around the edges as well!

 

I've seen most detailers just tape over the clear bra edges with some skinny 3M green tape because getting polish in those edges can be a PITA.

 

Do you know the MFG of the clear bra material?

• Tape every edge of the clear bra like Denzil said. Cleaning the edges without creating scratches around the film is tough to do. I purchased some 3M green painters tape online. It comes in 1/4" and 1/8" inch widths. The 3M blue does not come in narrow widths.
• You can polish a clear bra. The 3M version has a urethane clear film that can be polished. I have found that scratches can be minimized but using an aggressive polish is not recommended.
• I like to use an All-In-One type of product with a polishing or finishing pad. My favorite product for the clearbra is Pinnacle's XMT360. I will then top the XMT360 with the same LSP as the rest of the car. I find it easier to use a PC versus the Flex machine.

 

Does anyone know if Meguiars Swirl X would be safe to use on the 3M Clear Bra?

 

Since Megs Swirl X is rated more aggressive than Megs #83 I would not use it.

 

I had a clear bra made by Venture tape that went bad in the TX sun after 2 years. For the heck of it, before I had it replaced I took my G110 and a light polish to it and it didn't have much effect. Same with clay bar. I had the clear bra replaced with a new formulation of the Venture tape (under warranty) and went over it with 4* UPP.

Definitely tape the edges to avoid packing polish into that edge. It is a PITA to get rid of.. take it from me!

 

Clean and maintain its surface with ( Z-8™ Grand Finale Spray Seal) or a plastic cleaner (Plexus® Plastic Cleaner, Protectant and Polish) start at the centre and work outwards, do not use an abrasive foam pad / rotary buffer / abrasive compound on the plastic surface or detailer’s clay as it will cause micro-fine surface scratches.

To remove minor scratches in the film (tape the edges of the auto mask when polishing the vehicles paint ) Use Menzerna Final Finish Polish / Super Finish (PO106FA) and a (POC) Gold Concours Finishing foam pad 1000 RPM do not use any downward machine pressure and maintain a fast linear motion. It is important not to apply a lot of pressure to the film as this may lead to burning of the surface. Use a Q-tip and some isopropyl alcohol to clean out the edge (See also 3M website- http://www.mmm.com)

Maintenance and Care-
1. To clean stains use a citrus based cleaner (P12S Total Auto Wash) polish the paint and the clear plastics separately, tape the edges with masking tape. It has a clear coat so it can be cared for like a clear coated paint; use Zaino or Klasse as they will dry ‘clear’. Use Z-14 Plastic Magic Cleaner & Polish™ or Plexus® Plastic Cleaner, Protectant and Polish for maintenance and to remove any finger marks / smudges (avoid the use of abrasives)

2. What can be done about wax build up along the seams and how can I avoid it?
Are you sure it's wax and not the glue from the Clear Bra? As it gets warm, some of them will shrink a little and leave residue around the edges. Gently remove with an adhesive remover on a micro fibre towel and be sure to go over any paint that you get the adhesive remover on with wax and to put vinyl protectant on any clear bra you get the adhesive remover on.