Turtle Wax Bug & Tar remover stained my Grill :-(

[Shinkaze]

Setting the table....

Last June (according to my BMW App report), I apparently drove more than 100% of other M3 drivers when I did 10K miles in one month, traveling from Texas to California to Florida and back to Texas again.

The road trip was epic, and I would do it every month if I could take the time off. However, the one downside was the bugs. So many bugs! I even took out a low-flying sparrow at one point in West Texas. Needless to say, I had a ton of bugs to deal with and kept some Turtle Wax Bug and Tar Remover in the trunk to spot clean at the hotel each night after driving.

Unfortunately, while the PPF on the bumper and hood did their job just fine and I was able to clean off the bugs, the black grille developed white stains from the spray remover that I cannot seem to remove.

So, first, I guess this is a word of warning to my fellow G8X community to be careful with bug and tar remover on the gloss black trim of our cars. But also, it's a cry for help looking for suggestions on how to clean this?

Any ideas are appreciated, but I hope this is not permanent damage.

Well, maybe I only sort of hope that.... I should be mad, but actually, I'm feeling like...


...because now I have an excuse to get that AutoTecknic Competition Grille I've been eyeballing.

[SwankPeRFection]

If those sections are PPF’d, then the damage is to the PPF due to the chemical components TurtleWax is using in their products. In the Detailing sub forum someone else was complaining about their wash pitting their Xpel PPF.

[tracer bullet]

Agreed. If it's PPF'd, then the PPF itself is probably damaged. They're good products but not bullet proof. The PPF could be peeled off and either replaced or just left alone. A ceramic spray coating might be an OK substitute especially if you're kind of considering outright replacement. A spray can be DIY'd easily.

If it's not PPF'd, I'd find out if the plastic is damaged, or if it's just got the chemical left behind, sort of like it's dried up. Usually start with a soft microfiber or rag and more of the chemical, and give it some gentle wiping in circles to see if it removes. Use the solvent in the chemical to cut through whatever is dried in place - if that's the issue. If it gets worse, then, well, it was in need of replacing anyhow so nothing lost.

[munizfire]

I have used that product in my G82 (and many other vehicles before).
The only times it has left stains were when I didn't properly clean it. That product is stubborn and viscous, it likes to stay on the surface unless you clean the area with soap and water afterwards. Pressure washer alone might not fully take it off all the time.

if you're thinking of replacing the grill either way, you may want to try 'spot' using degreaser. if it cleans it, awesome, if not, new grill

[s_ribs]

If I had to take a guess, it was hot and perhaps in direct sunlight, and the product was on too long and dried. This tends to be when products like this cause issues.

Disclaimer is that I haven't used this specific product but above applies to all of them.

[Shinkaze]

Originally Posted by s_ribs

If I had to take a guess, it was hot and perhaps in direct sunlight, and the product was on too long and dried. This tends to be when products like this cause issues.

Disclaimer is that I haven't used this specific product but above applies to all of them.

You're probably right, we were driving cross country and doing spot cleaning at gas stations in 110+ heat. Probably just cooked into the plastic.

It's Ok, I figured out what I need to fix it

[Mrproper86]

New oem grill is 240$. Not even worth the ppf. Just buy a new one. It probably can be polished out with a cheap dual action polisher and smaller pad. Migh even work with hand.

[Shinkaze]

Originally Posted by Mrproper86

New oem grill is 240$. Not even worth the ppf. Just buy a new one. It probably can be polished out with a cheap dual action polisher and smaller pad. Migh even work with hand.

It's not the $240 that is the issue, it's the $240 + $650 in labor to swap it that made that a $900 error.

Looking back I think it was a combination of a wicked strong solvent and not being thorough in drying the grill. I recall we were driving cross country through a swarm of bugs and it was well over 110 mosquito infested degrees, neither one of us wanted to be outside the car long and we just were not very thurough in removing the solvent.

At any rate, yeah, too late, already have an M3 CS style grill waiting to go on. I might PPF it just so I don't have to spend $650 in labor replacing it if it too goes bad in some unforseen way.

[YC__]

Experienced the same issue. Any finishing polish wax should be able to take care of it. I used "3D Speed Polish & Wax" brought from amazon worked pretty well.