LSNAutoDetailing
07-23-2018, 04:21 PM
Taking a page out of Mike Phillips book, when I receive a personal message, I like to post it here with my answer so that many will benefit from the question and answer, as well as chime into the discussion, as someone might have more information to add.
I recently received a PM which asked about the rear deck high-gloss plastic rear decklid.
first of all nice mustang. I just got one myself & I'm loving it. my question is about that back black panel on the trunk. the dealer left me with many swirls & I'd like to remove them. I'm not to concerned about what product name to use, just what product. should I clay it & then use all in one product ? should I use a compound and then wax it ? it looks like a delicate panel that may be pretty soft. I'm thinking I'll end up with more swirls than i started with if not done right.
thanks I'll appreciate the help.
I belong to a number of Mustang forums, and I can attest that the rear decklid is s common discussion item. Ford opted not to put a small leather strap style handle mounted in the trunk to pull it shut, therefor the only way to close the trunk is to place you hand on the top (spoiler section) and slam it shut (cave man style), or lightly place a finger or two in the corner of the rear decklid and close it gingerly. Also, being high gloss black, it is the fastest piece on the car to get dirty and shows everything.
https://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/3535/medium/IMG_30843.JPG
So the question comes up often how do you clean the decklid and keep from sratching it, or remove the scratches that are already in it. To answer the question above, when I did a new vehicle prep on this vehicle: LSN Auto Detailing - 2016 Mustang EB Prem PP - New Vehicle Prep (https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-n-shine/107535-lsn-auto-detailing-2016-mustang-eb-prem-pp-new-vehicle-prep.html)
I did clay the entire vehicle using Pinnacle Fine Poly Clay. Everything got clayed, including the rear decklid. It was polished using BOSS G15, BOSS Correcting Cream on BOSS Orange Pads, followed up by a wipedown of CarPro Erasure, and then the vehicle got CQUK coating. For the rear decklid I used CarPRO DLUX. So now my maintenance is pretty easy, wash, and blow dry...
Like any plastics on the vehicle, they can be polished, I find either HD Speed (AIO), or the non-dusting polishes such as the Griot's BOSS lineup will work nicely. With that said, there are diminished returns on the plastic because it's just that.... plastic. After you've polished, you can apply wax or a sealant, however, my personal preferance is to add a coating that will not only protect the plastic, but make it very LOW maintenance in the future. For that, I use CarPro DLUX, a nano-glass coating for wheels, plastic, trim, etc.. This makes washing and blow drying a breeze. Thus reducing media (MF towels etc) from potentially scratching it.
If your rear decklid is so scratched that polishing it will not yield any results, my suggestion would be to go back to the dealership and request a replacement. Do NOT let them take the car in to see if they can polish it out. The person doing that work doesn't have the knowledge of this forum. Just ask for a replacement part and see if you can DYI, or let them replace it. If you don't want to go that route, there are a few Mustang Vendors out there that sell nice aftermarket or OE style deck-lids. One vendor actually has a pre-painted (basecoat / clear coat) option, sans faux gas cap/mustang emblem (which I REALLY like). I love the idea of the pre-painted deck lid because I know it can be corrected if it gets a few swirls. IMO, Ford should have done that... I digress.
I hope this helps with your question.
I recently received a PM which asked about the rear deck high-gloss plastic rear decklid.
first of all nice mustang. I just got one myself & I'm loving it. my question is about that back black panel on the trunk. the dealer left me with many swirls & I'd like to remove them. I'm not to concerned about what product name to use, just what product. should I clay it & then use all in one product ? should I use a compound and then wax it ? it looks like a delicate panel that may be pretty soft. I'm thinking I'll end up with more swirls than i started with if not done right.
thanks I'll appreciate the help.
I belong to a number of Mustang forums, and I can attest that the rear decklid is s common discussion item. Ford opted not to put a small leather strap style handle mounted in the trunk to pull it shut, therefor the only way to close the trunk is to place you hand on the top (spoiler section) and slam it shut (cave man style), or lightly place a finger or two in the corner of the rear decklid and close it gingerly. Also, being high gloss black, it is the fastest piece on the car to get dirty and shows everything.
https://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/3535/medium/IMG_30843.JPG
So the question comes up often how do you clean the decklid and keep from sratching it, or remove the scratches that are already in it. To answer the question above, when I did a new vehicle prep on this vehicle: LSN Auto Detailing - 2016 Mustang EB Prem PP - New Vehicle Prep (https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-n-shine/107535-lsn-auto-detailing-2016-mustang-eb-prem-pp-new-vehicle-prep.html)
I did clay the entire vehicle using Pinnacle Fine Poly Clay. Everything got clayed, including the rear decklid. It was polished using BOSS G15, BOSS Correcting Cream on BOSS Orange Pads, followed up by a wipedown of CarPro Erasure, and then the vehicle got CQUK coating. For the rear decklid I used CarPRO DLUX. So now my maintenance is pretty easy, wash, and blow dry...
Like any plastics on the vehicle, they can be polished, I find either HD Speed (AIO), or the non-dusting polishes such as the Griot's BOSS lineup will work nicely. With that said, there are diminished returns on the plastic because it's just that.... plastic. After you've polished, you can apply wax or a sealant, however, my personal preferance is to add a coating that will not only protect the plastic, but make it very LOW maintenance in the future. For that, I use CarPro DLUX, a nano-glass coating for wheels, plastic, trim, etc.. This makes washing and blow drying a breeze. Thus reducing media (MF towels etc) from potentially scratching it.
If your rear decklid is so scratched that polishing it will not yield any results, my suggestion would be to go back to the dealership and request a replacement. Do NOT let them take the car in to see if they can polish it out. The person doing that work doesn't have the knowledge of this forum. Just ask for a replacement part and see if you can DYI, or let them replace it. If you don't want to go that route, there are a few Mustang Vendors out there that sell nice aftermarket or OE style deck-lids. One vendor actually has a pre-painted (basecoat / clear coat) option, sans faux gas cap/mustang emblem (which I REALLY like). I love the idea of the pre-painted deck lid because I know it can be corrected if it gets a few swirls. IMO, Ford should have done that... I digress.
I hope this helps with your question.