Guide to taping off a car

[spitzshineguy]

Just a thought Mike, as a mechanic I have plenty of electrical tape around which works really good for stretching around corners....I don't see it having an issue with sticking to paint or other items because it does not leave a residue, I will try it on my car this weekend.

[Mike Phillips]

I don't see it having an issue with sticking to paint or other items because it does not leave a residue, I will try it on my car this weekend.

It doesn't leave a residue if you don't leave it on too long and/or if while it's on it doesn't become warm or hot.

I've used electrical black tape when that's what I had and it will work, but it can leave a sticky residue in some situations.

Let us know how it goes... if you see any issues, note how long it was on the paint and the temperatures during the detailing project.

[David Fermani]

It’s one thing to tape off and cover soft moldings and items to protect them from buffer contact, but I see way too many people getting carried away with it almost to the point of ridiculousness. It’s not like buffing is a refinish operation where every square inch of the surface that isn’t being buffed requires covering. Glass, lights and chrome are the easiest to clean and the hardness to damage so I personally feel it’s extreme overkill(not to mention a waste of materials) to cover them up. If you are using quality products, preventative workflows and doing a thorough post-polish/pre-protect wash then I say keep the taping/covering to a “bare” minimum. I prefer to tape as I go immediately re-placing my tape so that the compound doesn’t create a hard line or to avoid the adhesive from sticking to the surface.

[phoneguy44]

Ordered video yesterday. I'm hoping I learn some tricks. I mean it's not rocket science is it ? We'll see.

It's not a DVD guys, you watch it on computer. Customer service told me this morning.
Just click on the link.

[Mike Phillips]

Here's two related articles...

TOGW = The Other Guy's Wax

"Polishing paint is polishing paint, detailing is getting the wax out of the cracks"


What you tape off and how much you tape off is personal preference...

Here's a good guideline...
Consider how hard the trim material will be to remove compound, polish or wax residue off of and let that help you decide what to tape off.

Also, some trim components are plastic and if you run the pad on a rotary buffer into the trim you can accidentally expose the plastic under the painted or pigmented portion of the trim, I've seen this a lot on Corvette emblems.

[C. Charles Hahn]

It’s one thing to tape off and cover soft moldings and items to protect them from buffer contact, but I see way too many people getting carried away with it almost to the point of ridiculousness. It’s not like buffing is a refinish operation where every square inch of the surface that isn’t being buffed requires covering. Glass, lights and chrome are the easiest to clean and the hardness to damage so I personally feel it’s extreme overkill(not to mention a waste of materials) to cover them up. If you are using quality products, preventative workflows and doing a thorough post-polish/pre-protect wash then I say keep the taping/covering to a “bare” minimum. I prefer to tape as I go immediately re-placing my tape so that the compound doesn’t create a hard line or to avoid the adhesive from sticking to the surface.

I totally agree. I do keep a masking machine on the wall of my shop that I can use to mask sections as needed, but overall I find that especially if I'm using a DA polisher which by nature minimizes splatter, there is little point in doing intensive taping. Just mask whatever section you're working on as you come to them and remove the masking right after you're done.

Especially when working on something with a delicate or fragile finish I prefer this method since I have had tape (yes, the comparatively "mild" green 3M automotive tape) pull up chrome plating, and leave adhesives behind that were difficult to remove before even though it was only in place for less than 24 hours.

[CEE DOG]

To me it comes down to a huge variety of factors. I have gone from taping everything perfectly (like is shown in Mikes pictures) to not taping anything at all.

It comes down to countless factors. What car, how much dust the compound or polish I am using will produce, method of cleaning paint when complete, etc. etc.

I personally like to do everything like an assembly line. I don't want to lay one piece of tape and then dress half a tire and then clean a window, you get the idea. When I tape I want to get it all done at one time. Having said that I understand and appreciate the point of taping a section at a time. If I was working in certain conditions or with certain paint I can see where that would be a good idea.

[Spicy McHaggis]

I tend to go a little overboard on taping, but only because I hate scrubbing polish residue out of cracks or off of rubber seals. I cover the whole windshield and cowl, but thats mainly to prevent a bunch of dust and splatter from going into cowl vents and into the engine bay. I also tape pretty much every piece of black rubber molding/seal that I can see from the outside of the car. IMO it makes clean up so much easier.

I used to no tape anything and I got really tired of trying to scrub polish residue off of a ruber seal if i hit it by accident.

[CEE DOG]

I tend to go a little overboard on taping.

LOL, I even hang newspaper over my wheels on all but my daily drivers.

[rfinkle2]

If you are using a rotary (especially for the first few times), you may consider taping very sharp contours of body panels also.