Redd

I had a clear paint guard applied over the nose and door edges when my car was new. And it has held up very nicely, 3M.

But there's a think black line of old wax and dirt that forms along all the edges of the plastic, on the sheet metal.

What's a good safe way to clean that junk off, which won't scratch the paint or leave a visible mark later on? Old soft toothbrush and fresh polish? Toothpick or plastic razor blade?

chicagoA6

Paint films are great, but getting dirt/wax on the edges can be problematic. Over time it will cause the film to start to peel back.

I would get some spray wax (like Griots) and a detailing brush (boars hair). Spray the way on the edge and work it in with the brush. The agitation will loosen the dirt/wax and you can wipe away.

Next time you wax use a painters tape over the film edge to prevent wax from getting caught in the edge.

Redd

Interesting. If the film starts to peel back, 3M will replace it under warranty. The idea of masking all the edges when waxing, then rewaxing over with a spray wax, frankly is painful. I would have expected a boar's hair brush to scuff or scratch the finish, I know my old Fuller Brush hairbrush has lasted, ah, well, many decades with boar's hair bristles. I'd expect an old soft nylon toothbrush to be softer.

chicagoA6

Don't laugh, but on Amazon I purchased a make-up brush kit with 10-15 different brushes and it works great for cleaning the edges of the film on my car

Redd

So who's laughing? It is incredible what you can find on Amazon (and the web in general) if you can only figure out what to call it. "Small brushes that aren't too stiff" doesn't seem to get many hits.(G)

I'm just surprised, aside from mascara brushes the makeup brushes I've seen (for home or theatrical use) were mainly too soft for "scrubbing" out anything. Maybe there are extra-stiff ones for use by drag queens? (VBG)

chicagoA6

Not amazon, but take a look at this:

https://www.groupon.com/deals/gg-makeup-brush-set

Very similar to what I bought

Redd

I can see that some of the stubby ones might work, but the phrase "Vegan Leather" makes my computer say "DANGER WILL ROBINSON! DANGER! DANGER!"

Maybe a bit of cotton t-shirt spread over a plastic razor blade.

Garycw

I use s horse hair detail brush. $12 and a cheaper dbl ended detail brush from Wally World. It has a retractable brush on one end and a rubber on other end that comes to a point. Works pretty good to loosen & dislodge crude around trim.
I would NEVER use the razor blade method

Redd

Your Wally World obviously caters to a better clientele than mine does.(G)

Bear in mind, I said PLASTIC razor blade. Plastic single-edged razor blades are quite literally made for when you need a "razor blade" edge which can be used on plastics and painted surfaces without damaging them, i.e. to scrape off labels and stickers. And of course, some finesse is required for the user.

Garycw

oic... The horse hair detail brush did not come from Wally World. I forget exactly where I got it, but have had for 15 years and still does the job.
I'm not sure any Wally World has a sophisticated clientele. Although different regions have different items