Barry Hanna

I’m curious about what seems to work best for just normal maintenance and protection. I currently don’t have any excessive scratches etc. I just want to keep the trim freshened and protected. Is 303 Protectant an answer?

dmatre

Do you have the Polished Black Poplar or the Natural Grain Black Ash?

On the Polished Black Poplar I just use a bit of spray wax and a microfiber towel to clean up fingerprints and add a bit of protection.

I don't have any experience with the Natural Grain woods, so I'm no help there.

SW20S

303 would not be something you would want to use.

You can use anything you would use for the paint, you can also use good ol lemon pledge.

Barry Hanna

It’s the polished black poplar. It seems to have a “film” on the surface that I’d like to polish out but I don’t want to damage it with something too aggressive.

SW20S

Same trim I have. Is it scratched up or dull? If you aren't really experienced with polishing paint etc I would not try and polish it yourself, have a professional do it and then maintain it from there.

Barry Hanna

I just got the car and it’s ok now except for what looks like a “film” on a small section, so naturally I can’t leave well enough alone. I’m pretty experienced with claying, wet sanding, buffing, etc. I’m the do it yourself guy that never lets a car wash near my cars, but in this case opinions are all over the board. So I’d rather be safe than sorry. For quite a few years I’ve used 303 on interiors in the hope that the hype is well-founded but I really don’t know because my cars are mostly garaged and I’m a fanatic about putting up the sun shield etc.

tx170754

So, you know better, every time you do polish in order to remove scratches you are making the clear thinner, personally wouldn't touch it, I would rather use the lemon pledge even if you may need to re do it from time to time.
Just my .02

Barry Hanna

Good call, I wouldn’t look forward to removing trim, with all the “secret” Mercedes tricks and methods to detach it in order to do a proper polish. I’ve been to that mountain on a W140.

SW20S

You should be good then. I wouldn’t remove the trim, just mask it off. Get a polisher with a one inch backing plate and some one inch pads and use a light polish, you won’t hurt the clearcoat.

Mitch Alsup

For light amounts of dust:: compressed (filtered) air -- you cannot scratch something you do not touch.
For fingerprints and such:: lightly dame towel/cloth