[eatonsr]

Hey all,
I know there's been a lot of discussion about how to deal with sticky buttons but I wanted to share a fix found on YouTube. The video explained using Neutrogena makeup remover cleansing towelette. Tried it and it worked GREAT.

 

[Sock Tucker]

Awesome! All the spaghetti cars do this it seems

 

[DMAC]

Very impressive. Thanks for posting eatonsr! Will try on my QP too.

The link didn’t work for me, so I’ll try posting the original reference video here:

And here’s a longer, follow-on video:

 

[rdown76]

Wow, that is great. Hope it is as good as advertised! Thanks for sharing.

 

[[email protected] Enzo`s Atlanta]

Anything with alcohol is gonna remove the coating...Baby wipes etc...Most households have like 15 things under the kitchen sink that will remove the coating honestly...Jason

 

[DSGT]

Very good info and videos ..this looks valid, and obviously very promising . I’ll see if I have any sticky buttons on my old Mercedes and test this there . But so far my Maserati buttons are like new, so this is good for future reference when and IF ever needed.
Also I’m thinking that Goo Gone might do the job, as well . I used it countless times on countless surfaces ( and stuff with very strong sticky residue ) and every time with great success, BUT, none of what I used it on had painted icons, or letters, etc . so no idea if it could wipe those out in the process .

 

[[email protected] Enzo`s Atlanta]

The icons are not painted...That is how the illumination works...The button is actually white and laser etched...This is some neat stuff right here from Dave.

 

[DSGT]

I meant the OE buttons. Looks like at least 80 % of them , the ones on the steering wheel, the radio, the climate control, etc. all have printed on paint symbols , numbers, icons , etc ..

Yeah, Dave’s process is amazing ! SciFi stuff

 

[Mi_Isabella]

Thank God my Socal car didn't have this problem.

 

[Dave Rocks]

I meant the OE buttons. Looks like at least 80 % of them , the ones on the steering wheel, the radio, the climate control, etc. all have printed on paint symbols , numbers, icons , etc ..

Not True. We did not invent anything - the laser process is what all OEM's use for any and all graphics that are backlite since early / mid 90's. Some use the laser for non backlite parts too but generally those are pad printed. Every single backlite graphic on a Ferrari or Maserati is laser etched.

 

[Dave Rocks]

Anything with alcohol is gonna remove the coating...Baby wipes etc...Most households have like 15 things under the kitchen sink that will remove the coating honestly...Jason

100% accurate. No magic. We explain this all here:

 

[DSGT]

Not True. We did not invent anything - the laser process is what all OEM's use for any and all graphics that are backlite since early / mid 90's. Some use the laser for non backlite parts too but generally those are pad printed. Every single backlite graphic on a Ferrari or Maserati is laser etched.

Ok, but how many buttons are backlighted ? All of them ? in daylight and to the “naked eye“ it looks like the majority of them just have the symbols or letters pad-printed on, and thus subject to fading, or being eventually rubbed off with frequent touching over the years, or will come off entirely if you use any acetone on them and elbow grease applying it, with only a handful which look etched . So now I’m totally confused ; are all of the below buttons‘ symbols etched on a white / translucent base and it’s the black soft coating that’s applied around the images ? Looking at the first two photos for example ; if I rub the heck out of those buttons with paint thinner or acetone, it’ll eventually remove the black coating and then what‘s left will be a “white“ base with the silhouette of the +, - and speaker , and the arrows, etched on that base ?

 

[Cynabar]

When I found my target GranCabrio (exactly the right color and interior) at a small but reputable Oklahoma exotic car dealership I was skeptical. It would be my 2nd Mas, the first was a beautiful QP Exec. but I let it go out of veriator fear. I did as much due diligence as I could CarFax, etc. The results were typical, an original 2yr lease followed by a quick dealer sale to a reasonably long term 2nd owner, good service records.

Then came a series of auctions, a Chicago dealer, soon another auction. To cut to the chase, the car had one of the worst cases of sticky buttons ever (ask Dave). In a way I was relieved that was the reason this car was being kicked around. A PPI indicated everything else in order so I negotiated a deal.

While removing every switch, vent and button to send to Dave (StickyRX) I was shocked to see how much damage had been caused by misguided efforts to fix the problem on the cheap. To the extent that these laborious short term cosmetic fixes were made only to flip the car it could only be deemed fraudulent. There is no quick fix to this problem but time after time we see posts claiming so.

Like a can of Motor-honey will fix your variator problems.

 

[Dave Rocks]

Ok, but how many buttons are backlighted ? All of them ? in daylight and to the “naked eye“ it looks like the majority of them just have the symbols or letters pad-printed on, and thus subject to fading, or being eventually rubbed off with frequent touching over the years, or will come off entirely if you use any acetone on them and elbow grease applying it, with only a handful which look etched . So now I’m totally confused ; are all of the below buttons‘ symbols etched on a white / translucent base and it’s the black soft coating that’s applied around the images ? Looking at the first two photos for example ; if I rub the heck out of those buttons with paint thinner or acetone, it’ll eventually remove the black coating and then what‘s left will be a “white“ base with the silhouette of the +, - and speaker , and the arrows, etched on that base ?
View attachment 135118 View attachment 135117 View attachment 135120 View attachment 135119

Dan - did you watch the video I posted? I explain many of your questions in that video.

Every part in your photos are backlite graphics. The only parts that are not on a GT are the vent solid and outline squares and the graphics on the stalks. Go into your car in the dark and make sure you have the illumination turned up and you will see

 

[DSGT]

Dan - did you watch the video I posted? I explain many of your questions in that video.
Every part in your photos are backlite graphics. The only parts that are not on a GT are the vent solid and outline squares and the graphics on the stalks. Go into your car in the dark and make sure you have the illumination turned up and you will see

Thanks Dave, the iPad has some glitch with the touch screen yesterday ( temporarily ) and I could not play the video so I posted the question without seeing it ( that was dumb 😔 ) but I did go out after dark and turn the lights on to check the buttons‘ illumination and yup, exactly as you said, of course. After my son figured out the IPad issue I did watch the video finally and that all cleared it up. It was too late to post a response after that , I just went to sleep..

 

[jw38]

"Cleaning" sticky buttons with alcohol, Goo Gone, wipes or anything like that does nothing more than remove the final coating on the buttons. There is no way to remove the sticky feeling, other than to ultimately damage the buttons.

 

[DSGT]

"Cleaning" sticky buttons with alcohol, Goo Gone, wipes or anything like that does nothing more than remove the final coating on the buttons. There is no way to remove the sticky feeling, other than to ultimately damage the buttons.

So.. what about the posts and videos from "eatonsr" and "dmac" ? Does not look as if any damage was done to the buttons in the process, or are you saying the results may just be short-lived fixes, and if you keep cleaning them with various solutions they'll eventually be damaged ? I know that some cleaners which leave the surfaces looking great for a brief period of time actually accelerate the deterioration of material ( plastics based ones in particular ) so not sure if that's what Neutrogena wipes or any number of the solutions mentioned in this thread will have the same adverse effect, but from what I can see in the videos looks pretty damn good . ( the immediate outcome anyway ..)

 

[DSGT]

What threw me off initially about the icons ( and why I was under the mistaken impression they were paint printed-on ) is that those buttons which I use very often, multiple times a day, every day for six years now, have the numbers or icons which look less pronounced / not so bright white, as opposed to the buttons I hardly every touch . So I assumed they‘re getting rubbed off, but now thinking it’s maybe just the oils of the skin, or what-not else on the finger tips that aggregately “coat“ the facade of the icons ..
Yes, I do wash my hands frequently, so its not grime .

 

[jw38]

So.. what about the posts and videos from "eatonsr" and "dmac" ? Does not look as if any damage was done to the buttons in the process, or are you saying the results may just be short-lived fixes, and if you keep cleaning them with various solutions they'll eventually be damaged ? I know that some cleaners which leave the surfaces looking great for a brief period of time actually accelerate the deterioration of material ( plastics based ones in particular ) so not sure if that's what Neutrogena wipes or any number of the solutions mentioned in this thread will have the same adverse effect, but from what I can see in the videos looks pretty damn good . ( the immediate outcome anyway ..)

The short answer to your question is "Yes". The stickiness is actually the coating breaking down (it's not dirt and grime), so eventually all of the coating will be worn off. In the Neutrogena video, you can see the remnants of the top coating around the edges of the buttons.

 

[SSauce]

Just saw this thread, and wanted to let you know of my experience. We learned about the makeup remover wipes on one of the Jaguar forums we’re part of (wife’s car). With Houston humidity and heat, it made a real mess of the buttons etc, so we tried cosmetic wipes about a year and a half ago. It removed the gunk pretty easily, didn’t remove any graphics, and it looks great. And zero effect on any functionality of the buttons.

My Granturismo S was worse, getting black junk on my dress shirt on my left sleeve that rests on the door. So I applied the same to the affected parts this past July. Again, same results, and wasn’t too painstaking either. The only item that doesn’t clean as well is the “rubberized” handle to the center console. We’ve been very happy with the results, and no adverse effects, having been through a few Houston summers now.