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.
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
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 .
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.
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 ..
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.
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.
"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 ..)
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 .
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.
So now that gooey sticky coating is removed what do you think will happen? What was its purpose in the first place if not to protect the primary coating? How long will the, now exposed primary coating hold up. At the first signs of relapse, the For Sale signs come out.
Interesting questions you bring up. On the Maserati, the sticky coating appears to be for providing a sort of tactile/non-slip type feel, to the hard plastic button underneath. If it was solely to protect the plastic beneath, it fails miserably and quickly (5yrs). Especially on the Jaguar, it’s simply hard plastic underneath, which has fared excellent over the last 18months in Houston weather, likewise in the GTS(6months). If I ever decide to sell, it won’t be over sticky buttons, otherwise I would have gotten rid of our Range Rover or Ferrari a long time ago for more maddening issues. LOL
The console buttons turned white. Note, they weren't bleached, the buttons were made of white plastic. The steering wheel areas remained black as did the vents and the speaker grill on the dash.
My Alfa 8C only has a minor "sticky issue" with the electronic handbrake switch. Anyone know if the background of the button/switch is black or clear? I don't really want to start a cleaning process only to strip away all of the colour and be left with something that, although clean, looks a little bit weird...
Tried them on my '11 QP. Works great on buttons mediocre on stickiness of upper steering wheel shroud seemed like coating several times thicker on that part probably take multiple times or maybe a different product there.
Thanks Jason. It doesn't light up so I'm going to tentatively see if the Neutrogena wipe trick will be a success or not.
Side note: I sent the aircon controlls for my Ferrari 456 to Sticky NoMore in the States (no mean feat all the way from New Zealand) and they came back absolutely perfect. 10/10 would highly recommend.
Thanks Jason. It doesn't light up so I'm going to tentatively see if the Neutrogena wipe trick will be a success or not.
Side note: I sent the aircon controlls for my Ferrari 456 to Sticky NoMore in the States (no mean feat all the way from New Zealand) and they came back absolutely perfect. 10/10 would highly recommend.
I still think that humidity plays a significant role in combination with heat, but maybe some owners in the Southern states who don’t have any problems with sticky buttons might shoot my theory down.
Got these in last week and decided to try them out today. My ac controls had a few sticky buttons.
It works great.
Just a few tips:
They work best if the buttons are already sticky. On non sticky buttons it takes a lot of elbow grease.
Dont use too much of the moisture or any sharp objects. I used my nail to get into the creases and this stuff will remove the black paint.
I used q-tips wrapped with the towel. you can use a bit more pressure that way.
Take your time, eventually it will come off. The part i messed up i went a little crazy. You want to wipe, check, wipe, check, wipe check. Once the sticky stuff is gone leave that part alone.
Im pretty happy. It sucks i have 2 buttons where there i removed the black paint from the buttons. But I knew the risk beforehand.
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