# Koch Chemie greenstar staining trim



## Benfr16 (Dec 3, 2016)

Hey all I've got staining on my rubber trim from using Koch Chemie greenstar at 10 parts water to 1 part product. 

How can I resolve this? 

Will BH Autofoam stain trim? (What dilution is recommended for exterior in pump sprayer? Is it 4:1 to 10:1? 

Thanks


----------



## Brian1612 (Apr 5, 2015)

Benfr16 said:


> Hey all I've got staining on my rubber trim from using Koch Chemie greenstar at 10 parts water to 1 part product.
> 
> How can I resolve this?
> 
> ...


It seems some people have encountered staining and are blaming it on auto foam in recents weeks, not something I have ever experienced on various cars.

It's usually 4% PIR with auto foam so 40ml in 960ml water equates to 4%.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


----------



## Benfr16 (Dec 3, 2016)

Any ideas on how to remove staining from the trim?


----------



## Robbi Hong Kong (Jan 15, 2016)

Brian1612 said:


> It seems some people have encountered staining and are blaming it on auto foam in recents weeks, not something I have ever experienced on various cars.
> 
> It's usually 4% PIR with auto foam so 40ml in 960ml water equates to 4%.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


Thats wrong.....4%....is not 40ml....its NOT based on how much your lance bottle holds....


----------



## Benfr16 (Dec 3, 2016)

Unless he uses a pump sprayer


----------



## Benfr16 (Dec 3, 2016)

Interested to know how I can get the staining off if possible


----------



## Brian1612 (Apr 5, 2015)

Robbi Hong Kong said:


> Thats wrong.....4%....is not 40ml....its NOT based on how much your lance bottle holds....


Robbi it was me that wrote the BH auto foam review for DW covering both snow foam and pump sprayer so I am pretty sure my numbers are correct 

Benfr that's correct, my numbers were for use via a pump sprayer, I thought that was obvious but I guess I should have mentioned it.

What sort of trim is it that is stained? Is it painted?

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


----------



## toni (Oct 30, 2005)

Did you have any dressing on the trim? Sometime the foam degrades the dressing and looks patchy. In this case just rub the trim with some higher concentration cleaner (Greenstar or whatever) and clean it completely.


----------



## Benfr16 (Dec 3, 2016)

toni said:


> Did you have any dressing on the trim? Sometime the foam degrades the dressing and looks patchy. In this case just rub the trim with some higher concentration cleaner (Greenstar or whatever) and clean it completely.


No dressing as car is only 2 years old and trim looks fine usually!


----------



## Benfr16 (Dec 3, 2016)

I feel like cleaning it with GS would just dull the whole trim!


----------



## \Rian (Aug 23, 2017)

*look like*

What does this staining look like


----------



## Benfr16 (Dec 3, 2016)

It looks identical to this but is affecting rubber trims around windows.

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=53401&d=1518961422


----------



## pxr5 (Feb 13, 2012)

What car is it? I've read reports of the new Audi Q2 having real problems with rubber staining.


----------



## Benfr16 (Dec 3, 2016)

It's a Seat Ibiza (FR) 16 plate.


----------



## Benfr16 (Dec 3, 2016)

Any ideas on rectifying the issue ?


----------



## Benfr16 (Dec 3, 2016)

I've emailed Koch Chemie via an email on their website so i guess I'll see what they say!


----------



## tosh (Dec 30, 2005)

From the limited information, it looks like you've diluted it 10:1 and sprayed it on the car and trim
Those marks are where it's dried on the surface, either in the sun, or just naturally - looks very similar to TFR staining.

I've used Greenstar a lot, and 10:1 is strong enough to clean tyres, so leaving that dilution on trim, I would expect it to do something like that. I had a similar problem on an Audi A2 on one side of the car, that was in the sun.

The simple solution (for me) was
- wrap your finger around a microfiber
- spray it with your 10:1 solution
- rub that area, see if it helps (it will do if it's rubber)
- watch your MF turn black, and it should also remove the staining

Then dilute your GS to 1:20 for exterior use, or keep it to the lower half of your car.

(Sorry if i've misunderstood the question)


----------



## Benfr16 (Dec 3, 2016)

No I think you've understood  

I usually try to keep it on the lower half but was a bit more liberal than usual as I had some bird poop stains on the upper half of the car. 

It was probably dwelling for around 10 minutes while I got round the car and filled up the buckets before being throughly pressure washed off. 

If there is any more info that might change what you'd do then I am happy to provide this! I'll have a go with your suggested advice.

Thanks


----------



## Benfr16 (Dec 3, 2016)

Response from Koch Chemie 

Dear Ben,

thanks a lot for your inquiry.

Our Green Star is actually a non-caustic alkaline cleaner which can be used on various parts on your car, also as a pre-wash.

The attached image actually looks like the alkaline cleaner was either used in direct sunlight or heat, or was staying to long on the rubber surface which caused an alkaline burn. If it really is just rubber (no plastic, trim or whatever) you can try to clean the surface with a solvent like our Eulex for example. This will remove the very first layer of the rubber, where new and fresh rubber will appear underneath it.

If it is plastics, the damage will be non reversible.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen / Best regards

I guess it was just left for too long. I never work in direct sunlight or on hot surfaces. Probably best to avoid contact with rubber trims in the future


----------



## dannyd21 (Sep 2, 2008)

Benfr16 said:


> No I think you've understood
> 
> I usually try to keep it on the lower half but was a bit more liberal than usual as I had some bird poop stains on the upper half of the car.
> 
> ...


I think 10 minutes is gonna be too long at the dilution ratio on trim. Maybe 2-3 minutes.


----------



## Benfr16 (Dec 3, 2016)

Thanks Danny  I usually don't hit trim anyway.

Anyhow, I've pretty much resolved the issue. I recalled recently dusting cobwebs from an old tin that was called "rubber clenz" by a company called MB Motorsport. 

No ingredient list but a description saying something along of lines of "a silicon free product that will dissolve flatting dust and polish residue from rubber trim". 

I took a punt with this stuff from what looks like the 1980s and it seems to have done the trick!


----------



## Benfr16 (Dec 3, 2016)

This stuff

http://spraywellpaintsdudley.co.uk/rubber-clenz-990-p.asp

It's say on the internet to apply and leave for two hours. I kind of agitated it with a microfibre cloth for about 20 minutes then buffed the remaining residue off. Microfibre was nice and black. My container doesn't say to wait but I'll just have to see if the results are permenant. It doesn't appear that it has applied anything. It was a clear solvent that seemed to mostly evaporate.


----------



## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

Is Green star safe on Carbon fibre trim? Could it stain it?


----------



## Benfr16 (Dec 3, 2016)

Soul boy 68 said:


> Is Green star safe on Carbon fibre trim? Could it stain it?


ANythig with carbon fibre trim sounds expensive (m performance, m cars, RS models) so I would be super careful lol.

The Koch Chemie customer service were pretty good. I mailed at about 3pm (so 4pm in Europe) and they had replied by 9.30am UK time. You could ask them 

The only thing I can say is that on my black plastic diffuser, and mesh work on the front grill and around the fog lights does not seem to have deteriorated at all with regular 1:10 use. However, they don't appear to be coloured or painted or anything; they are simply an off black plastic. Usually carbon fibre is coated in a thick laquer/ plastic coating isn't it? That might protect the carbon fibre similar to how clear coat does with paint (maybe?). I wouldn't like to say yes or no and you end up trashing your carbon fibre so maybe someone who has used GS in this situation is better to advise.

Also it hasn't taken long before the thought of "Rubber Clenz" spots dwelling on my paint being a bad idea so I gave the car a wash. The trim looks the same as before washing so I guess that's some sort of indicator that the results will be long lasting (since it's only been an hour since I used this product)


----------



## dannyd21 (Sep 2, 2008)

Soul boy 68 said:


> Is Green star safe on Carbon fibre trim? Could it stain it?


Depends if its dry carbon or lacquered carbon, I wouldn't put 1:10 of Koch Chemie near carbon unless it was only on for a matter of seconds and wiped off with a damp cloth.

Carbon being as delicate as it is.


----------

