Vinyl Sauce Help

[Mredman86]

So I used Vinyl Sauce for the first time tonight on my new boat. It wasn’t as magical as I hoped!! I know this forum loves the stuff.

So tell me, how do you apply your vinyl sauce? I followed the directions with direct spraying the vinyl and wiping with a microfiber cloth and all theses black specks remained.

The boat was bought new with 2 hrs on it as it was used as a dealer demo.

Any help is appreciated! I’d love to get these specks off.

 

[DieselCamel]

The specks were there before right or ?

 

[biglar155]

I've found it to be very good, but not always magic.

My method is to do exactly what you did - I do dampen the towel with water first but that's probably not critical.

For tough spots, I wet the spot with Sauce well and let it set for a little bit (maybe a minute) then I rub in a circular motion with a good amount of pressure. That usually gets most of it but not always all.

In the few cases something is left behind I figure I'm pretty sure I won't notice it from arms length with my sunglasses on. (Don't get me wrong, I understand the drive for that "perfect" detailing job. Being a father of 4 has beaten all that out of me.)

Others will likely chime in with better advice than mine.

 

[Mredman86]

The specks were there when we bought it. I assumed it was just dirt from being on the water as a demo.

 

[Mredman86]

I've found it to be very good, but not always magic.

My method is to do exactly what you did - I do dampen the towel with water first but that's probably not critical.

For tough spots, I wet the spot with Sauce well and let it set for a little bit (maybe a minute) then I rub in a circular motion with a good amount of pressure. That usually gets most of it but not always all.

In the few cases something is left behind I figure I'm pretty sure I won't notice it from arms length with my sunglasses on. (Don't get me wrong, I understand the drive for that "perfect" detailing job. Being a father of 4 has beaten all that out of me.)

Others will likely chime in with better advice than mine.

Yes I agree I likely won’t notice from a distant. Just that OCD feeling of knowing they are there when it’s new. ?

Any other ideas are welcome to chime in. I’ll take all the help I can!

 

[Sbrown]

Magic eraser and vinyl sauce works.....well, like magic!

 

[Elliott]

You need to be careful using a Magic Eraser. It is a fine sanding sponge; and thereby,it works by abrading the surface. It can quickly make an area permanently dull because the shiny finish has been removed. With vinyl (unlike Gelcoat), you cannot polish the surface shiny again. Of course if you apply a surface enhancing liquid, it will appear shiny until the liquid wears off.

For me, I would use a Magic Eraser as a last resort.

 

[Dixie Highway]

I use 303 protectant as cleaner also. If you have some dirty spots try your cleaner of choice with a soft bristle brush, maybe an old toothbrush to check the theory.

 

[Sbrown]

You need to be careful using a Magic Eraser. It is a fine sanding sponge; and thereby,it works by abrading the surface. It can quickly make an area permanently dull because the shiny finish has been removed. With vinyl (unlike Gelcoat), you cannot polish the surface shiny again. Of course if you apply a surface enhancing liquid, it will appear shiny until the liquid wears off.

For me, I would use a Magic Eraser as a last resort.

While it is true that melamine foam "erasers" such as the popular Magic Eraser are abrasive, it about the equivalent of 3000 grit abrasives. Care should definitely be used and as such I would strongly recommend the OP do their own research on using a magic eraser on vinyl. There are some caveats.
However, we have used one on our boat since new and I would challenge anyone to find where we used it. With that being said, we don't use a magic eraser for general cleaning. We use it for the small stains left over AFTER we have cleaned the interior and normal cleaning has not removed whatever. The OP was asking about small spots on his upholstery and this is exactly where a magic eraser would shine.
I have read many people feel using a magic eraser works better, quicker and is a lot less detrimental to the vinyl than most of the other home brewed hacks people attack their vinyl interiors with.

Edit: when the magic eraser is used with the vinyl sauce, the vinyl sauce also acts as a lubricant and minimizes any damage that might occur from overzealous scrubbing.
As always, this has been our experience and yours may differ.