Restoring the lost lustre of exterior plastic trims
Disclaimer : This is NOT a sponsored post. I am merely sharing a product that I am using which I feel some might find useful.
The thing about black plastic trims (or any unpainted plastic trims) and rubber trims on the exterior of the car, over time the black-ness would fade as the car ages. It doesn't matter how expensve your car is (or how cheap, for that matter), especially if your car is parked under the sun frequently, the fading would happen even quicker.
This is what happened to my 5 year old Ford Fiesta, as you can clearly see the unsightly faded bumper trims below
To restore the lustre of the black plastic trim, I turned to a product from Autoglym called Bumper & Trim Gel. This is one of the many car care products in Autoglym's catalogue, formulated specifically for this purpose. I bought this last year and has actually used it a few times, I re-applied it today because as you can probably surmise, it does not stay on forever.
Anyway, application is pretty straightforward. Clean the plastic/rubber surfaces thoroughly (I usually send the car for a wash before applying it). Dab a small drop on a piece of cloth or sponge and rub it on the plastic/surface. Repeat the dabbing and rubbing process until you cover the entire trim. The effect is immediately visible as you apply it.
Before (left) and after (right) pics:
The effect is more than satisfactory for me. That said, it doesn't last long in the rain. The gel will be washed off with 2-3 days of rain and might leave ugly streaks on the trim which I'll need to touch up by re-applying the gel, although I usually won't bother because a couple more days of rain will completely wash it off. I'll then re-apply after the rainy season is over.
Without rain, it can last for weeks or until the next time you wash your car.
My plans is to re-spray these black plastic trims with matte black rubber paint eg. Plastidip, but I'm not sure when I'll have time to undertake that in the near future. For the time being, this product will do.
it sure seems to work well I must be on the look out for it
Thanks, the elbow grease doubles the level of satisfaction lol!
@dxn I bet it does :)
I use to use armour all on my car for that same thing. It doesn't last forever but it didn't come off with one rain, it would last weeks or maybe even a month before it faded back out. :)
This one?
https://www.amazon.com/Armor-All-Outlast-Plastic-Restorer/dp/B00K16FPO4
I must try this when I finish this bottle of Autoglym then, thanks!
Looking good man, loving how awesome the car looks after that, how much does autoglym costs?
IIRC around RM60-70, a bottle can last quite long because not much is needed each time I use it. If you car is those crossover or SUV type with a lot of black plastic cladding then you might need to use more.
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i have found that adding some liquid Teflon to just about any car care products will help increase the resistance to water. Just don't use it on the glass or mirrors.
That looks like it does a pretty decent job, might add some Teflon and see if it improves it, I use 1 oz of Teflon per 10 ounces of what ever the base product is, my favorite is "Super Glaze" from the Wax Shop.
Thanks for the tip, I'll have to pay the local hardware chains a visit soon.
I will check a similar product to see if it can remove the scratches from my cat. He jumps from the fence to the top of the car, descents over the windshield and then jumps down from the headlights, making small scratches everywhere.
Will try :P
Thanks!
You need to polish the scratches and perhaps coating to better protect the clear coat......and a new cat!
XD