So I haven't been on the forums in quite some time, my life has been taken away due to architecture school/work. So needless to say detailing gets put on a back burner, but I wanted to spruce up my car along with some of the families. Problem: severely faded plastics windshield cowel on a f150 and some running boards on an Escape; they're basically white/ light grey, I've tried Meg's trim and CG back to black, and it doesn't bring it back to an original look. Was going to put in an order this weekend, and wanted to know people's thought on black wow vs Wolfs trim coat vs ultima trim and tire. Which one will be best for restore back to factory look and have solid durability(ie. can make it through a few washes) the surfaces will be cleaned by 1z plastic cleaner/ or apc + followed by ipa wipedown Suggestions/ Comments
I had good results with black wow and wolf trim coat, haven't tried the ultima trim n tire. black wow is a mess to work with if your get it on your paint, you would need to strip/clean your plastics with both products...but Black wow needs to absorb into the pores of the plastic, so don't just wipe on and buff off, you need to let it sit. which is very time consuming... can speed up the process with a heat gun....Black wow works great in dry weather when it doesn't rain much...because as soon as water hits it before it absorbs...you have streaks on the paint. My new go to is Wolf trim coat, it lasts longer and cleaner to work with. and is easy...just wipe on and wipe off the paint w/o creating a mess. So if you dont have time, I go with wolfs.
Nothing I have used has outlasted UTTGP, it just lasts forever. Looks wise its pretty dull compared to most the popular trim sealants, but has always restored it back to even finish. As for trim restoration, I have used Klasse AIO as a polish to remove oxidation and restore it to near original condition before I even try to top it. KAIO alone leaves a nice black shine and some protection and is a great base for UTTGP. This isnt really time consuming, I can usually polish and seal all the trim on a vehicle in about and hour. So may help you get the original look back for longer then just applying a coating.
Use a heat gun, don't get too close/too hot. Keep the heat gun moving and hold it about 6 inches away from the surface. It will bring the natural color back to the plastics. Once the plastics are completely cooled down you can apply your dressing/coating of choice. Just my two cents Cory
Interesting tip. Here's a video (there are others on YouTube) of the tip in action: [video=youtube;2ue-1_Jk2Y0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ue-1_Jk2Y0[/video] Obviously, judicious use of the heat gun is warranted. Optimum is saying their Opti-Lens is a good product to apply to this trim after restoring it.
Heat gun trick is certainly one I would never have thought of before. I am going to give it a try tomorrow and see how it comes out on an old junked bumper.
I have also heard, but haven't tried yet, that a product like CG acid rain remover (it's acidic) helps restore the colour. Clean well with APC, then dry well and coat. I'd recommend CarPro DLux. I have had great results with it and it really lasts.
Clean and apply............. I don't get it, why cover it; why not fix it? (this applies more for the faded permanently damaged trim) Showroom New Restorer Black I do like Black Wow and CG VRT, Stoners Trim shine for new trim that just needs protection
SoCal Garage, Thanks for sharing that tip. To the OP I would recommend UTTGP based on personal experience. It will darken it substantially with multiple coats in my experience and is more versatile than the more expensive dying products etc.
