Product to turn heater hoses black again?

ron350 · 05-22-08, 11:15

Product to turn heater hoses black again?

Is there a product that will turn radiator and heater hoses black again. I have heater hoses that have become lighter with age that I would like to turn black again if possible.

Eliot Ness · 05-23-08, 07:08

Have you tried a tire dressing? That's what I use on my street rod when I put on new hoses and they went from a chalky dark grey to a rich dark black.

The dressings I have used are Poorboy's Bold N Bright and Zaino Z-16, but I suspect any dressing will make them black again. I would stay with a water based dressing, especially on your hoses.

VroomVroom · 05-23-08, 08:23

John, do you notice any splotchiness from (I assume) heat after applying? I generally don't do much but QD dusting and spot-cleaning underhood, but I experimented on a truck a while back that was being photographed for a magazine. Granted, the heat (twin turbo V8) was pretty extreme, but I ended up using APC to remove the Z16 from the hoses and textured plastic because it looked horrible after the engine ran for a bit. Sorry for the tangent...

Eliot Ness · 05-23-08, 08:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by VroomVroom

John, do you notice any splotchiness from (I assume) heat after applying?.............

I noticed that I had to wipe/buff the Z-16 off more than the Poorboy's to get a uniform appearance. A lot of that could be the fact that the Poorboy's dressing is also a light cleaner. Anyway, after I got any of the dressings to where they looked good they stayed that way w/o getting splotchy. I guess the key might be a good cleaning before applying any of the dressings...... hoses would tend to pick up a lot of gunk that can be hard to see on their dark color.

KnuckleBuckett · 05-23-08, 08:45

Black WOW?

Followed by a good MF buff, let it cure a bit, buff again, and seal with 300, Ultima or some such.

BlueLibby04 · 05-23-08, 08:51

Maybe its time to replace them?

I usually like to replace radiator hoses and heater hoses every 60k with a good anti-freeze change. Make sure you use the proper anti-freeze depending on the make of your car.

Other than that, I use Megs Hyper dressing on all my hoses on the engine.

BigJimZ28 · 05-23-08, 08:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueLibby04

Maybe its time to replace them?

I usually like to replace radiator hoses and heater hoses every 60k with a good anti-freeze change. Make sure you use the proper anti-freeze depending on the make of your car.

Other than that, I use Megs Hyper dressing on all my hoses on the engine.

we have a winner
replace the hoses before you get stuck somewhere with a
blown out black and shinny hose

blk45 · 05-23-08, 09:06

If the hoses are in good condition and don't need to be replaced, CD2 works well.

abbeysdad · 05-23-08, 10:04

Seems to me that if they are in good condition, any vinyl/rubber dressing would be just fine.
I think some of the tire dressings might be messy, so use whatever you use for dash and door gaskets. (my choice is 303)

Eliot Ness · 05-23-08, 12:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by abbeysdad

..........I think some of the tire dressings might be messy, so use whatever you use for dash and door gaskets. (my choice is 303)

I haven't found the good water based dressings to be messy at all, I just apply it with a small cloth or a 4 x4 gauze pad and buff off the excess...... the same thing I'd have to do with 303. The hoses when dressed with something like Z-16 look good for about 2 years before I touch them again with dressing. Not sure if 303 would hold up that long, but it'd be worth a try..... my Poorboy's and Z-16 just happened to be a lot closer than my 303 when I was cleaning up the hoses.

eddie926 · 05-23-08, 12:17

I've read many good reports and seen many good pictures of engine bays done with CD2 Engine Detailer. I haven't tried it yet, but just picked some up at Auto Zone and will try it soon.

SuperBee364 · 05-23-08, 12:45

CD2 works well.