Exterior plastic shine?

[DdotRoq]

Hey everyone,



After visiting this site a little over a month, I`ve been detailing my car 2-3 times a week. I feel almost obsessively compulsive about keeping the auto clean; I seem to just enjoy it`s shine in every way and like to keep it that way.



I try to keep my fiancé`s MINI Cooper S in the same condition, however keep running into issues with her plastic. If you look at your average 2010 MINI Cooper S, you`ll realize there are plastics on the fenders and 1/4 panel. I`ve tried deep wash, wax, etc., and I can`t seem to give it that AMAZING shine the rest of the car has. I mean, the shine ONR gives, or the shine a good wax provides, or even the pod shine Forever Black leaves our tires.



What product do you guys recommend we use to shine this exterior plastic?



Thanks!



Dave

[Bill D]

Hi Dave :wavey




Hey everyone,



After visiting this site a little over a month, I`ve been detailing my car 2-3 times a week. I feel almost obsessively compulsive about keeping the auto clean; I seem to just enjoy it`s shine in every way and like to keep it that way.



Hope it becomes an outright, full-blown obsession like so many of us here! :xyxthumbs








What product do you guys recommend we use to shine this exterior plastic?



Thanks!





I`m new to, and enjoying experimenting with Car Pro`s PERL-- you can use it on all plastic, tires, and the interior. It seems to be a pretty amazing product. CEE DOG did a fantastic review of it outlining usage, appearance,and long term longevity tests.



I don`t think you can wrong with it.

[lostdaytomorrow]

Chemical guys had an aerosol spray called fade to black i think and it will make it look like wet black paint very quickly. The overspray can be a pain though as it likes to smear and be oily.

[Accumulator]

Never worked on a Mini, but most of the time I just use either the Klasse twins or Collinite 845 on black exterior trim. Ultima`s trim sealant has worked well for me too.

[Ron Ketcham]

On parts like that, I use either ValuGard Fast Finish or Turtle Wax`s Ice.

Both are great for parts like that, holds up in rain, and works on the paint of the vehicle as well, so no issues with overspray, collecting dust, streaking when it rains.

Grumpy

[smokinfastlegen]

Maybe give zaino z-16 a try? I tried it on some exterior plastics on a trailblazer i just did and it looked fantastic.

[wascallyrabbit]

ultima has a good tire and trim product (used and like), gtechniq c4 (currently using), 3d has a trim product i`ll probably try in the fall.

[SpoolinNoMore]

ultima has a good tire and trim product (used and like), gtechniq c4 (currently using), 3d has a trim product i`ll probably try in the fall.



UTTG+, there are a few reviews with it on AG forums with some 50/50 comparisons to c4 IIRC

[Brad B]

I know just what you are going through. On my MINI I ended up using Mothers Protectant. It provided the medium sheen that I wanted, the most even coverage and tended to last the longest. On the MINI I have tried:



Mothers Protectant

Zaino Z-16

Meguiars D160

Aerospace 303

4 Star Tire

Blackfire Gel

Pinnacle Gel

Sonus Total Eclipse

Ultima Interior

Wolfgang

...and possibly some others.



None of these were bad, and some results were identical. But most just never looked right for me for various reasons. I don`t believe there is one answer, as you can see by the responses from other readers.



The MINI fender trim is a very rough surface. No matter what you use you must be sure that you clean the plastic before any application. I used Meguiars Rubber Cleaner. Do it twice. There is a direct relationship whith how good the end results are no matter what you try.



http://www.fototime.com/B09B999D549C139/standard.jpg

[mikenap]

I know just what you are going through. On my MINI I ended up using Mothers Protectant. It provided the medium sheen that I wanted, the most even coverage and tended to last the longest. On the MINI I have tried:



Mothers Protectant

Zaino Z-16

Meguiars D160

Aerospace 303

4 Star Tire

Blackfire Gel

Pinnacle Gel

Sonus Total Eclipse

Ultima Interior

Wolfgang

...and possibly some others.



None of these were bad, and some results were identical. But most just never looked right for me for various reasons. I don`t believe there is one answer, as you can see by the responses from other readers.



The MINI fender trim is a very rough surface. No matter what you use you must be sure that you clean the plastic before any application. I used Meguiars Rubber Cleaner. Do it twice. There is a direct relationship whith how good the end results are no matter what you try.



http://www.fototime.com/B09B999D549C139/standard.jpg



Wow, I really like that look Brad. It`s the perfect contrast to that white.

[wascallyrabbit]

what kind of durability are you getting and under what basic conditions?

[Brad B]

what kind of durability are you getting and under what basic conditions?



Daily driver. The car was garaged at night and parked outside during the day about 50% of the time. Keep in mind I would track the car a lot as well. Washed with Zaino shampoo weekly. I re-applied Mothers every 2-3 weeks or so.

[wascallyrabbit]

seems fairly durable.

[Ch96067]

I have used 303 and CG new look trim gel on exterior plastics.



Out of the 2 if wetness and new look is what you are looking for then hands down it is CG NLTG. Goes a very long way with little qty and works great in porous plastic. 1st wash and it is almost gone, but since it is so easy and efficient to apply for me it is no issue. I use an mf applicator and rub it in.



It would be a nice test if the gloss and like new result of CG could perhaps be shielded with a trim friendly wax like those ACC suggests.

[Bis]

I know just what you are going through. On my MINI I ended up using Mothers Protectant. It provided the medium sheen that I wanted, the most even coverage and tended to last the longest. On the MINI I have tried:



Mothers Protectant

Zaino Z-16

Meguiars D160

Aerospace 303

4 Star Tire

Blackfire Gel

Pinnacle Gel

Sonus Total Eclipse

Ultima Interior

Wolfgang

...and possibly some others.



None of these were bad, and some results were identical. But most just never looked right for me for various reasons. I don`t believe there is one answer, as you can see by the responses from other readers.



The MINI fender trim is a very rough surface. No matter what you use you must be sure that you clean the plastic before any application. I used Meguiars Rubber Cleaner. Do it twice. There is a direct relationship whith how good the end results are no matter what you try.



http://www.fototime.com/B09B999D549C139/standard.jpg



The top of the bumper on my van is very similar. It is a very bumpy texture on the plastic. I have a couple of stains and wax that has deposited on the texture and usually find it pretty difficult to clean. Should I use a brush with stiff bristles to try to get in the poors?