Black plastic panels

[Bruce]

My son and I are going to do a new-car detailing on his 2004 Subaru Forester this weekend before winter sets in. The car is blue, but the huge lower side panels and bumpers are textured black plastic. What should I use on them for protection and appearance?

[imported_BretFraz]

You can use most any water based rubber & plastic dressing or a product like Stoner Trim Shine. None of these will be durable so consider them cosmetic enhancers only.



Don`t forget to be careful polishing and waxing around the cladding. Tape off the edges if you have to. Have fun detailing!! :)

[togwt]

~One man’s opinion~



I’ve used ‘Forever Black’ (pinch of salt with ‘forever’) it seems to last longer than most





Experience unshared; is knowledge wasted…/



justadumbarchitect

[imported_kgb]

If you are using a product that will stain plastic tape off the panels along the paint so you don`t stain them at all. That is just a security measure. Then use Poorboy`s Natural Look to clean the trim. As you can see from the pics http://www.danase.com/gallery/02civic/

Natural Look did wonders on black plastic trim!

[Bruce]

Once the plastic is clean, would a sealant such as Klasse or Zaino make sense? I`m a big fan of AIO for all sorts of things, especially since it seems to provide a protective coating for glass, wheels and clear plastic lights that makes them very easy to keep clean.



And, yes, I`ve already got my roll of blue tape. I can just see myself trying to go over about a third of the car`s vertical surface area with an eraser...

[Jesstzn]

Originally posted by TOGWT

~One man’s opinion~



I’ve used ‘Forever Black’ (pinch of salt with ‘forever’) it seems to last longer than most





Experience unshared; is knowledge wasted…/



justadumbarchitect



See my posting here under the thread "Forever Black"

[BoxsterCharlie]

I did my sister`s Forester with 303. Worked great and was very easy...I used a lot of it to saturate the surface and let it sit for a hour or so.

[imported_Macgirl]

303 Aerospace Protectant works great but you should apply it to the plastic [do the entire lower panels and such] then go back and buff it out. If you don`t buff it dry then you will get streaking. I`m getting ready to purchase some 1Z Tiefenpfleger - Vinyl/Rubber Care. This product is supposed to clean and protect plastic and provide a weather and temperature resistant seal that won`t wash off during a car wash. Sounds too good, but I`ve talked to several people who say it works as promised. Like you, the entire lower surface of my car is black plastic and I really hate dressing that each time I wash, especially the window trim, so a product that will withstand the elements looks awesome to me. Worth a look.....http://www.1z-usa.com/sys-tmpl/plasticvinylrubbercare1/

[Accumulator]

Originally posted by Bruce

Once the plastic is clean, would a sealant such as Klasse or Zaino make sense? I`m a big fan of AIO for all sorts of things, especially since it seems to provide a protective coating for glass, wheels and clear plastic lights that makes them very easy to keep clean....



*I* use the K twins on my Subaru WRX, and yes, I use it on the black plastic rocker panel trim and all other such areas. Works fine. It`s nice to NOT have to reapply after every wash/rain :xyxthumbs

[AWMark]

I will recommend ACRYLIC-WERKS. Hands down it will keep that trim looking great, with NO oily mess, no breakdown and can be applied every couple of months during the winter. It is salt-water proof and road-salt proof. You can check out the Gallery Photos /

acrylic-werks and see some before and after photos on the black textured plastic mirror casings. There are step by step instructions on the site to walk you through the application process. I will not hope, this will be the answer to your request.

[Scottwax]

Originally posted by AWMark

I will recommend ACRYLIC-WERKS. Hands down it will keep that trim looking great, with NO oily mess, no breakdown and can be applied every couple of months during the winter. It is salt-water proof and road-salt proof. You can check out the Gallery Photos /

acrylic-werks and see some before and after photos on the black textured plastic mirror casings. There are step by step instructions on the site to walk you through the application process. I will not hope, this will be the answer to your request.



Regular Moose Wax will do the same and it costs a less than Acrylic-Werks.

[AWMark]

Scott, one of these days I would still enjoy hooking up somewhere. I would invite you out to a base ( maybe I could hook up Ft. Hood in Killeen ) so you can see my approach with an on the spot demo, and I would be more than happy to take a look at your products, and would stand back and observe a demonstration performed by you and the products of your choice. Now, don`t anyone take this the wrong way. I respect the work Scott displays in his photos and I like the information he provides. I`m always curious because in the last seven years I`ve been challenged by quite a few products that customers were really loyal to. After the demo, the only reason they didn`t buy was because of the price and that only happens maybe 5% of the time. When customers bring up the price, I`ll ask them to open the trunk, sure enough, there sits the egg crate with easily $50 to $60 dollars worth of products and if prodded a little more they will usually admit to having another $60 to $80 worth of products in the garage. Professional detailers don`t have to dump their line, but this is one heck of a addition to the arsenal.

[Scottwax]

Mark, Killeen is a long drive from the Dallas area. If you ever get up to Big D, let me know a week or two in advance and I`ll be glad to meet with you.



I think you would be very suprised how well Moose Wax works on plastic trim and how quickly. Rub on, wipe off. Takes maybe 30 seconds per mirror

[foxtrapper]

On the advise of some others I tried Black Again. It does seem to be the best of the plastic trim treatment stuff I`ve come across so far.



Using it on a test vehicle that had some pretty badly faded trim I could watch it darken up and turn black over the course of a few minutes. It`s not one of the oily watery messes, it feels like it might be an acrylic. It doesn`t mess up painted surfaces, and cleans out old wax and polish quite well.



Longevity is still up in the air. I`ve had it fade away to nothing in a matter of days on a few spots, but others have been a month+ now and are still looking quite good. No rhyme or reason to this that I can discern.