Question on BMW underbody trim...

[SilverLexus]

I transformed a 13 year old BMW 325i today into something shiney but I got hung up on the greyish trim that runs below the door panels. Any suggestions for bring this back to the original color.



I tried AIO for chemical cleansing then Poorboy`s Trim Restorer but it did not work very well....the color seemed to be faded.



Do I need more aggressive cleaning? Do I need something to put the color back in?



Thanks for your suggestions and advice. I`m a bit stumped on this one. I may have pictures up tomorrow.



I did Zaino Z-7 wash, claying, Z-7 again, polished with SSR2.5, applied AIO, then Souveran on the exterior and it turned out great.



Also, the leather seats have been in rough shape for a while....any advice for more aggressive leather cleaning to get deep embedded dirt out?



Many thanks. :)

[SilverLexus]

Anyone?

[Bill D]

I don`t recall the name, but I think TOL sells something for this . Ther`es also a similar product from Valugard/Autoint.

[Accumulator]

I haven`t done a Bimmer since forever (sold my M3 in maybe `93 or `94), but what happened when you used the AIO on it- before you put the Trim Restorer on?



Sometimes I think such plastics can just get sunbleached/oxidized/weathered to the point where they`re not gonna come back as well as we`d like.

[SilverLexus]

That may be Accumulator. It is fairly washed out.

[imported_Axe]

A product I used that brought the white polish etc out of my black side panels and bumpers was 1z KristallKlar Premium, it is designed for washing windows, but it really worked well. You could give that a try, only it does sound like your problem is bleached weathered etc panels, but it may work.

[togwt]

Sun faded and chemically bleached mouldings:

In this condition, the vinyl or rubber has turned grey due to accumulated ultraviolet exposure or contact with a chemical bleaching agent. There is no cleaner or dressing that will restore lost colour. Treatment requires re-dying the surface with a permanent dye. This procedure is only for black trim.



Use a Forever Black Kit to restore a dark, black finish on sun-faded or bleached vinyl, rubber or plastic mouldings and bumpers. Forever Black will completely cover the worst wax stains or sun-faded trim with a finish that will not wash off. The Forever Black Kit contains 4 oz. of Cleaner Concentrate and 4 oz. of Forever Black Dye

Methodology:

â€Â¢Start by applying the cleaner concentrate to a sponge or cloth and wiping the trim. This removes any silicones or oils on the surface.

â€Â¢Next apply a coating of Forever Back Dye using the shoe-dauber type applicator on the bottle. This dye is designed to bond to vinyl, rubber and plastic. It will not permanently adhere to glass, chrome or paintwork. If you happen to get dye on paintwork or glass, use a damp cloth to wipe it off. If dye should dry on paintwork or glass, it is easily removed with a tar remover. Forever Black Dye will permanently stain cloth so wear old clothing or an apron when applying the dye. Forever Black Dye dries in 5 to 20 minutes. No buffing is required.

â€Â¢One application is typically enough to cover most stains. A second application may be required to cover severely stained or sun faded mouldings. Wait 30 minutes between coats.



After treatment, I recommend protecting the trim with 303 Aerospace Protectant. Spray 303 on a cloth or applicator pad and give the trim a quick once over. Using 303 on a regular basis (after car is washed) will inhibit future fading for a year or more.

JonM

[SilverLexus]

Thanks Jon. Any vendors with good prices on this stuff?

[maxedmax]

Bmp design is a bmw aftermarket company that specializes specifically in bmw performance. I have looked through several of thier catalogues and in each of them I found a special trim restorer formula that you can "paint" onto the black plastic trim. This is made specifically for those bmw rubber side skirts and works wonders. Check them out.



http://www.bmpdesign.com/

[maxedmax]

Ok update, it`s called a "rocker panel refinish kit". On the main page click on "catalog preview" then go to BMP car protection. Click on the link, it will download a pdf and you can scoll down and see it in person.

[SilverLexus]

I say no on BMP-it`s $60. Too much moolah. :down

[Dolphin463]

I have a `93 325i with the same grey panels below the door. They most certainly are NOT plastic so therefore, many of the suggestions made in this thread are probably not appropriate for this application. This panel has a flat grey finish (it`s not black) and a few years ago, I repainted it with grey spray paint and it looks much better. Obviously, you need to mask off the doors when you do this. This panel has a very bumpy/rough surface so getting the paint perfectly applied is not critical. For $5 you can fix this eyesore in about 10 minutes.

[dternst]

Originally posted by Bill D

I don`t recall the name, but I think TOL sells something for this .



Trim & Molding Restoration Kits are available in black, white, light grey, and dark grey.



Trim & Molding Restoration Kit (http://www.topoftheline.com/trimmolreski.html)

[SilverLexus]

Mike,



I like your spray paint suggestion but I wonder if you could do black anyway. I think it would look better...

[Dolphin463]

If your car were black, I`d definitely paint the panel below the doors black. It would look much better than the standard grey.