What to use on porous rubber trim?

[andrewcbho]

What do you guys use on the rubber trim that seals off the doors around the windows? i have no idea what to use and i don`t want to damage the trim in any way.



I was also wondering what to use on my bumper? do i polish it like the rest of my car? it is a plastic type of material..i really have no idea what it is. Can ssr be used to polish plastic bumpers? The car below is not my car btw, but the same model.





http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/andrewcbho/A2.jpg





I also was wondering if PB trim restorer would be a good product to dress the door handles. As you can see below, they are very faded. Would trim restorer make my door handles sticky?





http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/andrewcbho/P4240024.jpg







Andrew

[dcswd]

1) Is the bumber painted like the rest of the car, just plastic under it instead of metal? If so you can use all your regular car polishes on it, but realize that it is much more sensitive to heat and pressure. The heat issue would mostly come up with the rotary though. If its not regular paint, then you will need to do something else obviously



2) I have used 303 areo space protectant on my door seals before. I liked it, but someone else can probably give you another good suggestion.



3) Is the door handle really hard? I am not completely familiar with that door handle. PB TR will not leave the door handle sticky. It will dry well. I am not 100% sure it will work well on that door handle or not though. PB TR will help with resoring it though.



I`ve never used it, but something like forever black always looked interesting to me. I cant say for sure if its suited for your door handle once again, but its worth looking into and reading reviews on it. http://www.autogeek.net/forblacbumtr.html



Hope this helps :D

[colche]

I would definately give PB TR a go on that door handle. Chances are it will make it nice and black and glossy. I have had great sucess on using it on weathered, black, textured door trim like that.



I also use TR on black flat, plastic surfaces and have found it works best on that. For exterior rubber (door/window seals) I prefer PB B&B --- use a small brush to apply it accurately and with minimal waste. I`ve tried 303 on rubber seals but have found it not as glossy.



Hope this helps,

[Lowejackson]

For hard plastic I would say Autoglym Bumper Shine and for the soft rubber Gummiphledge (Sp?)

[percynjpn]

For exterior plastic trim, I haven`t found a better general restorer and protectant than 1Z Tiefenpfleger.

[toml]

Has anyone used AIO on the rubber window seals while they`re applying AIO on the windows and the rest of the car? The directions for AIO say it`s for non-porous surfaces, and I`d imagine the rubber window seals are porous, but I still thought I`d ask the question. Or do you tape off the rubber seals and apply something like 303 to it?

[Accumulator]

Painted plastic bumpers can be treated just like the rest of the car`s painted surfaces. Just be careful if you`re using a rotary, the paint on these is more fragile than the paint on metal.



I`ve accidentally applied AIO to porous rubber. No real harm done but you have to clean it off with something like alcohol (which isn`t good for the rubber) before you can dress it. In some cases it will "polish" the rubber, making the spot you hit stand out.



For treating rubber seals, I prefer the Wurth brand gummipflege "stick" but the more commonly available ones from 1Z and BMW dealerships work well too. Heh heh, they call these things "gel sticks" but a) they`re not a gel and b) they`re not a stick. They`re a liquid with a foam applicator on the top of the bottle, similar to liquid shoe polish.



Wurth also sells a "Rubber Care" aerosol that works well, but that method of application is messy so I spray it on an applicator (which doesn`t seem to work as well because the carrier agent flashes off quickly).



I`ve found these products absorb into the rubber better than many "regular" ERV dressings and result in less product transfer onto surfaces that contact the rubber. IMO the Wurth products are the best in this regard (I tested on a WRX where the rubber directly contacted the side glass).

[Spilchy]

Those porous, grayish-looking door handles are shot.



I have awesome results with Forever Black on those exact surfaces. http://www.properautocare.com/fobltrredye.html



In fact I did half the trim on my 10 year old Honda that sits outside 24x7. It isn`t sticky and has held up beautifully.



I washed the car, cleaned the trim with a diluted APC and allowed to dry real well. I taped off the areas with blue tape and applied two coats of Forever Black in the shade allowing the first coat to dry first.



Once FULLY dry, slowly remove the blue tape. Any residue on the paint cleans up with 3M Tar & Adhesive Remover while the residue is fresh. If done right and carefully, you should have any problems.



Again, this product is best used for porous black plastic like door handles and trim.



For exterior rubber, I have good results with Meguiar`s #38. I apply it liberally, allowing to soak in. I do a few coats.

[Sveta]

I second that, Accumulator.



Wurth makes nice rubber, vinyl products. Yes, the spray isn`t user friendly but once and awhile I like to believe I am "treating" the rubber seals with something more then a topical protectant.

[toml]

Originally posted by Accumulator

I`ve accidentally applied AIO to porous rubber. No real harm done but you have to clean it off with something like alcohol (which isn`t good for the rubber) before you can dress it. In some cases it will "polish" the rubber, making the spot you hit stand out.



Thanks for the feedback! I knew AIO could be used on plastic trim with great success, but I wasn`t sure about the rubber window seal trim. Looks like the taping won`t come off until the LSP is wiped off.

[andrewcbho]

As you can see, my dad doesnt take care of his car much. I`m still not too sure what to do with the bumpers and lower panels. Do i polish them or is it hopeless?



here are a few better pictures:







http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/andrewcbho/P4280041.jpg







http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/andrewcbho/P4280039.jpg







Don`t have any shots of the rear....this is what it looks like.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/andrewcbho/MercedesW140S119.jpg







Andrew

[ktlimq]

I think it is painted. So you can apply wax.

You can submit your question on MB USA web site. Enter your VIN and give them the web address of the pictures.

[Accumulator]

andrewcbho- The pic that shows damage shows that it`s black paint over lighter colored plastic, you can see how the paint is chipped.



Just polish and wax it and it`ll look a lot better. Probably not perfect, but better is better. Even on the older S-class where the bumper covers were always silver/gray, you just treated them like any other paint.