Black Plastic B Pillar Polishing

[toml]

I`ve got some light marring in the black B pillar between the outside driver`s side and rear passenger windows. The dealer says it`s plastic ... it`s not a hard textured plastic but what appears to be a softer plastic.



I tried AIO (applied by hand with a foam pad) on it, and while it dramatically improved the appearance of the pillar and minimized the scratches, they`re still there. I was thinking of trying #80, but that stains trim, so I really don`t think that`d be a good option. Another choice would be PlastX, but that`s for clear plastics (like headlights, tail lights, etc), and this trim piece is black.



Has anyone polished out this area, and if so, what did you use?

[SilverBelle04]

I used Meguairs DACP # 83 and an orange LC pad on the PC (at speed of 5) to remove bird dropping etching on my plastic pillars. It worked effectively. I followed up with a few coats of Z2Pro and it looks as good as knew. This was for the hard plastic door pillars and not rubber trim.



If its really light marring PlastX might work for you. I would try that first and then work your way up.



Bob

[toml]

Originally posted by SilverBelle04

I used Meguairs DACP # 83 and an orange LC pad on the PC (at speed of 5) to remove bird dropping etching on my plastic pillars. It worked effectively. I followed up with a few coats of Z2Pro and it looks as good as knew. This was for the hard plastic door pillars and not rubber trim.



Hmmm ... mine is definitely not rubber trim but the black plastic B pillar area between the side windows.



Were your plastic pillars clearcoated or painted the same color as the car? Did you have any staining that you needed to clean up? I could use #80, but I don`t want to stain the plastic or make it look any worse.

[imported_CBX Carl]

I have seen the clear topcoat of these pillars fail. Ford, Dodge and Chrysler show the failures over time. Mostly older cars and in some of the fleet cars I guessed it was from use of the commercial car wash or even power washes. I would use caution if I were to apply a PC or Rotary to this type of finished surfaces. I would use a cover-up product only on these.



I will grab a ( failure) pic and post it back in the thread.

[Accumulator]

Our Audis have shiny black plastic pillars. I use the same products on these that I use on paint; I just trat them like sorta-soft paint. The #80 might not be a bad idea as it will fill a little of what it doesn`t remove. Just try a small area to make sure it`s an OK idea before you do the whole thing.

[toml]

Originally posted by Accumulator

Our Audis have shiny black plastic pillars. I use the same products on these that I use on paint; I just trat them like sorta-soft paint. The #80 might not be a bad idea as it will fill a little of what it doesn`t remove. Just try a small area to make sure it`s an OK idea before you do the whole thing.



Thanks! I`ll definitely give it some more thought. Do you use a PC on that area or by hand?

[99se5spd]

On import vehicles that trim is usually just a piece of black vinyl (like a sticker) so i would be careful what you do with them, if it is in fact vinyl you could easily replace/have replaced those pieces. I havent paid enough attention to the new Accords yet to notice if they are vinyl though.

[Accumulator]

Originally posted by toml

.. Do you use a PC on that area or by hand?



Heh heh, I virtually *never* do anything by hand. I consider the PC to be just a "fast hand that doesn`t get tired"; it`s not really more aggressive, at least if you turn the speed down and use care. Yeah, I use the PC for this.



As 99se5spd pointed out, some vehicles have vinyl appliques, so you need to know what you`re dealing with.

[SpoiledMan]

The B pillar trim *is* plastic. Polish away.

[benpocock]

If it`s regular plastic why not try Vanilla Moose or Moose Wax, both have abrasives in but don`t stain trim.



Ben

[toml]

Thanks for all the replies. I don`t have VM or CMW, so I may just go with #80.