Exterior plastic shine?

D

DdotRoq

New member
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
 
Hi Dave :wavey



DdotRoq said:
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.
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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!
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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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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
 
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.
 
wascallyrabbit said:
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.
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UTTG+, there are a few reviews with it on AG forums with some 50/50 comparisons to c4 IIRC
 
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.



standard.jpg
 
Brad B. said:
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.



standard.jpg
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Wow, I really like that look Brad. It's the perfect contrast to that white.
 
wascallyrabbit said:
what kind of durability are you getting and under what basic conditions?
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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.
 
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.
 
Brad B. said:
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.



standard.jpg
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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?
 
Bis said:
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?
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Watch that you don't use something so stiff that it mars the plastic.



I'd just use the Klasse twins on that, that's how I treat rubber/plastic bumper toppers on all my vehicles, been doing it since forever. Just did much of the the exterior rubber/plastic on the Crown Vic with that approach last weekend. Don't let the products dry completely before buffing them off and you should be fine. I just can't see redoing a dressing-style approach every few weeks unless that's the only thing that looks OK (on rare occasions that's the only thing that works well, but that hardly ever happens).
 
DdotRoq said:
I can't seem to give it that AMAZING shine the rest of the car has.
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Uh......................the black plastic on the fenders and 1/4 panels are not supposed to shine like the rest of the car. They are supposed to be flat, textured black, like they are when they're new.
 
I hope i can shed some light on this thread...



Longetivity on this is unconfirmed. But here are two products used on originally sun faded trim which is seen of course in the middle.



<To the left is TUF SHINE trim restorer >To the right is FOREVER BLACK tire gel/dye Both are also coated with megs ult protectant

IMG_0236.jpg


IMG_0239.jpg


Product was tested on 1998 ford windstar tourmaline. 12/30/2011



It seems to be that the foreverblack tire dressing really blackens trim to an extreme deep color, however, how much it does penetrate to create that look to me is unknown.

The tuf shine trim restorer penetrates extremely well as i have used it the steering wheel of this minivan too. It has been well over 2 months since it was coated with tufshine trim

restorer. and only twice have i coated it with megs ult protectant.



Here it is today with the 2nd coat of megs ult> ( notice the dye only around the airbag horn design cover)

IMG_0241.jpg
 
Gtechniq C4, Carpro Perl are all great, optimum opti coat is good too. protects great but darkening effect is not quite as good

I'm using permanon aircraft supershine spray on quartz/silicium coating these days for those needs



though all trims should be clayed on occasion and get a dose of some Glare Zero or other product to remove the carbon buildup and give that better than new look prior to coating them
 
My wife has an '05 Cooper S and I've used every product on the arches and then finally found Ultima Trim and Tire Guard. This stuff is amazing. Put it on 2 months ago and still looks as good as the day I did it (2 coats). I was using products after every wash to keep them looking good and Ultima brings my sanity back! Buy it and don't look back.
 
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