plastic and vinyl trim

B

bbxrider

New member
Hello I'm new here and some basic questions, right now mostly oriented to detailing my 1999 subaru outback legacy wagon to sell. the vinyl and plastic is tired looking.
is there any difference between amor all and product look alikes, like the turtle wax product?
i've seen some interesting posts on using peanut butter for shining the black plastic trim, the videos are very impressive, any negatives to using that? I haven't been real thrilled so far trying to shine that up with armor all.

also for vinyl, is there something akin to paint rubbing compound to kinda buff out small scratches and the like?
thanks
 
bbxrider said:
Hello I'm new here and some basic questions, right now mostly oriented to detailing my 1999 subaru outback legacy wagon to sell. the vinyl and plastic is tired looking.
is there any difference between amor all and product look alikes, like the turtle wax product?
i've seen some interesting posts on using peanut butter for shining the black plastic trim, the videos are very impressive, any negatives to using that? I haven't been real thrilled so far trying to shine that up with armor all.

also for vinyl, is there something akin to paint rubbing compound to kinda buff out small scratches and the like?
thanks
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There's many Vinyl protectant, and restore products available here that are vastly superior to Armor All as far as longevity, and protection goes.

Armor All is greasy-oily, and after the first rain, or wash, most of it is gone. It's then likely to wind up in places where you don't want it, like on your paint finish. (Same for Tires also)

Easily gotten yes, that's about Armor All's only advantage. While many of the very high quality products here might seem initially expensive, in truth they are much more economical than Armor All.

As for removing scratches from vinyl, this can be difficult. One will most likely never be able to fully restore vinyl to like new again with any sort of product. One might be able to lessen any ragged edges in scratch furrows somehow, but to totally remove the scratch, doubtful much can be done.

A good restorer product will lessen the noticability of said scratches though.
Some of these products can have a dye in them, and some don't.
I've seen dye type vinyl restorer products available in both Black, and Grey.
 
THe plastic trim can be a bit of a hassle, but luckily we have some good products at our disposal to help bring it back to life.

Products I have had good luck with (that are a wipe on type of product like armor-all, but with out all the nasty silicone and grease) are Poorboy's Trim restorer & Wolfgang Trim sealant.

What you want to do is clean the plastic really good with a all purpose cleaner (Blackfire APC and P21S Total Auto wash are fantastic candidates) and make sure to remove any and all previous product off of them.

Let the plastic dry completely then proceed by putting a nice thin coat of the product on the trim. you may have to do several coats depending on how weathered the trim is. This should get you headed in the right direction.

For the scratches, thats a tough one as the plastic is physically scratched. The above method will hide some of the scratches, but there really is not a better way around it as far as I know.
 
ok thanks for the suggestions, I didn't think there would any good vinyl restoring products or techniques, nice to have confirmations here!
 
Wurth Bumper and Trim Coating works well if it is black. This is a "paint like product" in a spray can. Finished to nice satin finish and is flexible so will last long time. Prep is same a spray paint and be sure to apply thin coats. Flash time between coats is longer than paint (minimum 10 minutes). Way better than regular paint.
 
BobbyG said:
I`ve done a 6 month review and test of a product designed for this specific application....

CarPro CQuartz DLux Review
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That`s for external plastics right? The images in the review are broken though.

I am right now mostly looking for interior plastics, door panels, dash, center console, etc...

In particular this is my c5 vette :) Yes that gen of the vette had crappy interiors and I would like to make it just a tad less crappy but not having it look old faded :)
 
CrispyGP2001 said:
Wurth Bumper and Trim Coating works well if it is black. This is a "paint like product" in a spray can. Finished to nice satin finish and is flexible so will last long time. Prep is same a spray paint and be sure to apply thin coats. Flash time between coats is longer than paint (minimum 10 minutes). Way better than regular paint.
Click to expand...

I am afraid to paint interior parts... that sounds like trouble about to happen... especially if it`s still no the car...
 
303 Aerospace for interior.

Solution Finish for exterior. CarPro DLux is also good but if you are looking to sell the car it is a little more than you need, both in cost and effort to apply, since durability isn`t really an issue for you.
 
Nth Degree said:
303 Aerospace for interior.

Solution Finish for exterior. CarPro DLux is also good but if you are looking to sell the car it is a little more than you need, both in cost and effort to apply, since durability isn`t really an issue for you.
Click to expand...

Does CarPro Dlux restore faded exterior trim like on an 02 Explorer fender flares
 
Exterior trim- first clean it with Griot`s Rubber Cleaner. If that doesn`t work on hard plastic, try a mild polish (but NOT M205!) or a plastic/rubber-friendly compound (e.g. Hi-Temp Fast Cut Leveler/"357") then repeat the Rubber Prep. On rubber, IPA will often remove the "dead rubber" well enough that you can switch to the Rubber Prep after a while.

Note that it might take a while, and I don`t mean just an hour or three.

Then try a trim sealant/coating or, if it`s hard plastic, just use a good LSP that doesn`t leave white stains.

I`ve brought back trim that looked like it simply needed replaced, dry white/light gray stuff that nobody thought would clean up. Years later it still looks fine.
 
Old thread with new life here.
Accum: You have said that 845 is good for trim?

Speaking of a good plastics cleaner, 1Z Einszett Plastic Deep Cleaner is my go-to. And, I can`t leave a thread like this without recommending Finish Kare 108AS for interior. A real sleeper product, as are most FK products outside of 425.
 
Okay, this stuff is going to have doubters because it`s an "as seen on TV" product, but hear me out - Wipe New. I kid you not. I used this within the last year (maybe year and a half) on all the outside black plastic trim on my Tundra. Bed rails, Step Rails, mudflaps, wiper cowling and probbaly some miscellaneous pieces I am forgetting. It works well, and it does last. I don`t really buy into the TV advertising spill, but my real life scenario has been this stuff not only restores the new black look to the plastic, but that it lasts more than one wash or rain. As I said, it`s been at least a year, and it is holding up well. It doesn`t look like it did when I first applied it, but it still looks good. Out of all the "semi-permanent" restorer type products I have tried over the last few years, this stuff is hands down the best. Granted, I haven`t tried them all, but I`ve tried several that have all been mentioned on various detailing related forums and message boards. Give it a try. Or don`t. Worked for me.
 
JaredPointer said:
Okay, this stuff is going to have doubters because it`s an "as seen on TV" product, but hear me out - Wipe New. I kid you not. I used this within the last year (maybe year and a half) on all the outside black plastic trim on my Tundra. Bed rails, Step Rails, mudflaps, wiper cowling and probbaly some miscellaneous pieces I am forgetting. It works well, and it does last. I don`t really buy into the TV advertising spill, but my real life scenario has been this stuff not only restores the new black look to the plastic, but that it lasts more than one wash or rain. As I said, it`s been at least a year, and it is holding up well. It doesn`t look like it did when I first applied it, but it still looks good. Out of all the "semi-permanent" restorer type products I have tried over the last few years, this stuff is hands down the best. Granted, I haven`t tried them all, but I`ve tried several that have all been mentioned on various detailing related forums and message boards. Give it a try. Or don`t. Worked for me.
Click to expand...


Thx, i think I`ve seen it at Walmart. I`ll try anything at this point.
 
ShawnF350 said:
Thx, i think I`ve seen it at Walmart. I`ll try anything at this point.
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I will say that my exterior plastic wasn`t faded from black to gray - think Chevrolet Avalanche kinda fade. Mine was dull, and showing signs of fading. I don`t know how far Wipe New would get you on something that`s terribly faded to a dull grey. While it appears to be marketed as a trim restorer - and it definitely restored mine to a like new condition - it doesn`t look like it would have any dye properties. It`s clear. Again, it worked really well for me in my situation. For about $15, it couldn`t hurt to give it a try.
 
My trim is Grey from new.
I`m gonna clean it really well and try a few things this weekend.
I`ll take before and afters.
 
Well, I did everything with "Wipe New".
It looked quite a bit better.
Today I topped it with 845.
I didn`t wipe with a MF towel afterwards.
Was I supposed to.
I may be getting this 845 on all my plastic exterior now.
I`m impressed on how easy it applied.

I`ll try to get some pics tomorrow.
 
ShawnF350- I always buff the 845 off the trim *before* it flashes/dries, but IMO it`s one of those "if whatever you did worked OK, then OK"- type things.

No issue with it going on OK over the Wipe New, huh?
 
No problems at all topping Wipe New with 845 (24 hours later).
845 on exterior trim really worked for me. The oils or whatever carries the wax really darkens the faded look.
I will see if anything needs wiping and do a second coat of 845 tonight if I`m up for it.
Definitely will follow with a MF this time.
The top of my flares are too far gone, but the bumpers and flares looking from the side now looks 90% better.
I polished out one flare area last year and it removed the rough feeling to smooth. But didn`t fix the sunned look.
I can`t wait to see how 845 holds up after rain.
 
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