Leadfootluke
New member
I bought a new [to me] car about 2 months ago. I drive 400 miles a week in Michigan, so the weather is almost always changing. I figured it would be a good opportunity to test some products. I started a wax test on my truck earlier this year, and before getting follow up pictures/video, I sold my truck :doh: I promise I will try to follow through :biggrin1:
I started by washing/stripping the car. The mirror housings were taped down the middle and the product was applied to each side. The strip in the middle is bare plastic, which will allow for a base for comparison.
The first two products used were Opti-Bond [left, inside] and Adam's Super VRT [right, outside]
Opti-bond [on the left]: Opti-bond, is very easy to apply and is quite thick. I have applied it to tires, trim, and other plastics with no problems. I have gotten great durability when applied to tires, especially 1:1 mixed with water as it gets great coverage coming out of a spray bottle. I applied it to the mirror housing, and came back a while later to remove any excess residue. The look was very similar to the Adam's SVRT
Adam's SVRT [on the right]: The Super VRT, is the waterproof version of their VRT. It smells good [like black magic tire gel], and is very thick. It actually spreads very thin, which I enjoyed because it's incredibly overpriced compared to other dressings. It gives a darkened look [like most dressings], but makes the mirror housings look "dressed" versus naturally dark.
On the passenger side of the vehicle, I used what I would consider to be, longer lasting options. The products used were Collinite 845 [left, outside] and BlackWow [right, inside].
Collinite 845 [on the left]: 845, on the left, has been my go-to protection on this type of plastic. It was the type of plastic that I had on my truck, and I had several months of durability out of it. It does not look as shiny as most dressings, but darkens the plastic so it looks new. In order to avoid white spots, I use the Wipe on Wipe off approach that Accumulator talks about so much. And after following his direction, I have found this to be a great protectant on various types of trim. You need very little product to get the desired look.
Black Wow [on the right]: I have barely used any of my BW, since I got it. I have used it more for restorative purposes versus a dressing. I figured I could get a good idea of it's actual durability with this type of test. I used a foam applicator and very little product. This product is comparable to the Adam's SVRT in how it makes the plastic dark and shiny.
Here are a few misc pictures of the mirror housings
This is my almost 3 week update as today was a good day to present recent findings. In the past 3 weeks it was anywhere from 30 degrees to 80 degrees. It rained 5-7 of the days, and I park outside at work for 10 hours a day [6 of which are in the sun]. My car is garaged and gets washed on average twice a week. I have put about 1,300 miles on my car in the last 3 weeks, and here are the results.
The Opti-bond is essentially dead. It is still on the plastic, as the characteristics of it's side are different than the middle, which was not protected/dressed at all. The Adam's SVRT is still beading fairly well, but the looks have diminished. It is no where near as dark as it first was. Neither product have kept the dark finish they started with.
The 845 and BlackWow look fantastic. The noticeable change is that the BlackWow is not as shiny as it first began, but it is still dark and beads water very well. The 845 is still dark and beads water on this textured plastic like it does on does on paint.
845
Black wow beading
Because this is my personal car and I like to dress/protect/test on it, I am in no need of a permanent solution. I am also a huge fan of Meguiar's Hyperdressing, although I figured that my highly diluted solution I use would not be worth testing just yet. Maybe next time I can test those. I will update this thread in a week or two, or when one of the dressings dies off.
I started by washing/stripping the car. The mirror housings were taped down the middle and the product was applied to each side. The strip in the middle is bare plastic, which will allow for a base for comparison.
The first two products used were Opti-Bond [left, inside] and Adam's Super VRT [right, outside]
Opti-bond [on the left]: Opti-bond, is very easy to apply and is quite thick. I have applied it to tires, trim, and other plastics with no problems. I have gotten great durability when applied to tires, especially 1:1 mixed with water as it gets great coverage coming out of a spray bottle. I applied it to the mirror housing, and came back a while later to remove any excess residue. The look was very similar to the Adam's SVRT
Adam's SVRT [on the right]: The Super VRT, is the waterproof version of their VRT. It smells good [like black magic tire gel], and is very thick. It actually spreads very thin, which I enjoyed because it's incredibly overpriced compared to other dressings. It gives a darkened look [like most dressings], but makes the mirror housings look "dressed" versus naturally dark.
On the passenger side of the vehicle, I used what I would consider to be, longer lasting options. The products used were Collinite 845 [left, outside] and BlackWow [right, inside].
Collinite 845 [on the left]: 845, on the left, has been my go-to protection on this type of plastic. It was the type of plastic that I had on my truck, and I had several months of durability out of it. It does not look as shiny as most dressings, but darkens the plastic so it looks new. In order to avoid white spots, I use the Wipe on Wipe off approach that Accumulator talks about so much. And after following his direction, I have found this to be a great protectant on various types of trim. You need very little product to get the desired look.
Black Wow [on the right]: I have barely used any of my BW, since I got it. I have used it more for restorative purposes versus a dressing. I figured I could get a good idea of it's actual durability with this type of test. I used a foam applicator and very little product. This product is comparable to the Adam's SVRT in how it makes the plastic dark and shiny.
Here are a few misc pictures of the mirror housings
This is my almost 3 week update as today was a good day to present recent findings. In the past 3 weeks it was anywhere from 30 degrees to 80 degrees. It rained 5-7 of the days, and I park outside at work for 10 hours a day [6 of which are in the sun]. My car is garaged and gets washed on average twice a week. I have put about 1,300 miles on my car in the last 3 weeks, and here are the results.
The Opti-bond is essentially dead. It is still on the plastic, as the characteristics of it's side are different than the middle, which was not protected/dressed at all. The Adam's SVRT is still beading fairly well, but the looks have diminished. It is no where near as dark as it first was. Neither product have kept the dark finish they started with.
The 845 and BlackWow look fantastic. The noticeable change is that the BlackWow is not as shiny as it first began, but it is still dark and beads water very well. The 845 is still dark and beads water on this textured plastic like it does on does on paint.
845
Black wow beading
Because this is my personal car and I like to dress/protect/test on it, I am in no need of a permanent solution. I am also a huge fan of Meguiar's Hyperdressing, although I figured that my highly diluted solution I use would not be worth testing just yet. Maybe next time I can test those. I will update this thread in a week or two, or when one of the dressings dies off.
